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List of Services

Lakhs of students apply for UPSC Civil Services Examination every year. However only around 800-900 make to the list every year. There are about 24 services which come under the Civil Services Exam conducted by UPSC every year. These selected students fill their preference for these services. They are allotted the services according to their rank. Below is the list of 24 services that is filled through the Civil Services Exam:

Types of Civil Services in India

(i) Indian Administrative Service
(ii) Indian Foreign Service.
(iii) Indian Police Service.
(iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’.
(v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’.
(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’.
(ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration).
(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’.
(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’.
(xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.
(xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’
(xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’.
(xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’.
(xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Gr. III).
(xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group “A”.
(xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade).
(xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group ‘B’.
(xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group ‘B’.
(xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group ‘B’.
(xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’.

All of these services are held at very high position, however some are preferred more over another.  Most sought after Group A services :

1. IAS (Indian Administrative Services)

  • Considered the premier civil service of India. Members of these three services serve the Govt. Of India as well as the individual states. IAS officers may also be deployed to various PSU’s.

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  • Upon confirmation of service, an IAS officer serves a probationary period as a sub divisional magistrate. Completion of this probation is followed by an executive administrative role in a district as a district magistrate and collector which lasts several years. After this tenure, an officer may be promoted to head a whole state administrative division, as a divisional commissioner. . On attaining the higher scales of the pay matrix, IAS officers may lead government departments or ministries. 

2. IFS (Indian Foreign Service)

  • The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is the administrative diplomatic civil service under Group A and Group B of the central civil services of the executive branch of the government of India.

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  • It is a Central Civil service as foreign policy is the subject matter and prerogative of Union Government. The Ambassador, High Commissioner, Permanent representative of India to the UN and Foreign secretary are some of the offices held by the members of this service.

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  • The administrative head of the service is the Foreign Secretary, and the Political Head of the service is the External Affairs Minister.

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  • The service is entrusted to conduct diplomacy and manage foreign relations of India.

3. IPS (Indian Police Service)

  • Along with the Indian Administrative service (IAS) and the Indian forest service (IFS), the IPS is one of the three All India Services— its officers can be employed by both the Union govt. and the individual states.

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  • The service was envisaged to command and provide leadership to state police forces and the union territories and also Central Armed Police Forces (BSF, SSB, CRPF, CISF, & ITBP) and Central Police Organizations. IPS officers played a key role in formation of Central armed Police Forces and their subsequent growth

4. IRS (Indian Revenue Service)

  • The Indian Revenue Service often abbreviated to IRS, is the administrative revenue service of the govt. of India.

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  • A central service, it functions under the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance and is under the administrative direction of the Revenue Secretary and the ministerial command of the Minister of Finance.

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  • The IRS is primarily responsible for collecting and administering direct and Indirect taxes accruing to the Government of India.

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