IAS Full details


Introduction

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was formerly known as the Imperial Civil Service (ICS) is the Civil Services Examination and one of the toughest competitive exams in India. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for the recruitment of officers for the All India Administrative Civil Service.

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What is IAS Exam?

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was formerly known as the Imperial Civil Service (ICS) is the Civil Services Examination and one of the toughest competitive exams in India. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for the recruitment of officers for the All India Administrative Civil Service.


Founded:

1858 (as Imperial Civil Service)

January 26, 1950 (as Indian Administrative Service)

The Indian Administrative Service is the premier administrative civil service of the Government of India. Hierarchy-wise, IAS is the highest administrative post among the 24 services like IPS, IFS etc.


Popularly known as the IAS exam, officially it is called as Civil Services Examination (CSE), which is conducted every year by the central recruiting agency, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).


IAS is the permanent bureaucracy in India and forms a part of the executive branch. It is one of the three All India Services, its cadre can be employed by both the Union Government, the State Governments and public-sector undertakings.


Indian Administrative Service (IAS) has been termed as one of the prestigious services among the 24 government services like IPS, IFS (Foreign), IFS (Forest), IP & TAFS, IAAS, IRS, IDAS, CMSE, IRTS, IRAS, IRPS, ITS, CAPF-AF to name a few.


All these examinations are conducted by UPSC in the form of Civil Services Examination (CSE) for selecting the appropriate candidates for the jobs. Every year lakhs of candidates appear for this examination, testing their lucks and hard work to get through one of these prestigious posts.


It is important to mention that any officer selected into the IAS can be employed by Union government, state governments and/or public-sector undertakings and gets exposure in numerous job roles like the collector, head of public sector units, commissioner, chief secretary, cabinet secretary to name a few.


When on deputation outside India, the IAS officer can be engaged in inter-governmental organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the United Nations (UN), or its agencies and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to name a few.


It is very important for aspirants to know and understand the requirements of the examination such as the UPSC IAS syllabus, pattern, eligibility criteria, application procedure and other such significant details before kick-starting the registrations.


IAS Exam Highlights Annually, the UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) to shortlist the candidates for more than 20 services, such as IAS, IPS and IFS. On average, more than eight lakh candidates register for the IAS exam and around five lakh candidates appear for the examination. The selection of the candidates will be made through the preliminary exam, main examination and an interview/personality test. This year-long selection process will begin in the month of June and conclude in April. The final merit list for the CSE will be released in May. 


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History

During the East India Company period, the civil services were classified into three – covenanted, uncovenanted and special civil services.

The covenanted civil service, or the Honourable East India Company's Civil Service (HEICCS), as it was called, largely comprised civil servants occupying the senior posts in the government.

The uncovenanted civil service was introduced solely to facilitate the entry of Indians onto the lower rung of the administration.

The special service comprised specialised departments, such as the Indian Forest Service, the Imperial Police and the Indian Political Service, whose ranks were drawn from either the covenanted civil service or the Indian Army. 

The Imperial Police included many Indian Army officers among its members, although after 1893 an annual exam was used to select its officers.

In 1858 the HEICCS was replaced by the Indian Civil Service (ICS),which became the highest civil service in India between 1858 and 1947.

 The last appointments to the ICS were made in 1942.

With the passing of the Government of India Act 1919 by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Indian civil services—under the general oversight of the Secretary of State for India—were split into two arms, the All India Services and the Central Services.

The Indian Civil Service was one of the ten All India Services.


In 1946 at the Premier's Conference, the Central Cabinet decided to form the Indian Administrative Service, based on the Indian Civil Service;and the Indian Police Service, based on the Imperial Police.


There is no alternative to this administrative system... The Union will go, you will not have a united India if you do not have good All-India Service which has the independence to speak out its mind, which has [the] sense of security that you will standby [sic] your work... If you do not adopt this course, then do not follow the present Constitution. 

Substitute something else... these people are the instrument. Remove them and I see nothing but a picture of chaos all over the country.

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recruitment

There are three modes of recruitment into the Indian Administrative Service. IAS officers may enter the IAS by passing the Civil Services Examination, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Officers recruited this way are called direct recruits. Some IAS officers are also recruited from the state civil services,and, in rare cases, selected from non-state civil service.

The ratio between direct recruits and promotees is fixed at 2:1. All IAS officers, regardless of the mode of entry, are appointed by the President of India.

Only about 180 candidates out of over 1 million applicants, who apply through CSE, are successful, a success rate of less than 0.01 per cent.

As a result, the members of the service are often referred as "heaven-born".

Unlike candidates appointed to other civil services, a successful IAS candidate is rendered ineligible to retake CSE.

From 1951 to 1979, an IAS candidate was required to submit two additional papers, as well as three optional papers (instead of two as with other civil services) to be eligible for the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service. 

The two additional papers were postgraduate level submissions, compared to the graduate level of the optional papers, and it was this distinction that resulted in a higher status for the IAS and IFS. 

The two postgraduate level submissions were later removed, but this has not changed the perceived higher status of the IAS and IFS.

After the selection process, the successful candidates undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand

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Responsibilities of an IAS officer


The typical functions performed by an IAS officer are:

To collect revenue and function as court officials in matters of revenue and crime (for the revenue courts and criminal courts of executive magistrates), to maintain law and order, to implement union and state government policies at the grass-roots level when posted to field positions i.e. as sub-divisional magistrates, additional district magistrates, district magistrates and divisional commissioners, and to act as an agent of the government in the field, i.e. to act as an intermediary between the public and the government.

To handle the administration and daily proceedings of the government, including the formulation and implementation of policy in consultation with the minister-in-charge of a specific ministry or department.

To contribute to policy formulation, and to make a final decision in certain matters, with the agreement of the minister concerned or the council of ministers (depending upon the weight of the matter), when posted at the higher level in the Government of India as a joint secretary, additional secretary, special secretary or secretary equivalent, secretary and Cabinet Secretary, and in state governments as secretary, principal secretary, additional chief secretary or special chief secretary and chief secretary.

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Career progression



At the beginning of their career, IAS officers receive district training with their home cadres followed by their first posting.

Their initial role is as a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and they are placed in charge of a district sub-division. 

As SDMs, they are entrusted with maintaining law and order, as well as general administration and development work, of the sub-division.

 With the completion of their training, IAS officers are assigned to various posts in the state and union governments, and in local-self governments, (municipal corporations, zilla parishads), and public sector undertakings.

In 2015 it was announced that a new designation of assistant secretary at At the beginning of their career, IAS officers receive district training with their home cadres followed by their first posting. Their initial role is as a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and they are placed in charge of a district sub-division. As SDMs, they are entrusted with maintaining law and order, as well as general administration and development work, of the sub-division.[40] With the completion of their training, IAS officers are assigned to various posts in the state and union governments, and in local-self governments, (municipal corporations, zilla parishads), and public sector undertakings.[41]

In 2015 it was announced that a new designation of assistant secretary at the Central Secretariat had been created to enable new IAS officers to be posted to Delhi for a three-month assignment as part of their training regime. IAS officers were previously only permitted to go on a deputation once assigned to the Central Secretariat after nine years of service in their home cadre. It was observed that the experience of central functions was severely lacking among these deputations, resulting in this change in their training.

As part of the newMEMDERS system, IAS assistant secretaries are supposed to work on projects—a new policy in their respective areas—and present it to their respective ministries; of all projects, 36 are selected to be presented before all secretaries of the Government of India; consequently, 16 are selected to be before the Cabinet Secretary and a final eight are selected for presentation before the Prime Minister.

Completion of this probation is followed by an executive role in a district as a district magistrate and collector, which lasts several years. After this tenure as a district magistrate, the officer may be promoted to head a whole state division, as a divisional commissioner.

On attaining the apex scale, IAS officers may lead government departments or ministries. In these roles, IAS officers represent the country at the international level in bilateral and multilateral negotiations. If serving on a deputation,[34] they may be employed in intergovernmental organisations such as the World Bank,[34][46][47] the International Monetary Fund,[34][48][49] the Asian Development Bank,[34][50][51] the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank,[52][53][54] and the United Nations or its agencies.[34][55][56] IAS officers are also involved in the conduct of elections in India as mandated by the Election Commission of India.[57] Central Secretariat had been created to enable new IAS officers to be posted to Delhi for a three-month assignment as part of their training regime. 

IAS officers were previously only permitted to go on a deputation once assigned to the Central Secretariat after nine years of service in their home cadre. 

It was observed that the experience of central functions was severely lacking among these deputations, resulting in this change in their training.

As part of the newMEMDERS system, IAS assistant secretaries are supposed to work on projects—a new policy in their respective areas—and present it to their respective ministries; of all projects, 36 are selected to be presented before all secretaries of the Government of India; consequently, 16 are selected to be before the Cabinet Secretary and a final eight are selected for presentation before the Prime Minister.

Completion of this probation is followed by an executive role in a district as a district magistrate and collector, which lasts several years. After this tenure as a district magistrate, the officer may be promoted to head a whole state division, as a divisional commissioner.

On attaining the apex scale, IAS officers may lead government departments or ministries.

 In these roles, IAS officers represent the country at the international level in bilateral and multilateral negotiations.

If serving on a deputation, they may be employed in intergovernmental organisations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank,and the United Nations or its agencies.


IAS officers are also involved in the conduct of elections in India as mandated by the Election Commission of India.
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Major concerns and reforms


Shortage of officers
It was reported in 2017 that there is a shortage of about 1,700 IAS officers in the country.

Despite this, the government has stated that annual recruitment of IAS officers will not increase, to avoid impacting the career progression of existing officers and the overall structure of the service.

Lateral entry

Media personalities, some retired IAS officers and a few academics have argued in favour of lateral entry into the IAS to inject fresh blood into the service. 

They argue that it would help refresh the bureaucracy, offer competitiveness and bring in alternate perspectives.

A counter-argument has been put forward that a lateral entry process could be manipulated due to corruption and cronyism.

It is further argued that lateral entry would not lead to improvements in managerial performance or accountability,and while it may create synergy between the government and big businesses, it could also compromise the integrity of government.

It has also been argued that it could weaken the bureaucracy instead.

The union government has frequently ruled out lateral entry into the IAS.


Political influence

The IAS is hamstrung by political interference, outdated personnel procedures, and a mixed record on policy implementation, and it is in need of urgent reform. 

The Indian government should reshape recruitment and promotion processes, improve performance-based assessment of individual officers, and adopt safeguards that promote accountability while protecting bureaucrats from political meddling.

— Vaishnav Milan and Saksham Khosla, The Indian Administrative Service Meets Big Data, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
Several think tanks and media outlets have argued that the IAS is hamstrung by political influence within the service.

It has been reported that many local political leaders have been seen to have interfered with IAS officers. 

Politicians have also exerted pressure on IAS officers by repeatedly transferring them,suspending them, beating them,and, in some extreme cases, killing them.

While hearing T. S. R. Subramanian v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India ruled that IAS officers – and other civil servants – were not required to act on oral instructions given by politicians as they 'undermined credibility'.
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