Power and Responsibilities, Postings, Growth prospects.
The role of IAS officers is very venerable, demands a great deal of responsibility and reverence. It is also important that an officer is physically and mentally fit and healthy to handle the work pressure without giving in.
The following are the roles and responsibilities that an IAS officer is deputed:
Handling affairs of government that involve framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the concerned Minister Implementing policies through supervision and also traveling to the places where the approved policies will be implemented.
Implementing policies comprises disbursement of funds through personal supervision Answerable to the Parliament and State Legislatures for any violation of rules while on duty.
Functions and responsibilities differ at different levels of career.
Initially, IAS officers join the state administration at the sub-divisional level, resuming their services as sub-divisional magistrates, and look after law and order, general administration and development work in the area assigned to them.
Then comes The post of the District Officer also known as District Magistrate, District Collector or Deputy Commissioner is the highly respected and responsible post the IAS officers enjoy At the district level, an IAS officer deals with district affairs, including implementation of developmental programs
· The officers may also be appointed in the State Secretariat or they may serve as Heads of Departments or in Public Sector Undertakings They may serve in different positions from the State to the Centre and vice versa. This happens through deputation.
· At the Centre, IAS officers serve at the highest position as the Cabinet Secretaries, Secretaries/Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries, Directors, Deputy Secretaries and Under Secretaries. They are appointed to these posts based on seniority. At the Centre, the IAS officers play a key role in formulation and implementation of policies related to a particular area; for instance, finance, commerce, etc. During formulation of a policy and decision making, IAS officers serving at different levels i.e. joint secretary, deputy secretary give their valuable inputs The policy takes its final shape through a final decision the minister concerned or the cabinet, depending on the seriousness of the situation.
What is the salary of an IAS officer?
Now the basic pay of entry-level IAS officers is Rs. 56100. Allowances like Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Travel Allowance (TA) will be extra. The salary will increase as experience increases. The basic pay of Cabinet Secretary is fixed at Rs.2,50,000.
Indian Police Service (IPS )-How is the IPS appointed, his postings
The IPS (Indian Police Service) is responsible for public safety and security. The IPS mainly takes care of law and order, which, at the district level, is a responsibility shared with the IAS; crime prevention and detection ; and traffic control and accident prevention and management.
On completion of probation an IPS officer, begins his career as a Assistant Superintendent of Police of a sub-division. The Police service is divided into various departments like Crime Branch, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Home Guards, Traffic Bureau.
They also offer there services to Central Policing Agencies like the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Cabinet Secretariat Security, the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
The Indian Foreign Service deals with the country's external affairs, including diplomacy, trade and cultural relations. It is responsible for the administration and activities of Indian missions abroad, and for the framing and implementation of the Government's foreign policy. Probationers at first work at the External Affairs Ministry, then they are posted to the Indian Mission of a particular country, as third secretaries.
Indian Railway Service
It is essentially responsible for the running of India's vast railway network. There are four non-technical and technical or engineering cadres in the railways. Entry for non-technical services - the Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS)- responsible for freight, passengers and movement of trains, the Indian Railway Personnel Services (IRPS)- responsible for recruitment and administration of staff, the Indian Railway Accounts Services (IRAS)- responsible for maintenance of accounts, and the Railway Police Service (RPS)- responsible for providing security to railway properties such as railway tracks, personnel, equipment etcis through the Civil Services examination. However, the engineering services (IRSE) have a different recruitment procedure.
Indian Postal Service
Responsible for the efficient functioning of the postal and telegraph services, and now postal banks too. Officers after training with field officers are appointed as Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Assistant Post Master General through out the country and also in the Ministry at the centre.
Indian Customs and Central Excise Service
The Indian Customs and Central Excise Service (IC&CES) is basically concerned with two main aspects, mainly Customs and Excise. While Customs is concerned with the checking and levy of duty on taxable goods brought into the country, the Excise department is involved with the taxation of goods manufactured within the country.
Audit & Accounts Service
Indian Audit & Accounts Service
comes under the Controller and Auditor General of India (CAG) which is responsible for the maintenance and audit of accounts in the states, as well as Union and State Governments. These officers work in the audit offices under CAG and in central ministries and state governments. Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) is responsible for maintaining and auditing of accounts of the defence services
Indian civil Accounts Service (ICAS) under the control of Secretary (Expenditure), Ministry of Finance, maintains accounts of the State, Central governments and public sector enterprises.
Indian Information Service (IIS)
IIS under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is responsible for running government owned broadcasting and advertising agencies like All India Radio, Doordarshan and DAVP. The service is also responsible for handling press and public relations for the various central ministries, public sector enterprises and defense forces at home as well as abroad.
Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
IRS is responsible for fixing, assessment and collection of income tax. The service also has specialized branches dealing with the investigation of tax evasion, statistics and so on.