The All India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS)
Three services shared by the Centre and states: officers are recruited by the UPSC, allotted a state cadre and can serve both governments.
What the paper can ask
- Three services: IAS, IPS, IFoS; recruited by the UPSC; Centre is the cadre-controlling authority.
- The All India Services Act, 1951 lets the government make recruitment and service rules.
- Cadre control: Ministry of Personnel (DoPT) for the IAS, Home Ministry for the IPS, Environment Ministry for the IFoS.
- A 2017 policy groups the 26 cadres into five zones for allocation.
- Article 312 lets Parliament create a new All India Service if the Rajya Sabha so resolves by a two-thirds vote.
Why exams ask
The Article, the first woman officers of each service and the controlling ministries are the usual questions.
The full story
The All India Services are the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). They are common to the Union and state governments: the UPSC recruits officers, the Centre allots them to state cadres, and they move between state and central posts. The IAS and IPS replaced the British-era Indian Civil Service and Indian Police in 1947-48; the IFoS was created in 1966.