About Civil Services of India

The Civil Services refer to the career government civil servants who are the permanent executive branch of the Republic of India. Elected cabinet ministers determine policy, and civil servants carry it out.

Central Civil Servants are employees of the Government of India or of the states, but not all employees of the Government are civil servants. As of 2010, there were 6.4 million government employees in India but fewer than 50,000 civil servants to administer them.

The agencies with the most personnel are with the Central Secretariat Service and Indian Revenue Service (IT and C&CE). The Government of India approved the formation of Indian Skill Development Service in 2015, and the Indian Enterprise Development Service in 2016. Further, the Cabinet of India approved merging all the central civil services under Indian Railways which are Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service and Railway Protection Force Service into a single Indian Railways Management Service as part of a structural reform in the sector in 2019.

Civil servants in a personal capacity are paid from the Civil List. Article 311 of the constitution protects civil servants from politically motivated or vindictive action. Senior civil servants may be called to account by the Parliament. The civil service system in India is rank-based and does not follow the tenets of the position-based civil services.

History

British Colonial era

The present civil services of India are mainly based on the pattern of the former Indian Civil Service of British India.

During the British raj, Warren Hastings laid the foundation of civil service and Charles Cornwallis reformed, modernised, and rationalised it. Hence, Charles Cornwallis is known as ‘the Father of civil service in India’.

Cornwallis introduced two divisions of the Indian Civil service—covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service consisted of only Europeans (i.e., British personnel) occupying the higher posts in the government. The uncovenanted civil service was solely introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians at the lower rung of the administration.

With the passing of the Government of India Act 1919, the Imperial Services headed by the Secretary of State for India were split into two—the All India Services and the Central Services.

The All India and Central Services (Group A) were designated as Central Superior Services as early as 1924. From 1924 to 1934, the administration of India consisted of 10 All India Services (including Indian Education Service, Indian Medical Service) and 5 central departments, all under the control of the Secretary of State for India, and 3 central departments under joint Provincial and Imperial Control.

After Independence

The present modern civil service was formed after the partition of India in 1947. It was Sardar Patel’s vision that the civil service should strengthen cohesion and national unity. The values of integrity, impartiality, and merit remain the guiding principles of the Indian civil services.

By the early 21st century, especially in Indian media, Indian civil servants were regularly colloquially called ‘babus’ (as in ‘the rule of babus’), while Indian bureaucracy is called ‘babudom’.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, located in New Delhi, is unofficially the ‘Ministry of Civil Services’. The Ministry is responsible for training, reforms and pensions for the civil service system in India.

Present framework

Constitutional provision

The Constitution, under Article 312 gives authority to the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Parliament) to set up new branches of the All India Services with a two-thirds majority vote. The Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service have been established under this constitutional provision.

Guiding principals

Values

A member of the civil service in discharge of his/her functions is to be guided by maintaining absolute integrity, allegiance to the constitution and the law of the nation, patriotism, national pride, devotion to duty, honesty, impartiality and transparency.

Code of ethics

The Government of India promotes values and a certain standard of ethics of requiring and facilitating every civil servant:

• To discharge official duty with responsibility, honesty, accountability and without discrimination.
• To ensure effective management, leadership development and personal growth.
• To avoid misuse of official position or information.
• To serve as instruments of good governance and foster social and economic development.

Responsibilities

An Indian diplomatic passport (left) and an official passport generally issued to civil servants. As opposed to the deep blue passport issued to ordinary Indian citizens, the diplomatic passport is maroon with the gold text ‘Diplomatic Passport’ printed on it in English and Hindi.

The responsibility of the civil services is to run the administration of India. The country is managed through a number of central government agencies in accordance with policy directions from the ministries. Civil servants are the actual makers of Indian law and policy. They work on behalf of the elected government and cannot publicly show their disinterest or disapproval for it. It is mandatory for them to form certain rules and policies according to the government’s views and interests. However, they cannot be removed by any state or central government, but can only be retired.

Among the members of the civil services are administrators in the central government and state government; emissaries in the foreign missions/embassies; tax collectors and revenue commissioners; civil service commissioned police officers; permanent representative(s) and employees in the United Nations and its agencies; and chairmen, managing directors, and full-time functional directors and members of the board of various public-sector undertakings, enterprises, corporations, banks, and financial institutions. Civil servants are employed to various agencies of India and can also be appointed as advisors, special duty officers, or private secretaries to ministers of the Union and the State Government.

Staffing

Head of the Civil Services

The highest ranking civil servant is the Cabinet Secretary. They are ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board; the chief of the Indian Administrative Service and head of all civil services under the rules of business of the Government of India. They also hold the 11th position in the Order of Precedence of India.

The position holder is accountable for ensuring that the Civil Service is equipped with the skills and capability to meet the everyday challenges it faces and that civil servants work in a fair and decent environment.

Entry level recruitment

Civil Services Board is responsible for the entry level recruitment and subsequent job promotions below the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India. The recruits are university graduates or above selected through the following rigorous system of specialisation-based examinations for recruitment into respective specialised departments:

• Civil Services Examination (Civil Service)
• National Defence Academy Examination (Defence Service)
• Combined Defence Service Examination (Defence Service)
• Combined Geo-Scientist Examination (Natural Resource)
• Engineering Services Examination (Engineering)
• Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Service Examination (I.E.S./I.S.S. Exam) (Civil Service)
• Combined Medical Services Examination (Medical)
• Central Armed Police Forces – Assistant Commandants Examination (CAPF – AC Exam) of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for Group A posts (Civil Service)

Promotions and appointments to higher ranks

All appointments in the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India and above, other major appointments, empanelment, and extension of tenure are done by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Lower appointments are handled by the Civil Services Board.

Central Administrative Tribunal

For settling various administrative disputes the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) can be approached. For instance, citizens can approach CAT to obtain the permission to sue corrupt or inept civil servants, and civil servants can approach CAT for unfair dismissal.

Civil Services Day

The Civil Service Day is celebrated on 21 April every year. The purpose for this day is to rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people. It is observed by all Civil Services. This day gives civil servants the opportunity for introspection and thinking about future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the changing times.

This date (21 April) was chosen to commemorate the day in 1947 when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of Independent India, addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers.

On this occasion, all officers of Central and State Governments are honoured for excellence in public administration by the Prime Minister of India. The ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’ is presented in three categories. Under this scheme of awards instituted in 2006, all the officers individually or as group or as organisation are eligible. The award includes a medal, scroll and a cash amount of ₹100,000 (US$1,300). In case of a group, the total award money is ₹500,000 (US$6,600) subject to a maximum of ₹100,000 (US$1,300) per person. For an organisation the cash amount is limited to ₹500,000 (US$6,600).

Types of Higher Government Jobs

The Union Civil Services of India can be classified into two types – the All India Civil Services and the Central Civil Services (Group A). Additionally, the officers from the State Civil Services cadre can seek deployment with the Government of India cadre for the Union Civil Services jobs.

All India Services

All appointments to All India Civil Services are made by the President of India.

• Indian Administrative Service (Civil Service)
• Indian Forest Service (Natural Resources Service)
• Indian Police Service (Civil Service)

Central Services

Group A

The Central Civil Services (Group A) are concerned with the administration of the Union Government. All appointments to Central Civil Services (Group A) are made by the President of India.

Group B

For Group B Civil Services posts, the Combined Graduate Level Examination (CGLE) is conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). All appointments to Group B are made by the authorities specified by a general or special order of the President.

• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (Civil Service)
• Botanical Survey of India, Group ‘B’ (Natural Resource)
• Central Electrical Engineering Service, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• Central Engineering Service, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• Central Excise Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Central Health Service, Group ‘B’ (Medical)
• Central Power Engineering Service, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• Central Secretariat Official Language Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Central Secretariat Service, Group ‘B’ (Section and Assistant Section Grade officers only) (Civil Service)
• Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service, (Grade I, Grade II and Selection Grade officers only) (Civil Service)
• Customs Appraisers Service, Group ‘B’- (Principal Appraisers and Head Appraisers) (Civil Service)
• Customs Preventive Service, Group ‘B’ – (Chief Inspectors) (Civil Service)
• Defence Secretariat Service (Civil Service)
• DANIAS, Grade II (Civil Service)
• DANIPS, Grade II (Civil Service)
• Geological Survey of India, Group ‘B’ (Natural Resource)
• Indian Foreign Service, Group ‘B’ – (General Cadre, Grade I and General Cadre, Grade II only) (Civil Service)
• Indian Posts and Telegraphs Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘B’ Telecommunication Wing (Civil Service).
• Indian Posts & Telegraphs Accounts & Finance Service, Postal Wing, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Income Tax Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Indian Salt Service, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• India Meteorological Service, Group ‘B’ (Natural Resource)
• Survey of India, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• Postal Superintendents’ Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Postmasters’ Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Railway Board Secretariat Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Telecommunication Engineering Service, Group ‘B’ (Engineering)
• Telegraphs Traffic Service, Group ‘B’ (Civil Service)
• Zoological Survey of India, Group ‘B’ (Natural Resource)

State Services

The State Civil Services examinations and recruitment are conducted by the individual states’ public service commissions in India. These services are feeder services of All India Services. All appointments to State Services (Group A) are made by the Governors of States.

Group A

State Administrative Service (Civil Services)

All State Administrative Services officers in India are posted as Subdistrict Magistrate cum Assistant Collector/Assistant Commissioner cum Executive Magistrate in various sub districts of India, Municipal Commissioner in various municipal bodies, Panchayat Commissioner in various panchayat bodies and Under Secretary in state secretariat. They belong to Group A rank and part of Civil Services of India. The officers of following civil services cadre are later promoted to Indian Administrative Service.

All Indian Judicial Service, Indian Legal Service and Central Legal Service (Law)

All Indian Judicial Services and Central Legal Services are at par with the civil services and defence services. Their appointment made by Governor of respective states after the consultation / approval of the respective states High Courts and President of India in case the appointment is made for Supreme Court of India.

State Engineering Services

All State Engineering Services the rank of Assistant Engineer/Assistant Executive Engineer/Deputy Executive Engineer are group a officers and included under engineering services.

All Indian Judicial Servoup ‘A’

• Higher Judicial Service (HJS)
• Provincial Service-Judicial Branch (PS-J)

Indian Legal Service Group ‘A’

Central Legal Service Group ‘B’

State Forest Service (Natural Resource)

All ‘ State Forest Services’ above the rank of Assistant Conservator of Forest(ACF) are group A Natural Resource service. The officers of the service are later promoted to the Indian Forest Service after 8 years of Service.

State Police Service (Civil Service)

All State Police Services above the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police/Assistant Commissioner of Police/Assistant Commandant are group A Officers and included under civil service . The officers of following services are later promoted to Indian Police Service.

Group B

The state civil services (Group B) deal with subjects such as land revenue, agriculture, forests, education etc. The officers are recruited by different States through the respective State Public Service Commissions, and appointed by the Governor of that state.

• Sub Divisional Officer (S.D.O.) of various departments (Civil Service)
• Assistant Registrar Cooperative Societies (Civil Service)
• Block Development Officer (Civil Service)
• District Employment Officer (D.E.O.) (Civil Service)
• District Food and Supplies Controller/Officer (D.F.S.O.) (Civil Service)
• District Treasury Officer (S.T.O.) (Civil Service)
• District Welfare Officer (D.W.O.) (Civil Service)
• Excise and Taxation Officer (E.T.O.) (Civil Service)
• Tehsildar/Talukadar/Assistant Collector (Civil Service)
• Forest Range Officer (F.R.O.) (Natural Resource)
• Any other Class-I/Class-II service notified as per rules by the concerned State, i.e. officers, lecturers, assistants, associate professors, or principals of Government Degree Colleges, Class I (Civil Service/Academia)