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Indian Foreign Service Officers
Indian Police Service Officers
Library and Information Science
Radio and Television Broadcasting
Civil Services
Civil
Services constitute all non-military departments of the government
machinery, which run State Administration. The Central and the State Civil
Servants ensure that the constitutional guarantees and entitlements are
brought within the reach of every citizen. In the present era of market
economy Civil Services has lost some of its sparkle, nonetheless it still
ranks high as a career option among young students. The power and social
status along with job security that a civil servant enjoys is unimaginable
anywhere else. Besides the lure for power and perks the service provides
enough scope for a dynamic person with zeal and desire to bring
qualitative changes in the functioning of the government and even
opportunities which could ameliorate the lives of millions of Indians.
The
present day civil service is a legacy of the British. ICS officers during
the British Raj were bestowed with immense administrative powers and their
main tasks were preservation of law and order, dispensation of justice and
collection of taxes. However today civil servants operate within the
framework of a democratic welfare state, with focus on development and
progress. Therefore, unlike many other occupations civil service is more
of a vocation than a job.
The
Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) selects candidates for various central services,
including for the most coveted cadres of Indian Administrative Service (IAS),
Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
IAS and IPS are All India Services created under article 312 of the
constitution. The creation of such services provides safeguards for
national unity and ensures uniformity of the administrative system
throughout the country to maintain the minimum common administrative
standards. Candidates selected for these two services are appointed to
different state cadres and as and when required they also move to Central
Government jobs on deputation. The remaining services are categorised in
two Central Services, Group A, and Group B. The Group ‘A’ services
are:
v
Indian
Railway Traffic Services (IRTS)
v
Indian
Railway Accounts Services (IRAS)
v
Indian
Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
v
Indian
Railway Protection Force (IRPF)
v
Indian Postal Service
v
Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA &AS)
v
Indian Defense Accounts Service (IDAS)
v
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
v
Indian
Revenue Service (IRS)
v
The
Indian Information Service (IIS)
v
Indian
Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS),
v
Indian
Defense Estate Service (IDES),
v
The
Indian P &T Accounts & Finance Service
v
Assistant
Commandants in Central Industrial Security Force.
The
Group B Services for which recruitment is made through civil services are
the following:
v
Central
Secretariat Service, (Section Officer Grade)
v
Railway
Board Secretariat Service (Section Officer Grade)
v
Armed
Forces Headquarters Civil Service Group B (Assistant Civilian Staff
Officer Grade)
v
Customs
Appraisers’ Service Group B.
v
The
Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra
& Nagar Haveli Civil Service Group B.
v
The
Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra
& Nagar Haveli Police Service Group B.
v
Pondicherry
Civil Service Group B.
Educational
Qualification:
A graduate in any discipline from a recognized
university or institution, between 21-28 years of age as on 1st
August of the examination year, is eligible to sit for the Civil Services
Examination.
The UPSC conducts the combined Civil Services Exam
in three phases comprising of preliminary exam, mains and interview or the
personality test, and the entire cycle well over a year to complete.
The preliminary exam is notified in December and usually held on
the second Sunday of the following June. The results are declared by end
of July or the first week of August.
The exam consists of two objective types multiple choice question
papers. The first paper is on general studies and carries 150 marks. The
second paper, called `optional’ is on the subject chosen by the
candidate and carries 300 marks. Preliminary examination basically
eliminates all those who are not serious or well prepared. The success
rate of preliminary exam is less than 10%.
Main exam is held around November/December every
year and consists of eight papers of conventional type carrying 300 marks
each. Two of these are language papers, one in English and the other in
any recognized Indian language chosen by the candidate. Qualifying in both
these papers is compulsory, however marks obtained in them is not added in
the total score, in other words performance in these papers would not
effect the final position in merit.
Third and the fourth papers are on general studies and carry 600 marks. The rest of the four papers are on two optional subjects, carrying total marks of 1200. Results of the Mains are declared by February/March and those who qualify make it to the third stage of the selection process i.e. the Personality Test. The interview or the personality test carries 250 marks and is held around April/May. Final results are declared by June and successful candidates are allotted different services according to their ranks in the final list. Individual preferences of the candidates are also taken into account while allocation of service. Those who are at the top of the merit list get IAS, IPS, IFS and so on and so forth.