A LAUDABLE SCHEME

Allowing Babus lateral entry into senior levels of bureaucracy is a good decision. Generalist bureaucrats were suitable, when the economy hinged solely on the state. With privatisation, specialists are the need of the hour. The UPA government, too, had appointed specialists like Nandan Nilekani to head the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and Montek Singh Ahluwalia as deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission to augment the lack of specialisation among bureaucrats. That people will be selected solely on basis of merit is laudable. A transparent recruitment criterion will help those who enter service this way find acceptability among their peers.

LJ Singh