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.
Key facts
- 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 about it
The Article, the first woman officers of each service and the controlling ministries are the usual questions.