Getting into the Indian Administrative services is a dream for every Civil Services Aspirant, no matter which corner of India you come from. But very few finally get to fulfil their dreams. Being unsuccessful in this highly competitive exam is very common. It is not because one does not have the will to succeed or potential to achieve the goal which in this case is becoming an IAS officer. Instead, it is the lack of clear knowledge and a vision which eventually makes many aspirants underperform. Before you step into your shoes and start your journey which eventually leads to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) where all the IAS probationers undergo training, you must ask yourself a few questions:
- Why do i want to be an IAS?
- Is being an IAS officer an end in itself or a means to serving the society?
- What exactly does an IAS officer do?
- What are the work-conditions, job profile, postings etc for an IAS officer?
Ask these questions to yourself and if you can answer in detail, then surely you are fully committed to crack this exam. Now you can truly start preparing with full zeal and vigour and hope for the best. For those who cannot answer one or all of the above questions, must continue reading this article.
Why do you want to be an IAS?
Everyone has a reason to do or “not to do” something. Getting into the Indian Administrative Services maybe a dream or a goal, but you must ask yourself that why do you want to be an IAS officer and not an IPS or an Entrepreneur or a Teacher or a Coder etc. This answer has to come from your conscience. Nobody can tell you what is best for you other than yourself. You can surely get guidance and best practices from ones you follow or admire but to accept that guidance and incorporate it in your life is your call. One can surely show you the path but whether you want to follow that path or not has to come from within. So sit down and think about why you want to be an IAS officer and how will it change the lives of yourself and others? We can surely provide you some of the best reasons to become a IAS Officer which candidates say in interview, but instead of helping you out it’ll narrow down your vision and knowledge about the services. So we’ll keep those common reasons to ourselves and help you find your own reason.
Is being an IAS officer an end in itself or a means to serving the society?
Being an IAS Officer is not the end of the journey, instead it is the beginning of a glorious career, a once-in-a-life opportunity to serve the society. Many Civil Services Aspirants believe that their goal is just to reach LBSNAA and everything else would just fall in place. One would argue that having a short-term goal and focussing on that is the right approach towards this exam. Rightly said, but one must be prepared for what is about to come next. Also, having clarity in our long-term targets in life helps us put in more efforts for our short-term targets. To get this clarity one must know the details about the Indian Administrative Services Job Profile.
Who is an IAS and what do they do?
IAS Officers are recruited every year by UPSC as part of the Indian Administrative Services to serve in the Central Government, State Governments of India and Public Sector Enterprises. They are also promoted from State Civil Services and selected from non-state civil service.
Training
After getting selected through UPSC’s Civil Services Exam, candidates undergo a two-year training program at LBSNAA, Mussoorie as IAS Probationers.
At LBSNAA, IAS Probationers are taught leadership skills by injecting professionalism, skills, competencies and right attitudes into them. According to LBSNAA, the Training Programs are as follows:
The Training Programmes
The Academy Offers variety programmes, all of which have been developed based on a detailed training needs assessment:
FOUNDATION COURSE (15-Weeks)
The Academy stands out as one of the very few institutions in the world with focus not only on Civil Services capacity building but also inter-services camaraderie and cooperation.
This Course is intended for the new recruits to the All India Services and Central Services (Group A). It equips fresh entrants with requisite skills, knowledge and attitude to shoulder responsibility as public servants. Its main objective are:
IAS PROFESSIONAL COURSE PHASE-I (26 weeks)
This Course imparts rigorous training to the Officer Trainee of the Indian Administrative Services in a wide range of subjects to enable them to handle varied assignments that they would typically hold in the first decade of their service. This programme has two basic modules: the Winter-study tour and academic module.
The Winter Study Tour (WST) precedes the academic module wherein the Officers Training travel across the country to experience its rich cultural diversity. Its also includes a week-long attachment with the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies which exposes them to the functioning of the Parliamentary system in India. The Officer Trainees also call on important dignitaries such as the President of India, the Vice-President of India, the Prime Minister of India and others during this attachment.
The Academy module is theme-based. It covers the following subjects:
DISTRICT TRAINING (52- WEEKS)
One year of district training, in effect, is a drill to enable the Officers Trainee to see, study and live the paradox that is the quintessential India- with its unfathomable diversity, myriad challenges and opportunities. They study the administrative set-up, interact with people, their representatives and officials in order to understand the paradigm of development as well as effectiveness of strategies.
IAS PROFESSIONAL COURSE PHASE- II (6 WEEKS)
This phase of induction level training provides the officer Trainees with a platform to share individual learning experiences gained in the field and enables them to articulate the strengths and weaknesses of our administration and governance. This phase of interactive learning is supplemented with special sessions with distinguished experts from within and outside the Government. The penultimate phase of training serves as a vibrant learning ground before the Officer Trainees launch their career in public service.
MID- CAREER TRAINING PROGRAMMES
Overview
The Mid Career Training Programme was initiated in 2007 with the aim of imparting structured in-service training to IAS officers to prepare them for higher levels of responsibilities. Spanning three phases, viz. Phase-III, Phase-IV and Phase-V training programmes. The programme was initially outsourced to various national/ international institutions for a period of three years. Since 2010, the Academy has been mandated the responsibility of designing and delivering each of these courses.
Phase-III
Aim
To equip officers who have completed seven to nine years of service for effective transition to strategy formulation and its implementation.
Objectives
Phase-IV
Aim
To equip officers who have completed fifteen to sixteen years of service for effective transition to policy formulation and better implementation.
Objectives
By the end of the Course, the officer will be able to:
Phase-V
Aim
To equip officers who have completed twenty-six to twenty-eight years of service for effective transition to strategy formulation and its implementation.
Objectives
By the end of the Course, the officer will be able to:
Induction Training programme (6-Weeks)
The Induction Training Programme is conducted for officers promoted to the IAS from the state civil services. The aim of the course is to update levels of knowledge, skills and to provide opportunities for exchange of ideas, views and experiences with people who have developed expertise in different sectors of national development. Considerable focus is given to new managerial techniques and skills as well as to frontier areas of technology and its management. The course aims to impart an all India perspective to the officers promoted to the IAS.
Objectives
JOB PROFILE
After completing training, the officers are posted in field. They would now work at various key positions in the Central & State government’s administration.
Functions of an IAS officer
An IAS officer is responsible for maintenance of law and order, revenue administration and general administration in the area under him. His functions 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;
- To travel to places to oversee implementation of policies;
- 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 the 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;
Designations held by IAS officers during Field Posting
- SDO/SDM/Joint Collector/ Chief Development Officer (CDO)
- District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner
- Divisional Commissioner
- Member Board of Revenue
- Chairman Board of Revenue
Appointments to other Organizations / Bodies
Besides IAS officers can be appointed in Autonomous Organizations / Sub-ordinate Organizations / PSUs / UN Organizations / International Organizations like World Bank, Asian Development Bank etc in various capacities. They also serve as Personal Secretaries to Ministers in Central Government. There is provision for deputation of IAS officers to Private Organizations also for a fixed tenure.
Designations during Posting in Secretariat of State Government/ Central Government
S. No. | Designation | Remarks |
1. | Under Secretary in Government of India | Gets Senior Time Scale (PB-3 with Rs 6600 Grade Pay) after completion of four years of service. |
2. | Deputy Secretary in Government of India | Gets Junior Administrative Grade (PB-3 with Rs 7600 Grade Pay) after completion of 9 years of service |
3. | Director in Government of India | Gets Selection Grade (PB-4 with Rs 8700 Grade Pay) after completion of 13 years of serv |
4. | Joint Secretary to Government of India / Secretary in State Government | Gets Super time Scale (PB-4 with Rs 10000 Grade Pay) after completion of 16 years of service |
5. | Additional Secretary in Government of India / Principal Secretary in State Government | Gets Higher Administrative Grade after completion of 25 years of service. |
6. | Secretary to Government of India / Chief Secretary | Gets Apex Scale (Rs 225000 fixed) after completion of 30 years of service. |
7. | Cabinet Secretary | 250000 fixed |
Cadres
While filling the DAF Form for Civil Services Mains Exam, candidates are required to fill their cadre preferences After clearing the Civil Services Examination, candidates are allotted cadres for Indian Administrative and Indian Police Services based on their preferences and available vacancies in respective cadres. There is one cadre for each Indian state, except for three joint cadres: Assam–Meghalaya, Manipur–Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram–Union Territories (AGMUT).
To conclude, one needs to have a clear vision of what they want to do in life. If Civil Services is your ultimate goal, then you must gear up and work harder every day. Remember, you must stay broad-minded and honest to your commitment. Stay true to yourself. Work on your mistakes and you’ll surely succeed.
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