About UPSC
About Union Public Service Commission
The Union Public Service Commission is India’s premier central recruiting agency. It is responsible
for appointments to and examinations for All India services and group A & group B of Central
services. While Department of Personnel and Training is the central personnel agency in India.
The agency’s charter is granted by Part XIV of the Constitution of India, titled as Services Under the
Union and the States. The commission is mandated by the Constitution for appointments to the
services of the Union and All India Services. It is also required to be consulted by the Government in matters relating to the appointment, transfer, promotion and disciplinary matters. The commission reports directly to the President and can advise the Government through him.
Although, such advice is not binding on the Government. Being a constitutional authority, UPSC is amongst the few institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom, along with the country’s higher judiciary and lately the Election Commission. The commission is headquartered at Dholpur House, in New Delhi and functions through its own secretariat Dr. Manoj Soni is its current Chairman of UPSC.
Role of Indian Administrative Service
It is often referred as the IAS and it is the administrative arm of the All India Services. The service is considered to be the premier civil service of India. Upon confirmation of service, an IAS officer serves a probationary period as a sub-divisional magistrate. Completion of this probation is
followed by an administrative command role in a district as district magistrate and collector, which
lasts a number of years although it may be as long as sixteen years in some states. After this tenure as a district magistrate, the officer may be promoted to head a whole state division. The typical functions performed by an IAS officer are: to collect revenue and function as courts in matters of revenue and crime, to maintain law and order, to implement Union and State government policies at the grass-root level when posted to field positions i.e. as sub-divisional magistrate, additional district magistrate, district magistrate and divisional commissioner, and to act as an agent of government in the field i.e. to act as an intermediary between the public and the government.
Role of Indian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service is the administrative diplomatic civil service under Group A and Group
B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India. It is considered to be one of the two premier Civil Services (the other being the IAS), as appointment to IFS renders a person ineligible to reappear in Civil Services Examination. It is a Central Civil service as Foreign
policy is the subject matter and prerogative of Union government. The Ambassador, High
Commissioner, Consul General, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and
Foreign Secretary are some of the offices held by the members of this service. As a career diplomat, the Foreign Service Officer is required to project India’s interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral, political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues. The functions of a career diplomat, the Foreign Service Officer is required to project India’s interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral, political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues.
Role of Indian Revenue Service
It is abbreviated as IRS, is the administrative revenue service of the Central Civil Services of the
Government of India. The service functions under the Department of Revenue in the Union Ministry
of Finance and is concerned with the collection and administration of the various direct and
indirect taxes accruing to the Union Government. IRS comprises of two branches- IRS (Income Tax) and IRS (Customs and Central Central Excise), now Customs and GST (Goods and Services Tax) which are controlled by two separate statutory bodies viz. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) respectively. IRS serves the nation through discharging one of the most important sovereign functions i.e. collection of revenue for
development, security and governance.
Role of Indian Forest Service
Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India. The
other two All India Services being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police
Service. It was constituted in the year 1966 under the All India Services Act, 1951 by the
Government of India. An IFS officer plays a key role in conservation, protection and the
development of forests and wildlife, enhancing livelihood opportunities of forest dependent
communities of rural and tribal areas at present time.
Role of Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service, or IPS, is an All Indian service for policing. Along with the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Forest Service (IFS), the IPS is one of the three All India
Services- its cadre can be employed by both the Union Government and the individual states. The
service is not a force itself but provides leaders and commanders to staff the state police and all
India Central Armed Police Forces. Its members are the senior officers of the police. The Bureau of
Police Research and Development is responsible for research and development of the police force
in India. Their duties primarily focuses on border responsibilities, particularly in the areas of
maintenance of public peace and order, crime prevention, investigation and retention, collection of
intelligence, VIP security, border policing, railway policing, disaster management etc.