IAS Hierarchy: Designations & Posts

UPSC or IAS exam, just reading this down can freak us out as it is considered the toughest exam in India due to its huge syllabus & low pass percentage. The Union Public Service Commission of India is our country’s chief recruiting agency vested with the responsibility of conducting end-to-end recruitment & selection activities for several services under it. Amongst these, the prime ones are the All India services that constitute three arms: the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) & Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The Civil Servants or the recruits from all these services serve the Indian government and the respective states where they are placed. Each of them holds a strategic position in the Centre-State govt. and PSUs.

Each & every arm has its own ranking system and pay scales. Not to forget, the salaries of all these civil servants (IAS, IPS, IFS) are determined by the 7th Pay Commission of India (for central government employees). This article discusses the rank or hierarchy of IAS officers along with their recruitment process. So, let’s get started.

What is the Indian Administrative Service or IAS?

Amongst the arms of All India Services, IAS is the only administrative arm, which is usually the most desirable one of all, as when we recall UPSC, we regard it as the IAS exam and not IPS or IFS. However, each of these is equally tough, and the most respected jobs in India.

• Once an IAS cracks the exam & accepts the service, the IAS officer joins for a probationary period as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). 

• Later, after the probation period is over, the officer is assigned an executive or administrative role in a district as a District Magistrate (DM), also known as the Collector. 

• As a District Magistrate (DM), he is responsible for law & order and heads the police and prosecuting agency, whereas as a Collector, he is the chief Officer of the revenue administration and is responsible for the collection of land revenue, the Collector is even the highest revenue judicial authority in the district.

• The term for such an administrative role can last for several years, after which the IAS officer may be promoted to a Divisional Commissioner & put in charge of the entire state administrative division.

• Civil servants are the permanent Indian bureaucracy that is an inseparable part of the executive branch of the Indian Government, thereby ensuring the continuity to the administration. 

IAS Recruitment process

Presently, there are three modes of recruitment to IAS:

1. Through the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC every year

UPSC exam is conducted in three phases; a preliminary examination comprising of two objective-type papers (General Studies Paper I & General Studies Paper II, also referred to as Civil Service Aptitude Test or CSAT). A mains examination constituting 9 papers of conventional (essay) type, in which two papers are qualifying, and only marks of seven are counted, followed by a personality test that is an interview.

2. Through the promotion of State Civil Service officers to IAS

A state civil service officer can be promoted to IAS as per Regulations 5(4), 5(5), {5(3AA) and 5(4) for IFS} of Promotion Regulations wherein the selection for promotion to the All India Services is on the basis of merit.  

3. Through the selection of non - State Civil Service officers

As per the sections of IAS (Appointment by Selection) Regulations 1997, a Non-State Civil Service Officer is eligible to be considered for selection to the IAS, provided he/she- (a) is of outstanding merit and ability

(b) holds a Gazetted post in a substantive capacity

(c) has completed not less than 8 years of continuous service under the State Government on the 1st of January in which his/her case is being considered in any post which has been declared equivalent to the post of Deputy Collector in the State Civil Service

(d) has not attained the age of 54 years on the 1st day of the January of the year for which the Select List is to be prepared. 

Designations of IAS Officers

IAS officers’ designations when on assignment in the field are as follows:

• Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO)

• Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)

• Joint Collector/ Chief Development Officer (CDO)

• District Magistrate (DM)/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner

• Divisional Commissioner

• Member Board of Revenue

An IAS Officer, except for the Cabinet Secretary grade, holds multiple posts for every other grade. Refer to this table to know the designations and promotions in detail. 

Let’s bifurcate this table into District, state and central roles for the post of IAS officers at each rank for better understanding.

*In both these tables, the positions or position name for state and central secretariat might differ due to local administrative reasons. So, we recommend you to consider it synonymously.

Conclusion

An IAS Officer plays a significant role in policy formulations of the states and central governments, and broadly speaking, he/ she is responsible for multiple roles like maintenance of law and order by functioning as an Executive Magistrate, collection of revenue & its administration like revenue courts and general administration in the area under them. The major reason for having a permanent lobby of bureaucrats is that they act as an intermediate between the public and government through good execution and deliverance skills.