Top 6 services under the UPSC Civil Services Exam

Joining the Civil Services is a shared dream of the youth of the country. However, it takes grit, dedication and extremely hard work to get through the exam. UPSC Civil Services is counted amongst the toughest exams of the world and for a reason. The services aspirants join after qualifying the exam helps build a stronger nation. The services covered under the Civil Services are divided into two categories of Group A and Group B. In this article, we have provided the list of top Group A services an aspirant can join by qualifying the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Transfer and Posting Policy for an IAS Officer

IAS - Indian Administrative Service

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) the premier service of the Government of India was constituted in 1946. Prior to that Indian Imperial Service (1893-1946) was in force. The civil services have been a hallmark of governance in India. The Constitution provides that without depriving the States of their right to form their own Civil Services there shall be an All India service recruited on an All- India basis with common qualifications, with a uniform scale of pay and the members of which alone could be appointed to these strategic posts throughout the Union ." No wonder that Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, one of the eminent leaders of the freedom struggle referred to the ICS as the steel frame of the country. The civil services, therefore, represent the essential spirit of our nation - unity in diversity.

Main Powers:

IAS officer is responsible for the maintenance of law and order, revenue administration, and general administration in the area under him. His powers broadly include:

• Collection of revenue and function as Courts in revenue matters;
• Maintenance of law and order;
• Function as Executive Magistrate;
• Function as Chief Development Officer (CDO)/District Development Commissioner;
• Supervision of implementation of policies of State Government and Central Government;
• Supervision of expenditure of public funds as per norms of financial propriety;
• In the process of policy formulation and decision making, IAS officers at various levels like Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary etc. make their contributions and then give final shape to policies;
• To handle the daily affairs of the government, including framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the minister-in-charge of the concerned Ministry;

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Promotions Options:

In the career span of an IAS officer, he is eligible for a raise in salary and promotions. The promotions take place after evaluating the performance on the basis of Performance Appraisal Reports, vigilance clearance, and scrutiny of an overall record of the officers concerned with following laid down procedures. The scrutiny for promotion is done by a committee of senior civil servants constituted for the purpose. Promotions are dependent on the time period spent by an officer in a particular grade. Specified number of years of service is a pre-requisite to be eligible for promotion. These time-bound promotions have been envisaged to attract and retain the best talent in the country.

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IPS - Indian Police Service

The Indian Police Service or IPS is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India. In 1948, a year after India gained independence from Britain, the Indian (Imperial) Police, was replaced by the Indian Police Service.

The First Police Commission, appointed on 17 August 1865, contained detailed guidelines for the desired system of police in India and defined the police as a governmental department to maintain order, enforce the law, and to prevent and detect crime. The Indian Police Service is not a force itself, but a service providing leaders and commanders to staff the state police and all-India Central Armed Police Forces. Its members are the senior officers of the police.

Main Powers:

• To fulfill duties based on border responsibilities, in the areas of maintenance of public peace and order, crime prevention, investigation, and detection, collection of intelligence, VIP security, counter-terrorism, border policing, railway policing etc.
• Leading and commanding the Indian Intelligence Agencies like R&AW, IB, CBI, CID etc.
• Leading and commanding the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) like CRPF, CISF, NSG, ITBP, BSF etc.
• Serve as head of the departments in policy making in the Ministries and Departments of Central and State Governments and public sector undertakings both at centre and states, Government of India.
• To interact and coordinate closely with the members of other All India Services and also with the Indian Armed Forces primarily with the Indian Army.
• Endeavour to inculcate in the police forces under their command such values and norms as would help them serve the people better.

Promotions options:

IPS officers are eligible for raise in salary and promotions in their career span. The promotions take place after evaluating the performance on the basis of Annual Performance Appraisal Reports, Vigilance Clearance and scrutiny of an overall record of the officer.

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IFS - Indian Foreign Service

The origin of the Indian Foreign Service can be traced back to the British rule when the Foreign Department was created to conduct business with the "Foreign European Powers”. In 1843, Governor-General Ellenborough carried out administrative reforms under which the Secretariat of the Government was organised under four departments – Foreign, Home, Finance and Military. Each was headed by a Secretary level officer. The foreign department Secretary was entrusted with the "conduct of all correspondence belonging to the external and internal diplomatic relations of the government”.

In September 1946, on the eve of India’s independence, the Government of India decided to create a service called the Indian Foreign Service for India’s diplomatic, consular and commercial representation overseas. In 1947, there was a near seamless transformation of the Foreign and Political department of the British India government into what then became the new Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations and in 1948 the first batch recruited under the combined Civil service examination system of the Union Public Service Commission joined the service. This system of entry has remained the staple mode of intake into the IFS to this day.

Main Powers:

The Foreign Service Officer is required to project India’s interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues.

The main powers of an Indian diplomat may be summarised as:

• Representing India in its Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates, and Permanent Missions to multilateral organisations like UN;
• Protecting India’s national interests in the country of his/her posting;
• Promoting friendly relations with the receiving state as also its people, including NRI / PIOs;
• Reporting accurately on developments in the country of posting, which are likely to influence the formulation of India’s policies;
• Negotiating agreements on various issues with the authorities of the receiving state; and
• Extending consular facilities to foreigners and Indian nationals abroad.

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IRS (IT) - Indian Revenue Services (Income Tax)

An IRS officer starts in Group A as Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax. Recruitment at this level is through the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service. IRS plays a pivotal role in the collection of Direct Taxes (mainly Income Tax & Wealth Tax) in India, which form a major part of the total tax revenue in the country. IRS officers administer the Direct Tax laws through the Income Tax Department (ITD)  whose logo is 'koshmulodandah'.  The cadre controlling authority of the IRS (IT) is Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Main Powers:

IRS officers serve the Government of India in different capacities/roles. While administering, Direct Taxes through the ITD, they formulate policies, implement such policies and discharge the functions of an investigator, quasi-judicial authority, prosecutor and negotiator of International Agreements etc. Their main roles could be briefly described as under:

• Policy Formulation
• Tax Administrator - Investigator, quasi- judicial authority and prosecutor
• Dealing with Black Money

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IRS (C&CE) - Indian Revenue Service (Custom & Central Excise)

It is similar to IRS (IT), but as a different branch of the Revenue Department of the Ministry of Finance. It administers the indirect taxes like customs, excise and narcotics. The cadre controlling authority of the IRS (C&CE) is Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

Main Powers:

The officers of IRS (C&CE) enjoy the maximum power within their domain as compared to the officers of any other tax authorities in India. They deal with the matters relating to indirect taxations like Customs, Excise and Service Tax. They are also the enforcement authorities for drug-trafficking. Some of the specific powers are:

• The IRS officers can issue search warrants if they have reason to believe that some documents or information are concealed at any premises.
• The IRS officers can order for seizure of goods and vehicles if they have reason to believe that such things are liable to confiscation.
• Power to Investigate
• Power to Adjudicate
• Enforcement of all Indian laws at Customs areas

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IRTS (Indian Railway Traffic Services)

Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) is one of the eight organized Group 'A' services in the Ministry of Railways. Earlier called Officers of the Superior Revenue Establishment of the Traffic, Transportation and Commercial Department of Indian Railways, IRTS in its present form was reconstituted in 1967.  IRTS officers in the middle- and senior-level management undergo training in diverse areas including commercial management, operations management, logistics, public-private partnerships, etc. There are two main streams of the Traffic Department, Operations and Commercial, where these officers are posted.

Main Powers:

• An IRTS officer coordinates the production and sale of transportation output and manages the customer interface of railways.
• To ensure smooth and fast transportation of freight and passengers.
• An IRTS officer is connected with sales, pricing, marketing, and service elements of the passenger business and freight business.
• An IRTS officer also has the opportunity to serve in other Ministries under the Central Staffing Scheme and in PSUs.

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Salary structure of the services