Indian Administrative Services forms one of the three pillars on which lies the implementation of the Indian Constitution. (The three pillars are Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary.) Therefore, on-ground implementation of any government policy, law, order, etc. relies on the proper functioning of the complete executive machinery, the framework of which is formed by the Indian Administrative Services.
IAS officers are directly appointed by the President of India and are an inseparable branch of the Indian Government. IAS Rank structure allows proper functioning and management of key strategic positions responsible for the proper functioning of the Government.
There are three primary routes through which IAS officer recruitment is completed, and within years they are allocated different IAS Ranks in India. For separate IAS Rank Wise Posts, the ratio between direct recruits and promotes has been 2:1
- UPSC Civil Services Examination: More than 10 Lakh applicants appear for the UPSC IAS exam. Only 180 students are allotted to IAS posts out of those millions, which trickles down to a feeble probabilistic percentage. Students undergo several years of preparation for the coverage of a vast syllabus from a list of subjects. The Civil Services Examination has 3 phases which are Prelims, Mains, and Personality Test. At the same time, the students have to strategize different sets of plans for every stage. The Prelims examination has objective questions and requires students to solve questions within a short period. For UPSC Mains Examination, aspirants have to frame explanatory answers for the case-based questions, and it spans over 10 days for a set of different papers. Finally, students who clear these two phases appear for the final round of the personality test, which is the IAS interview. With eminent board members from different areas of expertise, test the aspirant’s wit and knowledge.
- Promotion from State Civil Service Officers: A separate service cadre exists for the government for every state. In general administration and management of revenue, there are several sub-divisional posts to serve greater responsibility. However, after a certain set of years, these state officers become eligible for the promotion. A committee decides them, and the Central Government determines the promotions after consultation with the State Government. At the beginning of every year, on the first day of January, posts are rolled out. The classified list of candidates who must have completed a minimum of 8 years of continuous service in the position of Deputy collector or any equivalent post is eligible for the promotion.
- Promotion from Non-State Civil Services: According to the requirement and regulations of the Indian Administrative Services, the state government declares several vacancies. The Non-State Civil Services referred above equivalent to the post of Deputy Collected in State Administrative services and who have completed not less than 8 years of services in the positions of Class-I rank will be appointed for IAS selection.
There are certain IAS Rank Wise Posts that the officers hold during their allocation are:
- SDO/SDM/Joint Collector/ Chief Development Officer (CDO)
- District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner
- Divisional Commissioner
- Member Board of Revenue
- Chairman of Revenue
Even after these allocations, the IAS officers can work in several other coveted nationalized and international organizations for a fixed tenure. Therefore, a particular IAS Rank structure is required for various crucial decision-making areas present in the Ministries of Government and are responsible for serving their Nation as per the oath taken.
