From Bureaucracy to Governance: Know a Career Insights About an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer

Do you also feel inclined towards a job that not only provides 100% job security but is also exciting and challenging at the same time? Do you have the dedication to use the powerful status of an IAS officer to make impactful changes in the tasks you’d be given? Think of holding a powerful position with the responsibility of bringing positive changes in society. Not only that but once you become an IAS Officer you would be given ample opportunities to make a mark. Maybe now you are wondering what and how can you become an IAS Officer. What and where would you be posted after selection? How much would you earn and what would be the scope of IAS in the future? You will find all your answers to these questions below. Click to read the complete article.

Indian Administrative Service is one of the premier civil services of India. Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Officers are government officials/Bureaucrats assigned with the responsibility of handling the administration and daily proceedings of the government, including the formulation and implementation of policy in consultation with the Minister-in-charge of a specific Ministry or department.

Why become an Indian Administrative Service Officer?

Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the most important civil service in India. It is considered to be the premier service among the various other Central and State Government services.  IAS is the administrative branch of the three All India Services – IAS, Indian Foreign Services (IFS), and Indian Police Services (IPS). IAS officers are recruited by the Central Government of India but depending upon their choice and other factors, they might be engaged with one or more State Governments or with the Central Government. They also might be engaged with Public Sector Undertakings (companies owned and managed by the Central/State Government) and other organizations in which the Central or State Government has an interest.

Work Profile

IAS Officers can have five key roles in Government work: 

1. The district administration & divisional administration
2. Formulation and implementation of Government policies, plans, projects, etc., 
3. Government administration 
4. Bureaucratic governance 
5. Public administration

Role One – District Administration & divisional administration

When posted in the district administration of a State Government, IAS Officers are primarily responsible for implementing the various projects and plans of the Central Government and the State Government as well as for maintaining the overall law and order situations in the district. They work as and preside over as court officials in various matters related to tax collection, general administration, civil administration, and criminal activities.

A division comprises a few districts. IAS Officers in charge of divisional administration lead and manage the work of a few districts under a division.

Role Two – Formulation and implementation of Government policies, plans, projects, schemes, and programs

When posted with the various directorates, departments, and Ministries of a State or the Central Government, IAS Officers are responsible for the formulation of Government policies, formulating plans, planning various projects, schemes, and programs as well as implementation of the policies, plans, projects, and programs.

For example, projects and schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, etc. are all planned by IAS Officers of different Ministries of the Central Government of India.

Role Three – Government Administration

IAS Officers supervise and manage the day-to-day functions of a State Government or the Central Government. Although they report to Political leadership consisting of a State’s Ministers, Chief Minister or the Ministers and the Prime Minister of India, IAS Officers are the primary face of the Government administration to the common public of the country.

Role Four – Bureaucracy and governance 

IAS Officers are responsible for taking most of the important day-to-day functional decisions in the running of the Central Government and the State Governments as well as many of the strategic decisions which are important to give a direction to how a Government functions for the benefit of the public. A Minister may make key decisions with the aid of IAS Officers and/or political advisors, but most of the functional and strategic decision-making is left to the IAS Officers. Thus, IAS Officers are central to bureaucratic governance.

Role Five – Public Administration

Many IAS Officers work as Executive Directors/ Managing Directors/ in a similar position of different Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). PSUs are companies controlled by the Government of India or State Governments. A few examples of PSUs are – Coal India Limited, ONGC Limited, Oil India Limited, MMTC, etc. Their primary role in these positions is to provide executive leadership to the business of the PSUs. They ensure that the PSUs achieve their goals, make profits, and provide a dividend to the Governments.

Apart from PSUs, IAS Officers are often posted in leadership positions in various Government organizations such as municipal corporations, metropolitan and city development corporations, export promotion councils, trade development bureaus, and even in Government-owned educational and healthcare organizations. In this case, also, IAS Officers’ role is to ensure that the organizations function efficiently and achieve their goals.

Entry into IAS

There are two primary ways through which you can become an IAS officer. One, directly through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). IAS Officers recruited in this way are called Direct Recruits. Two, you may first become a State Civil Services Officer. After having at least 9 years of experience (in reality, 16-20 years of service) and after performing exceptionally well, you may get a nomination to the ranks of an IAS Officer.

Initial career progression for Direct Recruits in District Administration 

If you are a Direct Recruit, at the beginning of your career (as an extended part of your training program), you will be assigned as an Assistant Secretary with the Central Government in Delhi for 3 months. Thereafter, you will begin your career as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and then get promoted to the rank of an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and then to the rank of a District Magistrate (DM). In some States, these ranks are called Sub-Collector, Additional District Collector, and District Collector respectively.

Initial years in the Indian Administrative Services – as SDM or Sub-Collector (in district Administration)

At the beginning of your career, you will be working as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) / Sub-Collector at the sub-divisional office of a district. As a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, you will be involved in several revenue-related functions such as maintaining land records, registration of property documents, mutation (title transfer) of lands and buildings, registration of sale of properties, registration of various types of contracts, and so on. SDMs also have the power to preside over preventive actions under the Indian Penal Codes as well as carry out investigations in certain specific criminal cases. SDMs are also primarily responsible for implementing Government policies, projects, and programs at the grass-root level. They are responsible for rescue and relief operations during natural calamities and other disastrous situations.

Mid-level roles in the Indian Administrative Services – as an ADM, DM (in district administration)

After having spent about 4 years as an SDM, you will be promoted as an Additional District Magistrate / Additional District Collector and then as a District Magistrate / District Collector (you might also be posted in a State Government Ministry/Department as a Deputy Secretary and then as a Joint Secretary or a Director). 

District Magistrates (DMs) are referred to as District Collectors in a few States. DMs preside over the criminal courts of the Executive Magistrates. They are responsible for maintaining the law and order situation in a district. DMs are responsible for managing crises and management of situations arising out of natural calamities. 

DMs preside over the civil and revenue courts where various civil and tax-related matters are taken up. For example, matters related to the collection of taxes, property registrations, issue of various certificates, and so on. The rank of a DM is equivalent to the rank of a Joint Secretary / Director with a State Government or to the rank of a Director of a Central Government’s directorate or department.

Senior-level Roles – Working as a Divisional Commissioner (in divisional administration – a division comprising a few districts in a State)

A division generally comprises three to five districts, each headed by a District Magistrate (DM) or District Collector (equivalent to DM). Divisional Commissioners supervise the actions of the DMs and act as a regional coordinators between the district administration and the State Government. Divisional Commissioners are senior IAS Officers as you can only be promoted as a Divisional Commission after having at least 16 years of experience in district administration successively as an SDM, ADM, and DM.

Divisional Commissioners exercise control over the implementation of Government projects, schemes, and programs over various districts and act as financial controllers. They supervise revenue or tax collections in the districts. 

The rank of a Divisional Commissioner is equivalent to the rank of a Principal Secretary with a State Government or to the rank of a Joint Secretary or the rank of an Additional Secretary with the Central Government.

Senior-level roles –working as a Commissioner or Special Secretary/Officer on Special Duty (in Government administration, policy formulation, bureaucracy, and public administration)

The rank of a Commissioner is equivalent to that of a Divisional Commissioner as well as to that of a Joint Secretary of the Central Government.

Commissioners preside over as the head of a department of a State Government Ministry – such as the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education/HRD of a State Government. In the role of a Commissioner, an IAS Officer works as the Chief Executive of a department. For example, Commissioner-Higher Education will be the Chief Executive Officer (in terms of the roles, not the designation) of the Department of Higher Education. Health Commissioner will be the Chief Executive Officer of the health department. Typically, though all Commissioners report to the respective Principal Secretary of different Ministries.

Alternative career progression with a State Government (other than the district administration route) after your initial posting as an SDM or after your posting as an ADM/ DM 

After 4 years as an SDM, you might be posted with a State Government Ministry or department as a Deputy Secretary and then as a Joint Secretary. After 9 years of service (as an SDM, then ADM, and finally as a DM), you might be directly posted as a Joint Secretary. As a Deputy Secretary and as a Joint Secretary, you will play a key role in Government administration, formulating and implanting various Government policies, projects, plans, programs, and schemes; you will be responsible for bureaucratic governance whereby you will be required to make important decisions. You will be working under a Secretary or a Principal Secretary of a State Government.

Some of the IAS Officers, after having served as a Joint Secretary and after 12-14 years of service, could be posted as a Director of a Government Directorate or as a Managing Director of a State Government Undertaking company. In these roles, you are responsible for public administration and bureaucratic governance. 

Alternative career progression with the Central Government (other than the State administration route) after your posting as an ADM/ DM

After your posting as an ADM and after at least 9 years of service, you could be deputed to a department, directorate, or Ministry of the Central Government and get posted as a Deputy Secretary first and then as Director. Thereafter, you can be promoted as Joint Secretary and then an Additional Secretary.

In progressive roles with the Central Government, your key roles will be Government policy, plans, projects, programs, scheme formulation and implementation, Government administration, bureaucratic decision-making, and public administration. The senior you become, the more you will be involved in the policymaking level and will work directly with the Ministers. 

What does an IAS Officer do? 

Depending upon your rank and role in district administration, with a State Government, or with the Central Government, some of the key roles and responsibilities that you will handle as an IAS Officer are:

• You would be involved in various Revenue functions such as maintenance of land records, the conduct of revenue cases, carrying out demarcation and mutations, settlement operations, and functioning as custodian of public land.
• You will also be responsible for coordinating and implementing a disaster management plan for natural and chemical disasters and an awareness generation program on disaster preparedness is being carried out with the assistance of United Nations Development. 
• You would act as an arbitrator of land acquisition, its assessment, and collection of land revenue.
• You would be involved in the collection of income tax dues, excise duties, irrigation dues, and arrears.
• You would be involved in the registration of Property documents, sale deeds, power of attorneys, defacement, share certificates, etc.
• You would issue various kinds of statutory certificates including SC/ST, OBC & EWC, Domicile, Nationality, Marriage, etc.
• You would supervise subordinate executive magistracy and conduct magisterial inquiries.
• You would be involved in hearing cases under the preventive section of the Criminal Procedure Code.
• You would supervise jails and certification of execution of capital sentences.
• You would authorize parole orders to inmates.
• You would also grant arms and ammunition licenses under the Arms Act.
• You would also prepare a panel of names for the appointment of public prosecutors and additional public prosecutors with a consultation with the session judge in the district.
• You would control revenue administrations in the division and holds revenue courts.
• You would supervise, guide and control the various offices in a division.
• You would be involved in hearing public grievances and their redressal.
• You would control local government and administer the oath of elected functionaries like the mayor, Zila panchayat chairperson, etc. in many states.
• You would also hold financial control over the preparation of the budget for development authorities, urban and rural local bodies, and other departments in many states.
• You would also act as an electoral roll observer and accessibility observer during parliamentary and state assembly elections.
• You would be involved in representing the Government in another country or International forums like the UN, WTO, World Bank, etc. 
• You would also take care of holding meetings, exercising delegated powers of the head of offices, coordinating with PSUs, etc.
• You would also be authorized to sign agreements on behalf of the Government.
• You would be responsible for the proper implementation of the policies and coordinate with the head of PSUs under the ministry.
• You will supervise the implementation of the state and also central government policies.
• You would be the principal adviser of a Minister on all matters of policy and administration within your Ministry/Department.
• You would be involved in the formulation and implementation of various policies for the Central Government.

How to become an IAS Officer – eligibility criteria 

To become an IAS Officer, you will have to qualify for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). To appear for the Civil Services Examination, you must have a bachelor’s degree in any subject.  After the completion of your graduation, you can start preparing for UPSC CSE. A post-graduation isn’t necessary to appear in this examination as the preparation for this examination is entirely different and is hardly dependent on your educational qualification.

UPSC Examination

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment of various Civil Services of the Government of India. Generally, the recruitment process for the UPSC Indian Administrative Service comprises of three levels Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, and Interview. The Preliminary Exam consists of two objective-type papers i.e. General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II which is also called CSAT (Civil Service Aptitude Test). The Main Examination consists of nine papers of the descriptive type followed by a Personal Interview or Personality Test. 

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination comprises two compulsory papers of 200 marks each:

1. General Studies Paper I
   • Current events of national and international importance.
   • History of India and Indian National Movement.
   • Indian and World Geography
   • Indian Polity and Governance
   • Economic and Social Development 
   • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
   • General Science, Art, and Culture
2. General Studies Paper-II- CSAT
   • Comprehension
   • Interpersonal skills 
   • Communication skills
   • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
   • Decision-making and problem-solving
   • General mental ability
   • Basic Numerical Ability& Data Interpretation

The Civil Services Main Examination comprises nine papers – two of the papers are of qualifying in nature (meaning that, you have to pass in these two papers before being considered for ranking) and the rest of the seven papers are used for final ranking.

The two Qualifying Papers are:

Paper A: An Indian language of your choice (from various Indian languages such as Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, etc.)

Paper B: English

The other seven papers in the Main Examination are:

Paper 1: Essay

Paper 2: General Studies I (Indian heritage and culture, History and Geography of the world, and Society)

Paper 3: General Studies II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, International Relations)

Paper 4: General Studies III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, Disaster Management)

Paper 5: General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity, Aptitude)

Papers 6 & 7: Two optional papers as per your choice from the given list of papers (the list consists of papers like Agriculture, Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce & Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Literature (of a language of your choice), Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science & International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology, etc.)

The Personal Interview or Personality Test attempts to assess the suitability of a candidate for Civil Services. It may assess the following attributes in a candidate (these are only indicative and do not comprise all the criteria):

• Analytical and logical abilities
• Balance of judgment
• Compassion and empathy
• Critical abilities
• Deductive and Inductive Reasoning abilities
• Ethical thinking
• Integrity and morality
• Intellectual abilities
• Interpersonal abilities
• Leadership abilities
• Multi-faceted interests and depth of interests
• Power of expression
• Self-awareness or intra-personal abilities
• Understanding of social issues and challenges

Training

After having successfully qualified for all three stages, you will undergo a Foundation Course for 15 weeks along with other Civil Service Officers at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. This Course is for Officer Trainees of the All India Services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) & the Indian Forests Service (IFoS); the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and various Central Services (Group-‘A’).

On completion of the Foundation Course, as IAS Officer Trainee you would graduate to Phase-I training which is for 22 weeks approximately. In Phase-I training you would be imparted rigorous training in a wide range of subjects to enable you to handle varied assignments that you would hold in the first ten years of your service. 

After the completion of Phase-I of training, you would undergo a one-year District Training in your allotted State cadre. After Phase-I and the District Training, the Officer Trainees are required to undergo IAS Professional Course, Phase II which is for approximately six weeks. 

The Academy also awards a Master’s degree in Public Management to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer Trainees undergoing a two-year induction training program at LBSNAA after recruitment through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

After completion of the 2-year training at LBSNAA, you will undergo a further 3 months of training as an Assistant Secretary at the Central Government Secretariat.

Educational Fees

1. UPSC examination: The cost of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination is around INR 100 for the preliminary exam and INR 200 for the main exam.
2. Coaching classes: Many candidates opt for coaching classes to prepare for the UPSC exam. The cost of these classes can range from INR 50,000 to INR 2 lakhs or more depending on the institution and duration of the course.
3. Training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA): Once selected, IAS officers undergo training at LBSNAA, which is fully funded by the government.
4. Miscellaneous expenses: Other expenses such as travel, books, study materials, and living expenses will depend on the individual’s lifestyle and location.

Job Opportunities 

After completing the 2-year training program at LBSNAA (which includes 1-year of District level training) as an IAS Officer on probation and then a 3-months training as an Assistant Secretary, you will be allocated a State Cadre and then you will be placed as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or Sub-Collector at a district of your State Cadre. 

After your initial years in district administration, you may find placement at various State Government/ Central Government organizations such as:

• State / Central Government Ministries
• State / Central Government Departments and Directorates (under the Ministries)
• Different agencies and organizations of State/ Central Government
• Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as ONGC Limited, Oil India Limited, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC), India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Limited (MMTC), National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI), State Trading Corporation of India Limited (STCI), and Indian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI Limited), etc.
• Autonomous Organizations such as the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export, Development Authority (APEDA), Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), Indian Diamond Institute, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), and Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), etc.
• UN Organizations such as the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• International organizations such as the World Bank, and Asian Development Bank in various capacities.

Salary of IAS Officer

According to the 7^th Central Pay Commission,

• As a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (0-4 years of service), you would earn around Rs.56,100- 1,32,000 per month.
• ​​​​​​​With at least 5-8 years of service and as an Additional District Magistrate / Deputy Secretary of a State Government, you would earn about Rs. 67,700 – 1,60,000 per month.  
• ​​​​​​With at least 9-12 years of service and as a District Magistrate / Joint Secretary of a State Government/ Deputy Secretary of the Central Government, you would earn around Rs. 78,800 -1,91,500 per month.
• ​​​​​With at least 13-16 years of service as a District Magistrate in the Selection Grade / Special Secretary of a State Government or a Director of a State Government organization/ a Director of a Central Government department or directorate, you would earn around Rs. 1,18,500 -2,14,100 per month.
• ​​​With at least 16-24 years of service and as a Divisional Commissioner in the selection grade / Commissioner of a department of a State Government/ Joint Secretary with the Central Government, you will earn about Rs. 1,44,200 – 2,18,200 per month.
• With at least 25-30 years of service and as a Principal Secretary with a State Government / as an Additional Secretary of the Central Government, you will earn about Rs. 1,82,200 – 2,24,100 per month.​​​​​​​
• ​​​​​​​In the apex scale, with at least 30-36 years of service and as the Chief Secretary of a State Government / as the Secretary of a Ministry of the Central Government, you will earn Rs. 2,25,000 per month. ​​​​​​​
• ​​​​​​​With at least 37 years of service and as the Cabinet Secretary of the Central Government, you will earn Rs. 2,50,000 per month.

Career Progression as an IAS officer profession

Initially, you will be allotted cadres which could either be a state or a group of states. You will begin as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or as a Sub-Collector.

Thereafter, in field postings (in the district and divisional administration), you will progress as:

Additional District Magistrate/Additional District Collector – District Magistrate/District Collector – Divisional Commissioner 

(up to the Junior Administrative Grade with at least 9-12 years of experience, or up to the rank of a District Magistrate/ District Collector, you will be promoted on the basis of the number of years of work experience; thereafter you will be in the selection grade and your promotion will depend upon your work performance, vacancies, etc.)

After your postings as an SDM/Sub-Collector, you may be deputed to the State Government as a Deputy Secretary. If you get such a deputation, you will progress as:

Deputy Secretary – Joint Secretary – Special Secretary/ Director – Commissioner – Principal Secretary – Chief Secretary 

(up to the Junior Administrative Grade with at least 9-12 years of experience, or up to the rank of a Joint Secretary, you will be promoted on the basis of the number of years of work experience; thereafter you will be in the selection grade and your promotion will depend upon your work performance, vacancies, etc.)

After your postings as an SDM/Sub-Collector and thereafter as an Additional District Magistrate (ADM)/Assistant District Collector or as a Deputy Secretary of a State Government, you may be deputed to the Central Government as a Deputy Secretary. If you get such a deputation, you will progress as:

Deputy Secretary – Director – Joint Secretary – Additional Secretary – Secretary – Cabinet Secretary 

(up to the Junior Administrative Grade with at least 9-12 years of experience, or up to the rank of a Deputy Secretary, you will be promoted on the basis of the number of years of work experience; thereafter you will be in the selection grade and your promotion will depend upon your work performance, vacancies, etc.)

What do industry trends say – Future Prospects

According to the 68th Annual Report provided by the UPSC, around 29, 90,071 applications were received and processed and 6,556 candidates were interviewed for Civil Services posts. A total of 4,829 candidates were recommended for appointment to various posts. A total of 3,323 candidates were recommended for Civil Services posts. The recruitment process usually depends on the ruling government policies and most importantly on the policies and requirements for administrative offices. Career growth in this field is slow but with increasing demands for administrative practices, you may find this career interesting.

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