Indian Administrative Service
| Service Overview | |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | ICS |
| Formed | 1893 (As Imperial Civil Service) |
| Country | India |
| Staff College | Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, (Uttarakhand) |
| Cadre Controlling Authority | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, Department of Personnel and Training |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government service |
| Duties | Law & Order Management Policy Formulation Policy Implementation Civil Administration Advisors to Ministers Managing bureaucracy (Center and State) |
| Preceding service | Imperial Civil Service (1893–1946) |
| Cadre Strength | 4196 members (2016) |
| Selection | Civil Services Examination |
| Association | IAS Officers (Central) Association |
| Head of the Civil Services | |
| Current Cabinet Secretary | Pradeep Kumar Sinha, IAS |
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) (Hindi: भारतीय प्रशासनिक सेवा) is All Indiaadministrative civil service of India. IAS officers hold key and strategic positions in the Union Government, States and public-sector undertakings. Like in various countries (for example UK) following Parliamentary system, IAS as the permanent bureaucracy in India forms an inseparable part of the executive branch of the Government of India, thus providing continuity and neutrality to the administration. Unlike Candidates selected to other civil services, a person once appointed to Indian Administrative Service or Indian Foreign Service (IFS) becomes ineligible to reappear in Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission, because, prior to 1972 a person to be eligible for IAS/IFS has to write extra exam but even after common UPSC civil services exam the status quo is maintained which needs to be changed with changing times.
Along with the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service, the IAS is one of the three All India Services — its cadre can be employed by both the Union Government and the individual States. Upon confirming to service after probation as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, an IAS officer is given administrative command of entire revenue bureaucracy in the district as District collector after 4 years of service. On attaining the upper levels of Super Time Scale to Apex Scale, they can go on to head whole departments and subsequently entire Ministries of Government of India and States. IAS officers represent Government of India at the international level in bilateral and multilateral negotiations. On deputations they work at Intergovernmental organisations like World Bank and United Nations or its Agencies. IAS officers at various levels of administration play vital roles in conducting free, fair and smooth elections in India under the direction of Election Commission of India and states.
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