UPSC posts for 24 different Civil Services are filled through Civil Service Examination (CSE) conducted by Union Public Service Commission. Out of lakhs of aspirants, only a few thousand students can successfully clear this examination. Although there are 23 different Civil Services, the most popular services are Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS), Indian Revenue Services (IRS) and Indian Foreign Services (IFS). The allotment of services to successful candidates depends on the rankings obtained in the examination. A candidate after getting selected in service is appointed to various posts (in the span of his career) within that service except in some cases where he/she may go on deputation to another department in another service.
All India Services
1. Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
- Indian Administrative Service is one of the 3 All India Services.
- IAS is the permanent arm of the Government of India and State Governments.
- The IAS cadre is responsible for formulating and implementing Government policies.
- The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is an All-India Administrative Civil Service of India.
2. Indian Police Service (IPS)
- Indian Police Service is one of the three All-India Services.
- IPS officers are trained at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.
- The IPS officers occupy senior positions in Police service.
- The IPS officers occupy senior positions in RAW, IB, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), etc.
3. Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is one of the three All India Services.
- The highest designation of IFoS officers serving with the Central Government is the Director General (DG) of Forests.
- The highest designation of IFoS officers serving the State Government is Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
- Indian Forest Service Cadre comes under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.
4. Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- IFS officers begin their training at LBSNAA and then move on to Foreign Service Institute located in New Delhi.
- It is one of the most popular Group ‘A’ civil services.
- IFS officers handle the foreign affairs of India.
- IFS officers can go on to become High Commissioner, Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives of India at the UN, and Foreign Secretaries.
5. Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
- This is Group ‘A’ service that functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- The primary objective of this service is to govern the corporate sector in India.
- Training for probationary officers takes place at ICLS Academy, located at the Manesar Campus of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs(IICA).
- ICLS officers would be given extensive training in law, economics, finance, and accounting.
6. Indian Information Service (IIS)
- This is Group ‘A’ service which is responsible for managing the media wing of the Government of India.
- The primary responsibility of this service is to act as a bridge between the Government and the public.
- IIS comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- The initial training for recruits of this cadre takes place at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
7. Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
- IRS officers undergo initial training at LBSNAA, further training takes place at NADT which is located in Nagpur, and the National Academy of Customs, Excise, and Narcotics located in Faridabad.
- IRS cadre functions under the Ministry of Finance.
- The primary objective of this cadre is to collect direct and indirect taxes
8. Indian Trade Service (ITS)
- This is one of the Group ‘A’ civil services.
- Recruited candidates undergo training at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade located in New Delhi.
- The primary goal of this cadre is to manage International Trade and Commerce for the country.
- This cadre comes under the Ministry of Commerce and is headed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).