INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE

INTRODUCTION:

·         Bureaucracy is a permanent system in the parliamentary form of governments.

·         During Mauryan Empire, for the first time, the importance of the district administration was introduced and thus Rajuka was appointed as a district head who represents the present day District collector.

·         In India, Civil services were introduced in 1946 after the Mauryas.

·         At present, there are about 535 districts in our country.

·         The job of an IAS officer is challenging, exciting but fulfilling at the same time. He has got a rich scope to function in diverse responsibilities.

·         The exam for IAS is the toughest exam one can give in India. But the test lacks to scrutinize the ability of the person on management. Thus to inculcate the best management skills in him, he is directed to work in almost every tiny posts of the office to become the best senior in the coming years.

·         This IAS is controlled by the Ministry of personnel, public grievances and pension and also by the department of personnel and training.

·         An IAS officer usually works at the secretariat, in the heads of departments and the public sector undertakings.

·         At present there are around 5159 IAS officers behind the mask of politicians who are running the country.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF AN IAS OFFICER:

·         The predominant duty of an IAS officer is to maintain law and order.

·         General administration the allotted area.

·         To handle the daily affairs of the government like framing and implementation of the policies so that it brings in contentment to the people and also the politicians. So he should get prepared to give a sound analysis and facts so that the representatives cannot reject his proposals.

·         Sometimes travelling to the places to inspect on the problems of people directly.

·         Another crucial duty is to maintain the expenditure of all the policies and public funds and present it to the parliament or state legislature.

·         They also represent the nation forming national boards in the international forum.

·         A strong decision making ability to set plans, modify them, clarify them and implement them.

·         It is their responsibility to look after the progress in the policy implementation.

·         In case of any irregularities, he is answerable to the parliament.

·         Under different levels and departments, he has got very different functions to perform. For instance, If he is a secretary to the Home department, then he is responsible to drive all the IPS officers and if secretary to the finance department, he drives all the revenue officers.

·         Chief Election Commissioner, Chief Vigilance Officer, Comptroller and Auditor General and many other bigger posts of the country are run by the IAS officers.

·         They are the advisers to the politicians but at the same time, they can alter the grass root level in order to make them work selflessly to the needy in his office if he wishes so.

·          He is also called a crisis manager, Policy executor and a regulator.

HIERARCHY IN THE STRUCTURE OF IAS:

DISTRICT LEVEL	STATE LEVEL	CENTRAL LEVEL
SUB DIVISIONAL MAGISTRATE	UNDER SECRETARY	-
ADDITIONAL DISTRICT MAGISTRATE	DEPUTY SECRETARY	UNDER SECRETARY
SENIOR DEPUTY ACCOUNTANT GENERAL	JOINT SECRETARY	DEPUTY SECRETARY
DISTRICT MAGISTRATE OR COLLECTOR	ADDITIONAL SECRETARY	DIRECTOR
DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONERS	SECRETARY	JOINT SECRETARY
FINANCIAL OR SPECIAL COMMISSIONERS	PRINCIPLE SECRETARY	ADDITIONAL SECRETARY
-	-	SECRETARY OR CABINET SECRETARY

FUNCTIONS OF IAS OFFICERS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS:

1.       CABINET SECRETARY:
He is the secretary to the Prime minister and his council. He assists in the administrative policy measures. He is responsible for resolving the difficulties and delays whether between departments of the government or between the state and the centre.

2.       SECRETARY:
He is the administrative head of a department or ministry and the principle advisor of the minister on all the matters of policy.
He can be called the head of the Special Protection Group.
He is responsible for the arrangement of security to the Prime Minister, former PMs, their families in India and abroad etc.

3.       SPECIAL OR JOINT OR ADDITIONAL SECRETARY:
If the volume of work in the department or ministry exceeds the manageable authority of a secretary, then comes a way for this level of secretary.
A department is subdivided into wings which will be headed by the joint or special or additional secretaries.
They function independently under their allotted wings.

4.       DIRECTOR OR DEPUTY SECRETARY:
The wings are further classified into divisions which are headed by directors or deputy secretaries.
He remains independent of his own division. But should have to seek the advice of the Joint secretary in crucial matters.

5.       UNDER SECRETARY:
These divisions are further classified into branches which are headed by the under secretary.
He is responsible for the sections that work under him.

DISTRICT COLLECTOR IN DETAIL:

The district collectors works as a collector, magistrate, development officer and a crisis manager at the same time. He is the in charge of the whole district. He is important as he is in the direct contact with the people. We will look into the functions under each head.

AS A COLLECTOR:

·         Land assessment and acquisition

·         Collection of land revenue

·         Keeping record of land reforms

·         Collection of income tax dues, excise duties, irrigation dues, mining cess, royalties, government loans, cooperative dues etc.

·         Distribution of agricultural loans and their recovery

·         Disaster management like famine, flood, cyclone etc. in that particular district.

·         Crisis management during riots and internal aggression

·         Supervision of treasury

·         Enforcement of stamp act

AS A DISTRICT MAGISTRATE:

·         Maintenance of law and order

·         Supervision of police and jails

·         Grants superior classes to prisoners

·         Release of criminals on parole

·         Head of the criminal administration in the district

·         Inspection of the police stations on regular basis for the public safety

·         Certification of capital punishment

·         Hearing cases under the preventive section of criminal procedure code

·         Grant and cancel many categories of licenses

·         Recommendation on issue of VISA and passport

·         Permission to cut trees is also given by him

·         Executes criminal control act and the national security act.

·         Many of the anti-poverty, growth oriented, employment programmes etc. are looked into by him in the district for the reach of the needy.

·         Protection of citizens and their rights

·         He takes care of the movement of foreigners  in the district

·         He is responsible to submit the budget of the district to the government

·         He looks into the election management in his district

·         He also acts as the chief protocol officer as he looks into the grievances of the people.

·         He acts as a chief information officer to the government about the district.

AS A DEVELOPMENT AND CRISIS MANAGER:

·         He is responsible for the development programmes in the district and their implementation.

·         He is the ex officio chairman of district rural development agency and the chairman of district bankers  co-ordination committee.

·         He is the head of the district industries centre.

·         He is responsible for evaluating the census of that particular district

·         He is the returning officer in the times of elections.

·         He is responsible for the implementation of the policy of democratic decentralisation

·         He is the important person who adds to the development of the country and people directly.

·         He also is responsible to take measures during a crisis, so is called a crisis manager.

MY PERSPECTIVE:

How important is the role played by an IAS officer? I am like astounded to know about the duties of a district collector. Every simple to the greatest thing in our day to day life is linked with the functions of a district collector. How great are the ideas, policies and plans he has got behind in his mind? I salute this post which has got lots to do to the people. Yes, it is challenging, tough, problem oriented but it is all is the life about. Struggling hard for someone who has not got basic necessities in life to make them happy is to be considered as an opportunity by them and make them contented. The marginalised, the unwanted of the society literally pray their district collectors as gods in few districts of our country. Such is the power he possesses.

Then what is wrong? When he has got power and authority to formulate and implement the plans, why are all the plans and programmes for the needy not reaching the poor? Why are they becoming corrupt? Where are gone all those ethics and morals?

They are the best officials who can sweep away the corruption in the system as they hold the required autonomy. They are lights in the lives of poor people. So he should perceive the responsibility of his office and do as much as he can to the poor and develop them in hand developing our country. The red-tapism, bureaucratic inertia and the lethargic behaviour of the bureaucrats should change. There should be a rise of hope in people again.

“BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD”

“BUREAUCRACY IS THE ENGINE FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN ECONOMY”

“A BUREAUCRAT IS A RE-INCARNATION OF DIVINITY IN THE MODERN ERA”

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