Climb on to civil services bandwagon
V. Eshwar Anand

THE civil services continue to be one of the best career options for college and university students. They promise power, influence and authority. The pay scales too, on the basis of one’s seniority and service tenure, are reasonably well. But more than the pay, it is the perks and privileges that attract most to the civil services.

The Indian Administrative Service or the IAS is the most sought-after service. There is no separate examination for other services like the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS). One has to take the combined Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year.

Eligibility

The age limit for the general category is between 21 and 30 years as on August 1 of the year of the examination. There are age relaxations as also reservations for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. One has to be a graduate. Appointment to a particular service will depend upon one’s all-India rank. For the IFS, for instance, only the first 8 to 10 rank holders get recruited every year. And for the IAS, about 125 to 150 candidates get appointed.

The examination is, no doubt, tough. One has to prepare well as the country’s best boys and girls compete for the three-tier test — comprising the Prelims, Mains and Interview.

Exam schedule

The preliminary examination is notified by the UPSC in November/ December and conducted in May next. It consists of two papers — General Studies (150 marks); and a prescribed optional subject (300 marks). It is aimed at assessing the candidate’s numerical ability, awareness of current events, and his/her capacity to grapple with administrative issues. About 10 per cent of the candidates are selected for the main examination.

The Main (Written) examination is held in October-November. While applying for it, one has to give his preferences for various services. The examination is of 2000 marks. The scheme includes one language paper, English, essay writing, two general studies papers and any two optional subjects, each having two papers. It is aimed at testing the candidate’s grip on the language, general knowledge, and knowledge of the optional subjects. About 15 per cent of the candidates are called for the Interview (300 marks). In the interview, the UPSC Chairman and Members, psychologists and subject specialists evaluate, among other things, a candidate’s personality, aptitude and suitability for the civil services.

The civil services are broadly divided into three categories. The IAS, the IFS and the IPS occupy the top slot. Others are categorised as allied services (Group A and Group B). Under Group A, there are 16 posts, including the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, the Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, the Indian Revenue Service, the Indian Railway Traffic Service and the Indian Information Service. Under Group B, services like the Central Secretariat Service (Section Officers’ Grade), the Railway Board Secretariat Service (Section Officers’ Grade), and the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service are covered.

Training tenure

An IAS operates at five levels — central, state, divisional, district and subdivisional. An IAS officer is assigned to a state or union territory cadre on the basis of his/her choice and, of course, subject to his/her all-India rank in the examination. After recruitment, he undergoes training for two years at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. This academy is under the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Government of India. The training encompasses various fields — from law and order to land revenue administration. The training modules include guidelines on framing, modifying and interpreting policy matters, implementation of development programmes, and on how to develop an effective interface with the people. IAS probationers are trained to focus on both "file-to-file" and "face-to-face" approaches while performing their duties. Lectures, workshops, case studies, field work and study tours form part of the training.

Career graph of IAS

The first posting of an IAS officer is as a Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) or Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM). Postings, after a stint in the subdivision, vary from state to state. He may also be assigned jobs of a Project Administrator, Integrated Tribal Development Agency or Charge Officer, Settlement and Survey or Additional District Magistrate. Normally, after five to six years, he is given the charge of a district as Collector (or Deputy Commissioner) and District Magistrate.

He learns the ropes of the administration in the Secretariat as an Under Secretary. Then, he works in various capacities as Deputy Secretary, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, Secretary and Principal Secretary. In between, he also goes to the Centre on deputation. The top post in the state is that of Chief Secretary. There are guidelines on deputation and empanelment of IAS officers. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) clears the names for the posts of Additional Secretary and Secretary to the Government of India. The Cabinet Secretary (whose office is in Rashtrapati Bhavan) is the topmost bureaucrat at the Centre.

IAS officers also have a stint in the zila parishad or zila panchayat administration in the states. It is here that they have a thorough grounding on development administration at the grassroots level. Depending on their seniority, they are posted either as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Secretary (CS) of the zila panchayats. In the zila panchayat set-up, posts below the rank of CEO or CS are manned by the officers of the state civil or administrative services.

Pay packet

An IAS officer starts his career as SDM on a pay scale of Rs 8,000-275-13,500 and reaches the maximum scale of Rs 26,000-30,000. Though the range of salaries drawn at various levels is the same for officers of all the civil services, an IAS officer enjoys a distinct edge over others as there is generally no stagnation in the premier service.