The (IAS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India; other two services being the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). The IAS is the key administrative service of the Government, both in the Central Government as well as in the States. Owing to the system of allotment of permanent State cadres, this Service has lost some of its All India character. During the British period this bureaucratic structure was known as 'Steel frame' of India for its role in influencing and implementing government policies and decisions. However, now as a result of the growth in public representative institutions and democratic decentralization, both in policy-making, planning and actual implementation, the role of IAS is now restricted to policy execution and office bearing, although some feel that the IAS has re-invented itself as a "facilitator", in an economic scenario where the overall role of the State has rapidly diminished. Nevertheless, those dealing with the State consistently hold the view that the power and influence of the IAS in the Indian polity should never be under-estimated. All India Services are the supreme civil administrative services of India. ... The Government of India (Hindi: भारत सरकार [1]Bhārat Sarkār), officially referred to as the Union Government, and commonly as Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a federal union of 28 states and 7 union territories, collectively called the Republic of... The Indian Police Service (IPS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India; other two services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... Look up policy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The precursor of the Indian Administrative Service was the Indian Civil Service(ICS) of the British Raj. ICS officers, known as 'Collectors', were generally held in high regard because of their reputation for being incorruptible and good administrators. However, some of the "nationalist" critics have opined that the ICS was neither Indian, nor Civil and nor a Service. Indian Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym ICS, was the elite civil service of the Indian Government. ...

Upon independence, the new Republic of India accepted the then serving Indian Civil Service officers who chose to stay on rather than leave for the United Kingdom and renamed the service the Indian Administrative Service.

Selection

The officials of the IAS are involved in civil administration and policy making. They are selected by the Union Public Service Commission through a three-stage combined selection process called the Civil Services Examination, known for being extremely challenging, that recruits officers for 20 other Group A services and five Group B services. The first stage, the Civil Services Prelims is composed of two objective exams: one of General studies and one of a subject of one's choice amongst a given list of subjects. The candidates can choose to be examined in about forty fields, from Civil Engineering and Medicine to Chinese Literature and Accountancy. This is purely an eliminatory stage and plays no part in the final rankings. About 5000-6000 of the applicants are selected for the next stage called the Civil Services Mains. The second stage is more exhaustive. It has nine papers of which two are qualificatory in nature. One has to choose two optional subjects of one's choice as compared to one in the Preliminary stage. There are two papers of General Studies, Optional 1 and Optional 2 each of 300 marks and one Essay paper of 200 marks. The exam is for a total of 2000 marks. Around 1200-1400 aspirants clear Mains and sit for the third stage i.e the Civil Services Interview which is for 300 marks. Every candidate is asked to choose their preference of services before the interview. Almost all of them choose IAS as their first choice but a few opt for Indian Police Service or the Indian Foreign Service. The entire selection process lasts fifteen to twenty months. Repeated attempts are allowed (maximum of 4 times). About 300-400 are finally selected each year out of the nearly 300,000 appearing. IAS officers are highly respected in Indian society. The Federal Public Service Commission or Union public service commission which is officially and popularly called as(UPSC) and also a constitutional body in India to conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union. ... The Civil Services Examination is a nation-wide competitive examination for the administrative services of the Government of India The Indian Civil Service, as it was once called, is the backbone of the Indian government machinery constitutes all the departments which runs the State administration. ... The Indian Police Service (IPS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India; other two services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). ...

Independence

The Constituent Assembly of India intended that the bureaucracy should be able to speak out freely, without fear of persecution or financial insecurity as an essential element in unifying the nation. The IAS officers are recruited by the Union government on the recommendation of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and posted under various State governments. While the respective State Governments have control over them they can not censure or take disciplinary action against IAS and other All India Services officers without consulting the Union Government and the UPSC.This independence has however taken very perverse turns many a time. This has translated into gross inaccountability for their deeds and a thick shield from action against corruption. The powerful IAS lobby has mostly ensured that the obscure disciplinary process ensures that the corrupt get away with serious acts of frauds and misuse of office. The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to write the Constitution of India, and served as its first Parliament as an independent nation. ... The Federal Public Service Commission or Union public service commission which is officially and popularly called as(UPSC) and also a constitutional body in India to conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union. ...

Designations

Officers in the IAS join in the Junior Time Scale. After 4 years of service they are promoted to the Senior Time Scale which is equivalent to an Under Secretary of Govt of India, after 9 years they are promoted to the Junior Administrative Grade when they can be placed as Deputy Secretaries to Govt of India. After completing 13 years of service, they are granted the Selection Grade when they can be placed as Directors in Govt of India. The ranks after that are - Joint Secretary (GOI), Additional Secretary (GOI) and Secretary (GOI) which is the highest rank carrying the basic pay of Rs 26,000. Then there is the Cabinet Secretary (only one in India) who carries a basic pay of Rs 30,000. The State Governments however have a kind of a leverage to post these officers. Normally when an IAS officer joins the State, he is placed as a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM). Ideally he is to be made in charge of a District after completing 9 years of service and entering the Junior Administrative Grade but in certain States, even younger IAS officers are made in charge of Districts (Known as District Magistrates (DM), Deputy Commissioners (DCs) or Collectors).

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See also

• Indian Police Service
• Indian Forest Service

The Indian Police Service (IPS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India; other two services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). ... The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the All India Services of the Government of India; some other important services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). ...

External links

• Official site