IAS Full Form – IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service and is one of the most prestigious and competitive exams in India. IAS is one of the topmost coveted services of the Government. The Union Public Service Commission conducts the IAS exam every year to choose and furthermore recruit eligible candidates to the posts offered by Government of India.
UPSC conducts various recruitment examinations on a yearly basis. One from the list is the IAS Exam. Though it is beyond belief that many would not know about this exam or even the full form of IAS, however, it is always fair to relearn about this All India Exam. There could be a few facts about this examination, that you might learn from this article, that would further help you to prepare for the IAS Exam.
IAS Full Form & More about IAS
| IAS Full Form | Indian Administrative Services |
| What is IAS Salary? | It ranges from 56100 INR (Basic Pay) for Under-Secretary/Assistant Secretary to 250000 INR (Basic Pay) for Cabinet Secretary. |
| What is the IAS Qualification? | Minimum UPSC Age Limit for General Category is 21, Minimum Education Qualification is a Bachelor’s Degree from a Government-recognized university/institutions |
| What is IAS Officer work? | IAS officers are the backbone of Indian Bureaucracy. |
| What is IAS Exam? | IAS Exam is an All-India level examination. It is a part of Civil Services Examination. |
What is the IAS Exam?
The prestigious IAS Exam was founded in the year 1858 as the Imperial Civil Service. In the year 1950, it was established as the Indian Administrative Service or the IAS. Among all the other Indian administrative posts, the IAS assumes the highest rank both in terms of power and prestige. The Union Public Service Commission or the UPSC is concerned with conducting the IAS exam each year. The candidates qualified may be appointed by the Union/State government directly or may be assigned posts in the district level.
The IAS is a part of the executive branch of the Government of India and is regarded as the permanent bureaucracy. Lakhs of aspiring candidates belonging to different strata and categories of the society, attempt the exam each year.
Read here – What is UPSC?
IAS Eligibility Criteria
The essential prerequisites that one has to fulfill in order to qualify for the IAS exam are as follows:
- Candidate’s Nationality- The candidate has to be an Indian national in order to try and attempt the Indian Civil Service Exam.
- Age Limit – The minimum age limit to sit for the exam is 21 years while the maximum age limit is determined to be 32.
- Educational Qualification – The candidate must be a graduate from a university registered under or recognised by the Government. However, candidates who are awaiting their graduation results may also apply for the examination.
- Number of Attempts – There is a distinct number of attempts that are assigned to the following categories.
- General – 6 attempts
- OBC – 9 attempts
- SC/ST – No fixed limit
- Any number of attempts can be made by the SC/ST candidates until the candidate reaches the maximum age limit for the examination, i.e, 32 years
- Economically Weaker Section – 6 attempts
- Person with Benchmark disability – 9 attempts
- Defence Service Personnel – 9 attempts
Read More – UPSC Eligibility Criteria
Age Relaxation for IAS
The upper age relaxation that is assigned to each category can be listed as follows –
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| OBC | 3 years |
| Defence Service Personnel | 3 years |
| Ex-Servicemen | 5 years |
| Deaf/Mute/Blind/Orthopedically Handicapped | 10 years |
IAS Salary and Benefits
According to the 7th pay commission recommendations, the pay grades for the civil servants have been abolished and Consolidated Pay levels have come into existence now. Check the IAS Salary details here-
| Basic Pay (Rs.) | Pay Level (Years of Service) | Posts |
| 56,100 | 10 (1-4 years) | Assistant Secretary in Central SecretariatUndersecretary in State SecretariatSub-divisional Magistrate in District Administration |
| 67,700 | 11 (5-8 years) | Deputy Secretary in State SecretariatAdditional District Magistrate in District AdministrationUnder-Secretary in Central Secretariat |
| 78,800 | 12 (9-12 year) | Deputy Secretary in Central SecretariatDistrict Magistrate in District AdministrationJoint Secretary in State Secretariat |
| 1,18,500 | 13 (13-16 years) | Special Secretary-cum-Director in State SecretariatDistrict Magistrate in District AdministrationDirector in Central Secretariat |
| 1,44,200 | 14 (16-24 years) | Joint Secretary in Central SecretariatDivisional Commissioner in District AdministrationSecretary-cum-Commissioner in State Secretariat |
| 1,82,200 | 15 (25-30 years) | Principal Secretary in State SecretariatDivisional Commissioner in District AdministrationAdditional Secretary in Central Secretariat |
| 2,05,400 | 16 (30-33 years) | Additional Chief Secretary in State Secretariat |
| 2,25,000 | 17 (34-36 years) | Secretary in Central SecretariatChief Secretary in State Secretariat |
| 2,50,000 | 18 (37+ years) | Cabinet Secretary of India |
Commitment and Duties of an IAS Officer
The prestigious post of an IAS officer comprises numerous roles and responsibilities. A person having utmost sincerity, patience and numerous distinct capabilities is chosen to offer his allegiance to this prestigious post. The roles and duties that an IAS officer has to assume can be listed as follows –
- The roles and responsibilities that are assigned to an IAS officer vary through different stages of their career.
- An IAS officer is assigned to handle different governmental affairs ranging from district to state level.
- An officer has to perform his/her duties in accordance with the order of the Government of India.
- May be assigned to frame and furthermore implement a certain policy according to the order of the Government.
- Travelling to places where the respective policy is assigned to be implemented.
- Establishing policies to disburse required funds for concerned affairs.
- If an officer during his career is assigned to fulfill his duties at the state or sub-divisional level, he/she has to assume duties pertaining to law and order.
- Has to fulfill developmental duties at the district level.
- May serve as a State Secretariat or as Heads of governmental departments.
- At the Central level, an officer plays a major role in formulating and furthermore in implementing valuable policies.
Interesting Facts about IAS
- Satyendranath Tagore was the first IAS officer in India.
- Anna Rajam Malhotra was the first woman IAS officer of India. A woman who qualified for the Civil Service Exam in 1951.
- Kiran Bedi qualified as Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in 1972. She is the first Indian woman in India to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.
- IAS officer are posted at various locations like Rural, Urban, & Semi- Urban areas