What are the career prospects of IAS, IPS , IFS, IRS, IFoS and their work profile?

When it comes to career choices, the Civil Services of India has always been considered the best career choice for graduates! CSE paves the way for becoming an IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS (20+ jobs/services) officer. The wide variety of jobs within the ambit of the Civil Services offer greater sphere of authority and power than any other services in India. Civil services offer the rare opportunity to satisfy personal ambition as well as indulge in social welfare.

Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

• This is one of the most coveted posts in the Civil Services, due to the prestige attached to it.
• The job of an IAS officer includes framing policies and advising the ministers on various issues, maintaining law and order, supervising the implementation of policies of State Government and Central Government, collecting revenues and function as courts in revenue matters, supervising expenditure of public funds as per norms of financial propriety and handling the daily affairs of the government, including framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the minister responsible for the department concerned.
• The IAS officer's stages of promotion are:
• Phase I Training at LBSNAA
• Training at the district level in the allotted cadre
• Phase II Training at LBSNAA which includes a week-long foreign attachment with one of India’s diplomatic missions abroad
• Central Government attachment at the nominal position of an Assistant Secretary for three months
• Posting as SDM/Joint Magistrate/Sub Collector
• Posting as Municipal Commissioner, DDO/CDO
• Posting as DM/Collector
• Posting at State Secretariats at Director/Joint Secretary level.
• Deputation to the Central Government can be opted for during any stage of service after serving for a few years.
• Principal/Additional Secretary in the State Secretariat/Central Secretariat
• Chief Secretary of a state
• Cabinet Secretary

Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

• An IFS officer deals with the external affairs of the country, which includes diplomacy, trade, and culture relations. The roles and responsibilities in the career of Indian Foreign Service Officers include framing and implementation of policies that govern India’s relations with other countries. The major work responsibilities of individuals who opt for a career as Indian Foreign Service Officers are representing India in its embassies, high commissions, consulates and permanent missions to international organisations like the United Nations; protecting India’s national interests in the country one is posted, promoting friendly/diplomatic relations with the receiving state/country and its people, including non-resident Indians or persons of Indian origin; precisely reporting developments or changes in that country which are likely to impact the formulation of India’s policies; conclude agreements on several issues with the authorities of the receiving state; and augmenting consular facilities to foreigners and Indians abroad. 
• IFS officers are representatives of our country abroad, and are posted as Third Secretary, Second Secretary, First Secretary, Ambassador, High Commissioner, etc. in foreign embassies, and international organizations such as the UN.

Indian Police Service (IPS)

Indian Police Service deals with the civil and criminal administration of the country, which includes domestic police administration legislation. The roles and responsibilities of an IPS Officer include implementation of policies which govern India’s domestic and local and state police administration. The major work responsibilities of an IPS officer is to ensure that people under their jurisdiction are safe and administered properly. IPS Officers work along with IAS Officers to maintain law and order of the district. Some of the most crucial duties of an IPS Officer are preventing crimes, preventing accidents (Social, Economic etc), accident management, detection of crimes, registration for first information report, providing security for the transportation of cash, taking action against the prosecution and recovery of the stolen things, and providing permission for loud-speakers, rallies, political/religious functions.

 

IPS Officers are the torchbearers of law and order in our country. With their intensive training, knowledge, and the power vested in them by the state, they are responsible for helping to run the country without chaos. After IAS, IPS is usually the preferred choice of position for Civil Servants, due to their active role in the administration.

Their training of is conducted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in Hyderabad.

After the completion of training period, they are sent to their state cadres. In states, they get the designation of Assistant Superintendent of Police.

After the probation is over, the officer will get the Senior Time Scale pay. Here, he is promoted as the Additional Superintendent of Police in the districts. If he serves in any city at police commiserate then the post will be of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police.

As a Superintendent of Police, they are also responsible for overseeing the police’s financial collection department. An IPS Officer supervises staff to confirm all civil and criminal administration pending to the government (state, central or regional) is reviewed correctly and in a timely manner.

Joint Commissioner of Police works as Secretary-level principal officer who serves the seniors as a special advisor and consultant on major problems of police policy and who provides guidance and solutions to the accurate bureaus with respect to such matters. The Counselor is responsible for updating, resolving and maintaining the relevant laws (through the ITA Division), administering the direct police administration policy.

An IPS officer gets promoted to the Selection Grade after a continuous service of 13 years. In this grade, the officer gets the post of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in district level. In the cities, the selection grade officer becomes Additional Commissioner of Police.

After serving the police department for a period of 14 years, the IPS is upgraded to Super Time Scale. In the states, the officers of this scale occupy the post of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG).

In the career path of an IPS they get the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) after 18 years of service. At this stage of their career they become an Inspector General of Police (IG).

An IPS officer becomes eligible for Higher Administrative Grades (HAG) after 25 years of satisfactory service. The officer gets the rank of Additional Director General of Police.

Officers with brilliant career record and 30 years-experience can reach the Apex Scale. Director General of Police (DGP) gets this scale as he is the head of the police force in his state. Also, the commissioner of mega city police forces also gets the Apex Scale.

Indian Revenue Service (IRS)

Role of IRS officers:

1. Policy Formulation: The tax policy serves as a tool to raising of revenue, address several other objectives in the process of development of the country like providing for incentives and disincentives in the target areas/segments of the economy. They are formulated by the IRS officers based upon the experience and other relevant inputs from various sources.
2. Tax Administrator - Investigator, quasi -judicial authority and prosecutor: IRS officer levy and collect taxes. To detect aberrations and promote voluntary compliance, IRS officer intervenes through selective scrutiny (examination) of returns/statements, surveys, search & seizure etc. In serious cases of defaults, criminal prosecutions are instituted by him after completing requisite investigation.
3. Global crusade against black money: IRS officer detect and curb black money in the country. IRS officers negotiate International Agreements with other tax jurisdictions, to plug misuse of international financial processes for tax evasion and avoidance
4. They may give their service to other Ministries/Departments/Organisations on deputation: IRS officers can also deputed to other Ministries/Departments/Organisations.

Career Prospects at a glance:

An IRS officer starts its career as a Group A officer as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax.  An IRS officer could move up-to the top Scale at the post of Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in the ITD after 25 Years of service. Or he can also get selected as a Member or Chairperson of the CBDT.  The intermediate grades of IRS career progression are as follows- Deputy Commissioner, Joint Commissioner, Additional Commissioner, Commissioner, Principal Commissioner and Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.

There are many other government services that one can apply for through the Civil Service Examination, such as Indian Trade Service, Indian Defense Accounts Service, Indian Information Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service, etc.

 

 

Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

Career progression in IFS is extremely good. If you get selected before the age of thirty years in IFS, there is a very high chances that you will retire as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF, State) or Additional Secretary to the Government of India or Secretary to the concerned state. We also have some posts at Special Secretary.

 

The first position of impact is at the level of district administration, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO)/ Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF). He is among the top five officials of the district, i.e. District Magistrate (DM), Superintendent of Police (SP), District Judge (DJ) and Chief Medical Officer (CMO). He acts as the ex-officio Secretary of various government committees and plans, with DM as Chairman. In many states, if the position of DM falls vacant, DFO takes over the charge.

 

After DFO, an IFS promoted to Conservator of forests (CF). He works in various like wildlife conservation, implementation of various schemes, crafting working plans, forestry research and development, training of forest cadres etc.

 

After CF, IFS is promoted as Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF). Here he involved with policy formulation.

 

Last in the hierarchy, IFS is promoted to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). He is the head of the state’s forest department. He is the senior most IFS officer in the state.

 

After the IAS, the Indian Forest Service has the highest number of officers posted as Joint Secretaries, Additional Secretaries and Secretaries to the Government of India