The Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) conducts the elite Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year to
recruit officers for around 18 Group ‘A’ Services and some Group ‘B’ Services. The CSE is a common examination for
recruitment to the following Group ‘A’ Services:
1) Indian
Administrative Service (IAS)
2) Indian
Police Service (IPS)
3) Indian
Foreign Service (IFS)
4) Indian
Revenue Service (Income Tax) – (IRS-IT)
5) Indian
Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) – (IRS-C&CE)
6) Indian
Audit & Accounts Service (IAAS)
7) Indian
Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
8) Indian
Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
9) Indian
Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
10) Indian
Defence Estates Service (IDES)
11) Indian
Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
12) Indian
Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
13) Indian
Postal Service (IPoS)
14) Indian
P&T Accounts & Finance Service (IPTAFS)
15) Indian
Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
16) Indian
Information Service (IIS)
17) Indian
Trade Service (ITS)
18) Indian
Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
All
the officers recruited through the Civil Services Examination undergo long
training for around two years in various
training organizations and go on to occupy important leadership positions in
their respective Departments under the Government of India or under the
Government of a State or a Union Territory.
The Civil Services Examination prescribes similar eligibility conditions
and similar educational qualifications for recruitment to all the above
mentioned Services. The successful
candidates in the CSE are allotted various Services from among the above
mentioned list based one’s rank in the merit list and preference for Services
expressed by the candidates in their application forms. All the candidates appearing in the CSE will
have to give their preferences for the Services mentioned above in their
application form itself. So a candidate
will have the option to choose any one Service over the other in his application
form but the allotment is done based on the availability of vacancies in a
particular Service and one’s rank in the CSE final merit list.
Remuneration:
Once recruited through the Civil
Services Examination, all the successful candidates are placed in the Junior
Time Scale (JTS) grade of pay. All the
candidates will be on probation for 2 years, after which they will be confirmed
in Service subject to fulfillment of eligibility criteria. These officers are promoted at regular
intervals subject to fulfillment of the eligibility criteria prescribed by the respective
Recruitment Rules of various Services. The
various pay scales of these civil servants as they grow in the ladder of
hierarchy are given below:
|
S.No.
|
Grade
|
Pay Scale
|
Eligibility
(Minimum
Qualifying Service)
|
Equivalent Post
in Government of India
|
|
1
|
Junior Time Scale (JTS)
|
Rs. 15,600 -
39,100 and
Grade pay of Rs. 5,400
|
--
|
--
|
|
2
|
Senior Time Scale (STS)
|
Rs. 15,600 -
39,100 and
Grade pay of Rs. 6,600
|
4 years
|
Under Secretary
|
|
3
|
Junior Administrative Grade (JAG)
|
Rs. 15,600 -
39,100 and
Grade pay of Rs. 7,600
|
9 years
|
Deputy Secretary
|
|
4
|
Non-functional Selection Grade in Junior Administrative Grade (NFSG)
|
Rs. 37,400 -
67,000 and
Grade pay of Rs. 8,700
|
14 years
|
Director
|
|
5
|
Senior Administrative Grade (SAG)
|
Rs. 37,400 -
67,000 and
Grade pay of Rs. 10,000
|
16-18 years
|
Joint Secretary
|
|
6
|
Higher Administrative Grade (HAG)
|
Rs. 67,000 – annual increment @ 3% - 79,000
|
25 years
|
Additional
Secretary
|
|
7
|
Apex Scale
|
Rs. 80,000 (fixed)
|
30 years
|
Secretary
|
All
these civil servants are given an annual increment of 3% over their basic pay
on the 1st of July of every year.
In addition to their basic pay, all these civil servants are given a
Dearness Allowance (DA) to mitigate the impact of inflation. The DA is calculated as a percentage of the
basic pay.
(Un)equal Pay for Equal
Work:
Article 14 of the Constitution of
India provides for the ‘Fundamental Right to Equality’ to all the citizens of
India. The principle ‘Equal Pay for
Equal Work’ is embodied in Article 39(d) of the Constitution of India. This very basic principle is being violated
blatantly when it comes to the salaries paid to the civil servants recruited by
the common Civil Services Examination. The
IAS and IFS are accorded an edge over all the other Services by being given two
additional increments @ 3% each over their basic pay at three grades i.e. Senior Time Scale (STS), Junior
Administrative Grade (JAG) & Non Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) despite
all these Services being recruited by the same common examination with similar
eligibility conditions and educational qualifications. The Dearness Allowance (DA), given as
percentage of basic salary, will further increase the gap between the IAS/IFS
and other Services. The Transport
Allowance and other Allowances are calculated as a percentage of basic salary
or basic salary + DA. So it’s anybody’s
guess as to what will be the difference in salaries being paid to an IAS/IFS
officer and other officers belonging to other Services like IPS, IRS, etc. as a result of two additional
increments being granted to IAS/IFS at three levels. In absolute terms, these two additional
increments at three levels will lead to a difference of around Rs.4,000-5,000
per month in salary between IAS/IFS and other Civil Services after 4 years of
service, which increases to Rs.15,000–16,000 per month by 14th year
and Rs.18,000-20,000 per month by 17th year of service. Let us
analyze the reasons for such a discriminatory arrangement in the pay structure
of various Civil Services in India.
As
with every other discriminatory policy/practice being followed or perpetrated
in India, this discrimination in pay scales among various Civil Services has
its roots in the erstwhile British colonial administration. The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was an elite
cadre of officers comprising of predominantly the British nationals or
Europeans that occupied every top administrative post/position during the
British era in India. After India
attained independence this ICS was abolished and was replaced by the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS). Initially
the IAS used to occupy all important positions in the Government of India and
used to head all the Departments including that of the law and order. As the administration of various Government
functions became increasingly specialized, specialist Services were created to
man the various specialized Departments and head them. The Indian Revenue
Service, various Accounts Services, various Railway Services, etc. were created one by one to take on
the specialized functions of the Government.
Between 1947 and 1950, a combined competitive examination was held once
a year for recruitment to the IAS, IFS, IPS and non-technical Central Civil
Services. The exam consisted of three compulsory papers (General English, Essay
& General Knowledge) and three optional subjects (only two optional
subjects for IPS). However, since 1951,
two additional optional subjects of the Master’s degree standard were
prescribed for the IAS & IFS. So,
since 1951 there used be three categories of Civil Services recruited through
the same Civil Services Examination but having different levels of standards as
follows:
|
S.No.
|
Category
|
Papers in Civil Services Examination
|
|
1
|
Category I
Services
(IAS & IFS)
|
5 optional
subjects &
3 compulsory subjects
|
|
2
|
Category II
Services
(IPS & Police
Service Class II of Union Territories)
|
2 optional
subjects &
3 compulsory
subjects
|
|
3
|
Category III
Services
(Central Services
Class I and II)
|
3 optional
subjects &
3 compulsory
subjects
|
So,
the candidates selected for IAS & IFS are of higher merit than those
selected for IPS & and other Central Services as they have to take and
clear two additional optional subjects of the Master’s degree standard. So, the IAS & IFS were given a higher salary
than the IPS & other Central Services.
However, the scenario changed post the Kothari Committee recommendations
of 1976. Based on the recommendations of
the Kothari Committee, recruitment to IAS, IFS, IPS & other Central Civil Services
was being made through a common unified Civil Services Examination to avoid any
hierarchy among various Services since 1979.
However, the edge enjoyed by the IAS/IFS over the other Services in
respect of salaries is being continued even after 1979 citing one or the other
reason.
The issue of parity between the
IAS/IFS and other Group ‘A’ Central Civil Services in terms of pay scales and
career progression cropped up quite a number of times before the various
committees and commissions appointed by the Government of India. The IAS-dominated Central Pay Commissions
have recommended continuation of this edge enjoyed by the IAS/IFS over the
other Services on some pretext or the other.
The argument put forward by the 6th Central Pay Commission is
reproduced below:
“3.2.7 The edge of IAS in pay scales is limited to
Senior Time Scale, Junior Administrative Grade and Non-Functional Selection
Grade. Other All India Services and Central Services have been demanding parity
with IAS. This demand was projected before the various Central Pay Commissions
constituted earlier but the edge has continued. The Fifth CPC recorded that no
persuasive reason existed to do away with this edge. The position has not
changed since then. The role of IAS is still very important in the overall
scheme of governance. They have an important coordinating, multi-functional and
integrating role in the administrative framework with wide experience of
working across various levels in diverse areas in Government. They hold
important field level posts at the district level and at the cutting edge at
the start of their careers with critical decision making and crisis management
responsibilities. The leadership function, the strategic, coordinating and
integrative role at this level requires the best talent available. The existing
position would, therefore, need to be maintained. It will ensure that IAS
officers near the beginning of their career are given slightly higher
remuneration vis-à-vis other services and act as an incentive for the brightest
candidates to enter this service. This is essential as the initial postings of
IAS officers are generally to small places, they face frequent transfers and
the pulls and pressures they have to stand upto early in their career are much
more intense. The slight edge in the initial stages of their career would, to
an extent, neutralize these problems.
The Commission, accordingly, is of view that the existing edge for IAS
in the three grades viz. Senior Time Scale, Junior Administrative Grade and
Non-Functional Selection Grade needs to be retained.”
The
various arguments put forward by the votaries for an edge for IAS/IFS over
other Civil Services in respect of pay scales can be broadly summarized as
follows:
1. IAS
officers are the best talent available among the candidates selected through
the Civil Services Examination.
2. IAS officers are initially posted to small
places, face frequent transfers and are subject to intense pulls and pressures.
Let us now analyze whether these arguments pass the
test of scrutiny. It is often misunderstood
that IAS is the first choice of every candidate appearing in the Civil Services
Examination and that all those who are allotted IAS are the toppers in the Exam. The Service Allocation Lists for the Civil
Services Examinations-2005 to 2012 are available on the website of the Department
of Personnel and Training. Analysis of the same revealed startling myth busting
facts. The results of this analysis are summarized below:
|
S.No.
|
Civil Services Exam Year
|
Rank of last candidate who was allotted IAS
|
Number of Candidates in the Merit List above the last
IAS who opted or were allotted other Services
|
|
1
|
2005
|
417
|
327
|
|
2
|
2006
|
471
|
379
|
|
3
|
2007
|
628
|
517
|
|
4
|
2008
|
728
|
605
|
|
5
|
2009
|
866
|
733
|
|
6
|
2010
|
915
|
729
|
|
7
|
2011
|
802
|
602
|
|
8
|
2012
|
846
|
666
|
Since the above analysis includes all the candidates
including those covered by constitutionally mandated protective discrimination
(SCs, STs, OBCs & PH candidates), an analysis of the Services allotted
under the General Category was done. The results are as follows:
|
S.No.
|
Civil Services Exam Year
|
Rank of last candidate who was allotted IAS under
General Category
|
Number of Candidates in the Merit List above the last
IAS under General Category who opted & were allotted other Services
|
|
1
|
2005
|
56
|
6
|
|
2
|
2006
|
50
|
2
|
|
3
|
2007
|
78
|
8
|
|
4
|
2008
|
81
|
8
|
|
5
|
2009
|
70
|
3
|
|
6
|
2010
|
83
|
4
|
|
7
|
2011
|
97
|
4
|
|
8
|
2012
|
110
|
9
|
The
above two tables clearly indicate that around 70-80% of the total selected
candidates in the Civil Services Examination in any year are allotted a Service
other than IAS even though they were ahead in the merit list than the last candidate
who was allotted IAS. Therefore, it is
clearly evident that all those candidates who are allotted IAS in the Civil
Services Examination merit list are neither the toppers of that year’s exam nor
the brightest of the candidates selected in that year. In fact, the recommendations
of the Kothari Committee for a unified combined examination was implemented
from the 1979 Civil Services Examination with a view to avoid any hierarchy
among the different Services. So, the
contention that IAS officers are the best talent available among the candidates
selected through the Civil Services Examination is a myth perpetrated by the
IAS lobby to gain an unfair advantage over the other sister Civil Services in
the country.
After the foundation and
departmental trainings which may extend to a period of around 2 years, all the
candidates selected through the Civil Services Examination are posted in their
respective departments. The All-India
Services (IAS & IPS) officers are allotted to a particular state cadre and
are posted in that state/cadre. The
Central Civil Services officers are posted in their respective central
government departments. The 6th
Central Pay Commission justified a higher pay for IAS by citing their initial
postings to small places, frequent transfers and intense pulls and
pressures. This justification in itself
is highly self contradictory. Initial
postings of IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers are also to small
places. The pulls and pressures on IPS
officers are much more than on the IAS officers. The frequent transfers are seen more in the
case of IPS than in the IAS. IPS
officers are at the forefront of combating terrorism and naxalism, which are
the biggest security threats the country is facing. IPS officers are working overtime to ensure
that public order is maintained across the country. The majority of the Central Civil Services
officers belonging to Services like IRS(IT), IRS(C&CE), IDAS, IDES, IRTS
and the Indian Forest Service officers are posted in the moffussil towns during
their initial years of service. Some of them are posted in the remotest areas
of the country like Jammu & Kashmir, North-East, Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Lakshadweep, border areas, etc. Most often than not these Central Service
officers work in highly inaccessible areas with deplorable and inhuman
conditions, which is never the case with the IAS. An IAS officer is provided with all the
facilities like a bungalow, car, maids, abundant office staff, security and
subsidized power & water even in a very remote place. The living conditions of the Central Services
officers are pathetic even in metros and at fairly senior positions. The less said the better about the living and
working conditions of a newly recruited Central Civil Services officer posted
in small places. The IRS officers posted
in the Investigation Directorate face the harshest of the working conditions
with significant pulls and pressures without any personal security. The Customs officers posted in border towns
and coastal areas are always on their toes and also face immense pulls and
pressures and are provided least or no personal security. The work pressure on the IRTS officers is
comparable only to army officers’ field postings. It’s a 24x7 job like that of the IPS and IRS
officers (in Investigation Directorate).
So, the crux of the matter is that every Service has its pulls and
pressures and most of the Civil Services officers are posted in small places in
their initial years of service. If at
all a higher pay is to be given on the basis of postings to small places,
frequent transfers, pulls and pressures, then IAS will definitely be
disqualified and many other Civil Services will have a better right.
If
a higher pay is to be given based on postings to smaller places, frequent
transfers and pulls & pressures, can anybody justify as to how an Indian
Foreign Service (IFS) officer is qualified. IFS officers are posted in Indian
Embassies abroad during their initial years.
They are provided with best of the accommodations, facilities for
children education, foreign allowance, etc. The pulls and pressures to which most of the
IFS officers are subjected to are almost negligible and unheard of in most
cases. They are never subjected to
frequent transfers. They are never
posted to smaller places. Then why are
the IFS officers being given a salary edge along with IAS? So, the justification given by the 6th
Central Pay Commission for a higher salary to IAS & IFS over the other
Civil Services is unfair, prejudiced, self contradictory and totally
discriminatory. This is a good example
of a self perpetuating bureaucracy. This edge for IAS & IFS violates the
principle of equity and equability.
What is the real cause of this disparity
being perpetuated between the various sister Civil Services? The Central pay Commissions are traditionally
dominated by IAS officers. Non-IAS officers have never been made Members of the
Central Pay Commissions. Even if appointed as Members, the non-IAS officers
will be outnumbered by the IAS officers.
The recommendations of the Pay Commissions are drafted by the IAS
officers who generally occupied posts like Secretary, Additional
Secretary/Joint Secretary in the various Pay Commissions. Once a Pay Commission submits its
recommendations, the recommendations are studied by the Cabinet Secretariat
(headed by an IAS officer), Department of Personnel and Training (headed by an
IAS officer) and finally approved by the Department of Expenditure (headed by
an IAS officer). The Union Cabinet gives the final approval based on the
recommendations of these IAS officer headed bodies. Hidden in the reports of every Central Pay
Commission are the machinations of the IAS lobby to not only grant themselves
the highest remuneration but also establish themselves as a Service superior to
and above all other Civil Services and Armed Forces. There has been a trend to establish the
superiority of IAS among all other Civil Services from the First Central Pay
Commission to the Fifth Central Pay Commission. The Sixth Central Pay
Commission had institutionalized this trend.
Over the years Central Pay Commissions have turned into acrimonious and
divisive affairs between the IAS on one side and non-IAS Civil Services and Armed
Forces on the other side. Central Pay
Commissions have only formalized the discrimination against non-IAS Civil
Services and Armed Forces and perpetuated a colonial practice that favours IAS.
Conclusion:
Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar, in a speech to the Constituent Assembly on 10th
October, 1948, had said ‘’India’s Constitution provides that there shall be an
All India Service recruited on an all-India basis with common qualifications,
with uniform scale of pay and the members of which alone could be appointed to
these strategic posts throughout the Union”. The reports of the Central Pay
Commissions have become Bible/Koran/Gita, giving sanctity and rationale to the
inequities and injustices of the bureaucratic caste system, which is as
damaging as the original caste system to the wellbeing of modern India. Every
Service in the country has been created with a purpose and every Service has
its role to play. Some Services look
after the statutory functions, some have regulatory functions and the others
have commercial functions. All these
functions are undertaken by the various Services on behalf of the various
Governments and for the benefit of the people of this country. All the 60 odd Services functioning in this
country are suffixed with the word ‘Service’ and are created to provide service
to the people of this country and draw their salaries from the taxes paid by
the taxpayers. Non-IAS officers are
de-motivated because of this hegemony of the IAS lobby, which is leading to
their low morale and consequent low performance. No Service is superior or inferior to the
other in the administrative set up of this country. No reasoning can justify an
edge in pay or conditions to a particular Service over the others. Higher pay can be given only based on the working
conditions but not based on the Service to which an officer belongs. Officers posted in harsh and tough conditions
like in J&K, Leh/Ladakh, North-East, border areas, islands like Andaman
& Nicobar, Lakshadweep, etc. or
officers placed in difficult and tough postings like anti-terrorist
organizations, anti-naxal organizations, investigation, tough intelligence
gathering, etc or officers posted in
places/offices where there is serious threat to life and limb should be given
an additional pay calculated as percentage of basic salary irrespective of the
Service to which he/she belongs. By ensuring the superiority of one Service at
the cost of all other Services, we only ensure bad governance. Besides, this disparity amounts to violation
of the basic Fundamental Right to Equality embodied in Article 14 and the
principle ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ guaranteed by Article 39(d) of the
Constitution of India. The fight for
parity by the non-IAS officers has less to do with salary but for pride and
dignity as they joined service along with IAS officers clearing the same
examination and work in equally sensitive and responsible positions. One can
only hope that the 7th Central Pay Commission takes the lead and
removes this British era inequality for better and motivated Civil Services. A
motivated civil servant is the best instrument to achieve the results desired
by the state and the society. Discontentment and lack of motivation will
increase bureaucratic apathy and corruption and may trigger a flight of talent
to the private sector. Nobody knows this
better than our new but highly experienced and pro-reform Prime Minister.
The writer is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer
currently posted as Deputy Director of Income Tax (Investigation) at Hyderabad.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and not that of the
Government. The writer can be reached at prasantpsirs1@gmail.com.....Keep on blogging...
Source:- http://satyaprasantp.blogspot.in
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