Indian Polity #12 | Study Material::General Studies | IAS Help

CIVIL SERVICES IN INDIA

Overview
Running the administration of a vast and diverse country requires efficient management of
natural, economic and human resources. This is the primary responsibility of the civil
services
Civil Services in India originated in the eighteenth century under the rule of the East India
Company
Civil services in India comprise three types of services
o All India Services
o Central Civil Services Group A
o Central Civil Services Group B
o State Civil Services
According to the Constitution, more Civil Services can be set up by the Rajya Sabha with a
2/3
rd
majority vote. This applies to All India and Central Services, while the State Services
can be constituted by similar act of state legislatures. The Indian Forest Service and the
Indian Foreign Service were set up in this fashion

Civil Services under British rule
The civil services were first constituted under the East India Company as the Honourable
East India Company Civil Servants (HEICS)
At this stage there were two groups of civil servants: covenanted (who entered into
covenants with the Company) and the uncovenanted. The covenanted civil servants
occupied higher positions in the hierarchy while the uncovenanted occupied lower levels
This service evolved to become the Indian Civil Service (ICS), which later became the
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after Independence
The Public Service Commission 1886-1887 (Aitchison Commission), was constituted to
guide the evolution of the civil service. The recommendations of the Aitchison Commission
included
o Two-tier classification of covenanted/uncovenanted to be replaced by three tier
classification Imperial Civil Service, Provincial Civil Service and Subordinate Civil
Service
o Maximum age of entry to be 23 years
o Statutory system of recruitment to be abolished
o Competitive exam should not be held simultaneously in England and India
o Certain percentage of posts in the Imperial Civil Service to be filled by promotion
from Provincial Civil Services
The basic pattern of the cadre system in the civil service was established by the Aitchison
Commission
In 1912, the Islington Commission was appointed, however its recommendations were not
considered
By 1934, the system had evolved to consist of seven All India Services
The first Indian to rank first in the ICS examination was Gurusaday Dutt in 1905

All India Services
The All India Services are those civil services that serve all of India, under both the Union
Government and the state governments
There are three All India Services:
o Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
o Indian Police Service (IPS)
o Indian Forest Service (IFS)
The officers of the All India Services are recruited and trained by the Union Government, but
work under the Centre as well as the states
Officers of the All India Services are organised into cadres. 24 states have their own cadres.
There are also three joint cadres:
o Assam-Meghalaya cadre
o Manipur-Tripura cadre
o Arunchal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre

Central Civil Services
Central Civil Services function under the Central government
The Central services are categorised into two groups: Group A and Group B
There are more than 30 Central Services Group A. Prominent services in the Central Civil
Services Group A include
o Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
o Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
o Indian Postal Service
o Indian Economic Service
o Indian Audits and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
o Military Engineering Service
o Survey of India Service
o Central Secretariat Service
The Central Civil Service Group B consists of three services
o Defence Secretariat Service
o Union Territories Administrative Service
o Union Territories Police Service

State Civil Services
Each state has its own civil service
State level civil services include
o State Civil/Administrative Service
o State Police Service
o State Forest Service
o Public Works Department

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPSC)
The UPSC is a constitutional body authorised to conduct exams for appointment to the civil
services. It was established under Part XIV of the Constitution
The Constitution provides for a Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service
Commission for every state
The first Public Service Commission was set up in 1926, with the aim of indigenising the civil
services
The Government of India Act 1935 provided for the establishment of a Federal Public
Service Commission and Provincial Public Service Commissions

Membership to the Commission
The Chairman and other members of the UPSC are appointed by the President of India
At least half the members are civil servants with at least 10 years experience in Central or
state services
The tenure of each member is six years or age 65, whichever is earlier
Members of the UPSC can be removed by the President on charges of misbehaviour, if these
charges are upheld by the Supreme Court

Functions of the UPSC
Recruitment to services and posts under the Union Government through conduct of
competitive exams
Recruitment to services and posts under the Union Government by direct selection. This
type of recruitment is done to fill immediate/irregular job vacancies.
Advice on the suitability of officers for appointment, promotion and transfer
Advice the government on all matters relating to recruitment to various posts and services
Handle disciplinary cases related to different civil services

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