The role of an IAS officer is to serve the Central and State governments in implementing and administering the policies formulated by the central and state governments and also providing valuable feedback for any government decision-making process. So, basically, an IAS officer assists the government in policy framing and administration, implementation of policies, and providing key feedback to the concerned ministries about the implementation status and impact of the policies.
IAS Salary and Other Facilities Availed by IAS Officer
As per the 7th Central Pay Commission, the basic pay of IAS officers’ salary is Rs. 56,100/-. Moreover, currently, the salary of cabinet secretary, which is the topmost position that can be held by an IAS officer is 2.5Lakh/month. The other facilities that are enjoyed by the IAS officer include:
- Government accommodation with subsidy facility.
- Security and other staff depending on the situation and requirement.
- Reimbursement of mobile, telephone, and internet charges.
- Household assistance including cooks, gardeners, etc are provided
- No charges while on-duty for staying in government hotels or bungalows.
- Government transport facilities for all the state and district level officers.
- Monthly pension facility after the retirement.
The post-wise breakup of IAS salary is tabulated below:
| Pay Level | Basic Pay (INR) | No. of years (service) | Post | ||
| District Admin | State Secretariat | Central Secretariat | |||
| 10 | 56,100 | 1-4 | Sub-Divisional magistrate | Undersecretary | Assistant Secretary |
| 11 | 67,700 | 5-8 | Additional District Magistrate | Deputy Secretary | Under-Secretary |
| 12 | 78,800 | 9-12 | District Magistrate | Joint Secretary | Deputy Secretary |
| 13 | 1,18,500 | 13-16 | District Magistrate | Special Secretary-cum-Director | Director |
| 14 | 1,44,200 | 16-24 | Divisional Commissioner | Secretary-cum- Commissioner | Joint Secretary |
| 15 | 1,82,200 | 25-30 | Divisional Commissioner | Principal Secretary | Additional Secretary |
| 16 | 2,05,400 | 30-33 | No equivalent rank | Additional Chief Secretary | No equivalent rank |
| 17 | 2,25,000 | 34-36 | No equivalent rank | Chief Secretary | Secretary |
| 18 | 2,50,000 | 37+ years | No equivalent rank | No equivalent rank | Cabinet Secretary of India |
How to become an IAS officer in India
To become an IAS officer, you need to qualify the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC every year. The exam is conducted to recruit civil servants for about 25 services including IAS, IPS, IFS, Central government services as well as other allied services. UPSC releases the notification inviting the applications around January-February each year, and the first phase or the preliminary examination is usually held around the end of May or beginning of the June.
UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination in three phases namely:
- Preliminary Examination
- Civil Services (Main) Examination
- Personality Test or Interview