Question

Essay on IAS in more than 100 words

Answer 1

Indian administrative service is one of the three All-India Services. It is one of the prestigious and most coveted government jobs in India.

These services were constituted under the article 312 of the constitution. The services were started by British Government in the year 1893 and were called as Indian Civil Services. In 1946 the present format was implemented and the term Indian Administrative Services was coined.

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension is the controlling authority of the services. The selected IAS officers hold the highest ranks in the government offices and play a major role in policy formation.

The IAS officers are recruited by Central Government on the recommendations made by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The selected candidates are recruited all over the country in different states. The state government does have a control over the functioning of the IAS officers. But any kind of disciplinary action is under the authority of Central Government only. State level ministry is devoid of such powers.

The examination is conducted on yearly basis by UPSC. It is rated as one of the toughest competition on global basis. The number of IAS aspirants is in lacs every year. Out of which only 850 are selected for the mains. And candidates who make up to first 80 ranks have chances of being inducted in the administrative services. An acceptance rate as low as 0.025% depicts the nature of competition one has to face while clearing the examination. Indian administrative service is ranked highest amongst all three services on the basis of preferences marked by the selected candidates.

Answer 2

It  is amazing that I have finally found someone else whose has been harboring such an idea. Many aspirants are driven by a variety of motivations ranging from powerful social existence to all the 'upar ki kamai' that's supposed to shower upon you when you become a civil servant. But I guess there are only a few who actually give credence to the fact that ultimately an IAS officer is supposed to be a 'civil servant'. My sole motivation in deciding to prepare for civil services entrance (for which I plan to quit my job next June when the coaching season starts) is to set right things that have always seemed wrong to me. I have always been fascinated by the impact that a person like a DM has on the way things function in her/his district. I certainly understand that the idealist in me could be disillusioned if I actually get to become an IAS officer but I still believe that a person of moral fiber if given sufficient power can lighten up the lives of many. There will obviously be cynics who would advise you to join an NGO instead (as if the society has outsourced all the do-good responsibilities to the NGOs and the policymakers, facilitators and implementors have no role to play in adding value to the society). But what do these cynics know about people who actually want to help people and who derive immense satisfaction from impacting the lives of others in a positive way. Armstrong Pame is one among such civil servants who have justified their profession. There will obviously be people who will misunderstand and/or doubt your motivations because they are governed by their own narrow mindsets which make them believe that altruism is just a bookish term which they read in their primary school moral science textbooks. These people will always be doubtful of sincere motives because they themselves never harbored any. My sincere suggestion is that you simply ignore such people and do what you actually believe in.

HOPE HELPS :D