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Year: 2016

  • Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana: Funding the unfunded

     

     

    Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is a flagship scheme of Government of India to enable a small enterprise come into the formal financial system and get affordable credit to run his/ her business.

    • Who? Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activity
    • Credit need? Less than Rs 10 lakh
    • Possible Creditors? Banks, MFI, or NBFC

    Types of Loans provided

    Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, MUDRA has already created the following products / schemes.

    • Shishu : covering loans upto 50,000/-
    • Kishor : covering loans above 50,000/- and upto 5 lakh
    • Tarun : covering loans above 5 lakh and upto 10 lakh

    Note that there is no subsidy for the loan given under PMMY. However, if the loan proposal is linked some Government scheme, wherein the Government is providing capital subsidy, it will be eligible under PMMY also.

     

    What is MUDRA Bank and what is its role in the MUDRA Yojna?

    • MUDRA Bank = Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank
    • The Rs 20,000 crore MUDRA Bank aims to provide refinancing to small and medium enterprises, particularly those from SC & ST
    • The idea is to refinance micro-finance institutions through Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
    • This bank would be responsible for regulating and refinancing all MFIs which are in the business of lending to MSME

    Are there any concerns regarding the structure or establishment of MUDRA bank?

    • The bank will be financially challenged since inception, if it is funded through non-budgetary support
    • The funds for the bank would be sourced from shortfall in the achievements of the priority sector lending (PSL) targets
    • Currently, the shortfall in the PSL targets of the domestic scheduled commercial banks are deposited in Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and for foreign banks in Small Enterprises Development Fund
    • The fact of the matter is that banks have been surpassing the targets in all years, since 2002, except for the last three years
    • The shortfall lies only in agricultural loans, but it would be unfair to divert the target for agriculture from RIDF to micro units

    What are some of the positive points which go in favour of such a scheme?

    • Informal sector accounts for 90% of our non-agricultural workforce, 50% of the GDP & 40% of the non-farm GDP
    • Analysts point that the Indian GDP can be raised by almost 15% if the informal sector data is incorporated in the GDP series
    • The MUDRA bank aims to boost loans and cut borrowing costs for the cash-starved domestic small businesses

    But has a direct intervention from government (to facilitate loans) worked in past?

    What are some of the prominent concerns in this area?

    • There is always a case for direct government intervention to solve any one of our many chronic problems, to justify the need for MUDRA bank
    • The govt. is trying to ensure equity through determined government action that previously drove the govt. to nationalise banks and bring priority sector lending
    • However, such ‘directed credit’ has not worked successfully in the past
    • The govt. control over banks had led to large-scale corruption and repeated recapitalisation through taxpayers’ money
    • MUDRA bank has been over-burdened with many conflicting objectives and too-many roles, viz. a lender, consultant, regulator, think tank and an agent of social change

  • Everything that you need to know about Mission Indradhanush

     

    Mission Indradhanush was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on December 25, 2014.

    Objective

    1. Aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases
    2. The diseases are – diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B

    How is the government going about the implementation?

    1. Implementation will be done in phases in a “catch up” mode – the aim is to cover all the children who have been left out or missed out for immunization
    2. Technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners
    3. Phase 1 targets 201 districts | Phase 2 targets 352 districts
    4. The first round of the first phase started from 7 April 2015-World Health Day
    5. What’s interesting about the Phase 1 districts? These 201 high focus districts in the country have nearly 50% of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children!
    6. Out of the 201 districts, 82 districts are in just four states of UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan

    What are the 4 pillars of strategy for Mission Indradhanush?

    #1. Meticulous planning of campaigns/sessions at all levels

    • Within the districts, the Mission will focus on the 400,000 high risk settlements identified by the polio eradication programme
    • 400,000 high risk settlements include urban slums, construction sites, brick kilns, nomadic sites and hard-to-reach areas
    • Such a planning needs a timely revision of micro plans in all blocks and urban areas in each district to ensure availability of sufficient vaccinators & vaccines

    #2. Effective communication and social mobilization efforts

    • Generate awareness and demand for immunization services through need-based communication strategies and social mobilization activities
    • Use of mass media, mid media, interpersonal communication (IPC), school and youth networks and corporates

    #3. Intensive training of the health officials and frontline workers

    • Capacity building has been the core of any social sector scheme and this just reinforces the point #1

    #4. Establish accountability framework through task forces

    • Strengthening the district task forces for immunization in all districts
    • Ensuring the use of concurrent session monitoring data to plug the gaps in implementation on a real time basis
    • Collaboration with other Ministries, ongoing programmes and international partners to promote a coordinated and synergistic approach

    For current updates, follow our story on – Mission Indradhanush – 100% health immunization coverage by 2020

  • Big picture on Aadhar card (RSTV debate)

    Nice article CD on the Aadhar card –
    https://www.civilsdaily.com/aadhaar-bill-2016-hopes-and-concerns/

    This Big picture video is also great to watch –

  • What are your personal recommendations for IAS Prelims? Books and hacks

    Hello,

    A good while ago, we had released a set of standard text books which every aspirant checks through once he starts preparing for IAS prelims. The original list is this –
    https://www.civilsdaily.com/recommended-books-for-ias-prelims-2016/

    BUT, over time students tend to explore books and notes on their own or via some references and this becomes a great hack for newbies to consolidate their preparation. We invite each and every user of Civilsdaily to profile their most recommended reading material/ books for us.

    Keep it simple and crisp. Just talk about 3 things –
    1. Book name & subject
    2. Pros (mention your hacks and how it is a refreshing read from the others)
    3. Cons (difficulty level, things which it misses out on etc etc.)

    Why this exercise is important?

    If you know about the Tamil Nadu state books which are considered a boon for history @Pre & Mains, it was discovered by one such student and then promoted to all!

    So open up and be generous 🙂

  • Indian Polity | Powers of the President and the Governor

    In a federal  <constitutional division of power b/w centre and states> parliamentary democracy <real power vests in council of ministers which is accountable to Lower House i.e Lok Sabha> which is India, President and Governor are only ceremonial heads of state, real power lies with elected govt headed by PM and CM. President and governors have to act in accordance with the aid and advice of the council of ministers.

    So, are they mere rubber stamps? Do they have any discretionary powers? What’s the nature of that discretionary power?

    Art 74 and art 163 basically states that council of minister will aid and advice president and governor. In its various judgments supreme court interpreted that they have to act only upon and in accordance with the aid and advice of CoM, save in a few well known exceptional circumstances.

    The infamous 42nd amendment clarified this position and added that president shall act in accordance with aid and advice which was diluted by 44th amendment so that president can return back advice for reconsideration after which advice shall be binding. No changes were made wrt governor.

    So, it’s clear by constitution (for president) as well as supreme court judgment (governor) that only in exceptional circumstances can they act as per their own discretion.

    Rule of thumb is, a situation where the CoM is not in a position to tender unbiased or impartial advice to the president / governor can they use their own discretion.

    Situation in which discretion can be used?

    1. When no party has clear majority– Obviously caretaker govt would tend to advice president or governor to call it’s candidate for govt formation,, they have to as per their discretion
    2. When lower house has lost confidence in the govt– Obviously govt would not ask for dissolution, discretion has to be used

    But the real power comes from the fact that there is no time limit specified within the constitution within which president/ governor have to give assent to the bill. They may simply decide to sit on the bill and do nothing (pocket veto).

    In the case of governor there is more scope for discretion-

    1. For bills– governor can reserve bills for consideration of president. Obviously no govt will ask it’s bill to be reserved, discretion has to be applied.
    2. Recommendation of president’s rule-Again no govt would advise imposition of presidential rule.

    This reconsideration of bills become sore point b/w governor and govt <against the federal spirit; president i.e union CoM taking decisions on state bills; governor is not even elected>

    Let’s compare president and governor

    Issue President Governor
    Head Head of the country, head of govt is PM Head of a state, head of govt is CM
    Executive power All executive action in his name Same
    Oath Preserve, protect and defend the constitution Same
    Appointment Indirect election Nominated by president; representative of union in states
    Removal Impeachment President can remove him any time/ pleasure principle
    Grounds of removal Violation of constitution No grounds mentioned
    Advice of council of minster Binding (42nd amendment), can return the advice once (44th amendment) binding save for exceptional circumstances (various supreme court judgements)
    Ordinary bill Can be sent for reconsideration once to parliament, bound to give assent after that same
    Money bill Can’t send for reconsideration (after all president himself recommends the bill) same
    Constitution amendment bill Has to give his assent (24th amendment) No role
    if governor reserves the bill for president (article 200) Can assent/ withhold assent or send the bill for reconsideration (except money bill which can’t be resent) (article 201) No further role of governor
    If house sends the bill back in the same form Not bound to give assent <governor is bound to give assent after repassage> No role
    Clemency power Can pardon death sentence and court martial sentences Can’t pardon death sentence, no role in military matters

    State Bills reserved for President’s consideration under the Constitution may be classified as follows:—

    I. Bills which must be reserved for President’s consideration

    1. bills derogating the powers of the High Court (art 200)
    2. imposition of taxes on water or electricity in certain cases (Article 288)
    3. during a Financial Emergency (art 360)

    II. Bills which may be reserved for President’s consideration and assent for specific purposes

    a). To secure immunity from operation of Articles 14 and 19. These are Bills for

    1. acquisition of estates, etc.  (Article 31A(I (b))
    2. giving effect to Directive Principles of State Policy (Article 31C).

    (b) A Bill relating to a subject enumerated in the Concurrent List, to ensure operation of its provisions despite their repugnancy to a Union law or an existing law, by securing President’s assent in terms of Article 254(2). <for instance Rajsthan govt took presidential consent for it’s labour law which violated union legislation>

    (c) Legislation imposing restrictions on trade and commerce requiring Presidential sanction under the

    III. Bills which may not specifically fall under any of the above categories yet may be reserved by the Governor for President’s consideration under Article 200. 

    They are reserved if the bill is deemed to be against broader national interest

    But what if even 2nd advice of CoM which enjoys the confidence of house is unconstitutional and thus comes in conflict with the oath of president i.e to preserve, protect and defend the constitution?

    Well, there’s no precedence. Supreme court will have to take the call if in very exceptional circumstances, president can overrule the governor.

    Appendix-

    The presidential election and removal

    Presidential election -indirect election

    Method – proportional representation by means of single transferable vote

    Electoral college – All the elected members of parliament plus elected members of the legislative assembly of States and UT of Puducherry and NCT.

    Value of vote of an MLA = total population of state/total elected members in LA ×1000

    Value of vote of an MP= total value of votes of all MLAs of all states / total elected members of parliament

    Note members of the legislative council, nominated members of Legislative assembly,  Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha does not participate <simple, how can those whom he nominates participate in his own election>

    Value of all the states plus UT votes = value of all

    Contrast this with the election of Vice President in which all members of parliament (nominated as well as elected) participate but members of state assemble do not.

    Removal of the President– Impeachment, 2/3rd (absolute 2/3rd not present and voting) of both the houses vote for his removal.

    Parliamentary v/s presidential system

    In parliamentary system (India), council of minister is part of legislature<all ministers come from either LS or RS>. PM is head of govt while president is head of state.

    In presidential system, President is the head of state as well as head of govt. He is not part of legislature. He chooses his own cabinet and cabinet ministers can not be part of legislature. Recall John Kerry had to resign from Senate when he was appointed secretary of state.

    It’s time for attempting some previous years IAS questions

    #1. Consider the following statements:

    1. The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
    2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister.
    Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

    a. 1 only
    b. 2 only
    c. Both 1 and 2
    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    #2. Which of the following are the discretionary powers given to the Governor of a State?

    1. Sending a report to the President of India for imposing the President’s rule
    2. Appointing the Ministers
    3. Reserving certain bills passed by the State Legislature for consideration of the President of India
    4. Making the rules to conduct the business of the State Government
    Select the correct answer using the code given below.

    a. 1 and 2 only
    b. 1 and 3 only.
    c. 2, 3 and 4 only.
    d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

    #3. In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary government?

    1. Members of the Cabinet are Members of the Parliament.
    2. Ministers hold the office till they enjoy confidence in the Parliament.
    3. Cabinet is headed by the Head of the State.
    Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

    a. 1 and 2 only
    b. 3 only
    c. 2 and 3 only
    d. 1, 2 and 3

    #5. Which one of the following statements is correct?

    a. In India, the same person cannot be appointed as Governor for two or more States at the same time
    b. The Judges of the High Court of the States in India are appointed by the Governor of the State just as the Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President
    c. No procedure has been laid down in the Constitution of India for the removal of a Governor from his/her post
    d. In the case of a Union Territory having a legislative setup, the Chief Minister is appointed by the Lt. Governor on the basis of majority support

    #5. Consider the following statements:
    1. The Executive Power of the union of India is vested in the Prime Minister.
    2. The Prime Minister is the ex officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
    (a) 1 only
    (b) 2 only
    (c) Both 1 and 2
    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    #6. There is a Parliamentary System of Government in India because the

    • (a) Lok Sabha is elected directly by the people
    • (b) Parliament can amend the constitution
    • (c) Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved
    • (d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha

    Want to read more such article, Follow this collection – Constitution simplified 

  • Dedicated Freight Corridors | The Future of railways

    Freight operations on the Indian Railways are set to witness a paradigm shift with the stage-wise completion of its two dedicated freight corridors, the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), over the next four years, beginning 2017-18.

    Why DFCs?

    #1. Congestion:

    Indian Railways plans to handle higher freight volumes without- increase in infrastructure, increased axle load, reduction of turn-round time, reduced unit cost of transportation, rationalization of tariffs

    Example- Golden Quadrilateral Freight Corridor (GQFC)

    What is GQFC?

    • It links 4 metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and its two diagonals- Delhi-Chennai & Howrah-Mumbai
    • It has a total route length of 10,122 km

    The problem with GQFC:

    • It carries more than 55% of revenue earning freight traffic of Indian Railways
    • The existing routes of Howrah-Delhi and Mumbai-Delhi are highly saturated
    • The line capacity utilization is around 115% to 150%

    #2. Single tracks:

    As mentioned in the recent rail budget- We run fast passenger trains, slow trains, goods trains all on the same track. Hence trains like Rajdhani which can achieve speeds upto 130kmph run at average 70kmph. Also goods trains have to wait to let passenger train pass and this causes also supply delays.

    #3. Chronic under-investment in the railways:

    This had led to congestion and over-utilization, along with sub-optimal freight and passenger traffic and fewer financial resources. The 12th Plan points out the urgency of investments as- If consistent growth of 7-10% per annum is to be achieved over the next 20 years, there is a pressing need for unprecedented capacity expansion of the railways for both freight and passenger traffic in a manner that has not taken place since Independence.

    #4. The surging power needs requiring heavy coal movement, booming infrastructure construction and growing international trade

    #5. Carbon emission reduction may help India claim carbon credits

    #6. Railway’s falling share of goods traffic:

    According to 12th Plan- The Indian railways transports only 36% of the total goods traffic in the country, compared to the 48% in the US and 47% in China. Whereas, nearly 57% of the total goods are transported by road in India, as compared to 22% in China and 37% in the US.

    Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL)

     

    • It is a Special Purpose Vehicle established by the Ministry of Railways in 2006
    • Aim: To undertake planning & development, mobilisation of financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of the DFCs
    • It has been registered as a company under the Companies Act 1956

    The Corridors

    #1. Sanctioned (and under construction)

    • Western DFC: From Dadri, UP to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Mumbai- 1,468 km
    • Eastern DFC: From Ludhiana, Punjab to Dankuni, West Bengal- 1,760 km

    #2. Planned (but not yet started)

    • East-West DFC- connecting Kolkata and Mumbai- 2,000 km
    • North-South DFC- connecting Delhi and Chennai- 2,173 km
    • East Coast DFC- connecting Kharagpur with Vijayawada- 1,100 km
    • South-West DFC- connecting Chennai and Goa- 890 km

    #3. Proposed (neither sanctioned nor planned)

    Bangalore-Chennai DFC- This DFC goes through Bangalore-Chennai Industrial Corridor promoted by Japan & India

    Advantages

    • Railways’ freight operations will see a fundamental change by operationalisation of these corridors
    • It will help the railways regain its market share of freight transport
    • Provide an efficient, reliable, safe and cheaper system of goods movement
    • Provide relief to the railways’ heavily congested GQFC along the western and eastern rail routes
    • Facilitate fresh industrial activity and multi-modal value-addition services hubs along the corridors
    • Reduction in unit cost of transportation, smaller organization and management cost, higher efficiency and lower energy consumption
    • WDFC  will mainly  benefit  export-import  container   traffic, besides petroleum,  oils and  lubricants,  imported fertilizers and coal, foodgrains, cement, salt, and iron and steel
    • EDFC will benefit traffic of coal for power plants in the northern region from coalfields in Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal as also finished steel, foodgrains and cement

    Progress

    Remember, we have to be diplomatic while citing the progress. So here it goes…

    • The major achievements for the two sanctioned projects is the completion of negotiation for EDFC-3 Project and loan amount of US$ 650 million sanctioned by World Bank
    • 86% of the 10548 hectares land required has been acquired and most environmental clearances have been obtained
    • DFCCIL has implemented one of the best rehabilitation and resettlement packages for the people affected by the projects
    • Compensation as per the new land acquisition Act has been started with effect from 1st January, 2015
    • By mid-2016, most contracts for the Rs 81,459 crore projects are planned to be awarded

    Here’s a question for you– Differentiate between Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), Golden Quadrilateral Freight Corridor (GQFC) & Diamond Quarilateral (DQ) projects.

    Suggested readings:

    Published with inputs from Swapnil

  • Polity

    Hello .. do we have any discussions on the women’s bill, reservation in panchaythi raj?

  • Know Your Services | The Indian Forest Service

    • IFoS is one of the three All India Services
    • It was created in 1966 under the All India Services Act 1951
    • Previously, the Imperial Forestry Service existed during the British Raj from 1865 to 1935

    Exam pattern:

    #1. Prelims It is the same as that of Civil services Preliminary Examination (same exam, held simultaneously).

    #2. Mains
    The written examination consists of the following papers:

    • Paper 1- General English- 300 Marks
    • Paper 2- General Knowledge- 300 Marks
    • Papers III, IV, V and VI- Any two subjects to be selected from the list of the optional subjects. Each subject will have two papers- 200 marks for each paper.

    #3. Personality Test of candidates who qualify from Mains will be conducted by the UPSC. Maximum Marks- 300.

    List of optional subjects:
    (i) Agriculture
    (ii.) Agricultural Engineering
    (iii) Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
    (iv) Botany
    (v) Chemistry
    (vi) Chemical Engineering
    (vii) Civil Engineering
    (viii) Forestry
    (ix) Geology
    (x) Mathematics
    (xi) Mechanical Engineering
    (xii) Physics
    (xiii) Statistics
    (xiv) Zoology

    The following combination of subjects are not allowed:
    (a) Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
    (b) Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
    (c) Agriculture and ·Forestry
    (d) Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
    (e) Mathematics and Statistics
    (f) Of the Engineering subjects viz. Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering- not more than one

    Eligibility– The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the following subjects:

    Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology, Agriculture, Forestry, Agriculture Engineering, Engineering.

    Mandate:

    The implementation of the National Forest Policy which aims to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance which are vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant.

    IFoS officers while in field postings in respective state cadres work for conservation, protection and development of forests and wildlife along with an aim to enhance livelihood opportunities of forest dependent communities of rural and tribal areas.

    Cadre:

    Their services are placed under various State cadres and joint cadres, even though they have the mandate to serve both under the State and Central Governments.

    Career opportunities:

    • An IFS officer is largely independent of district administration and exercises administrative, judicial and financial powers in their own domain.
    • All top positions in state forest department are held by IFS officers. Positions like Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Conservator of Forests (CF) and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) etc. are some examples.
    • The highest ranking IFoS official in each state is the Head of Forest Forces (HoFF), a cabinet selection post equal in rank to the Chief Secretary for IAS or State Police Chief for the IPS.
    • They are also eligible for State and Central deputations as their counterpart IAS and IPS officers
    • Deputation of IFS officers to the Central Government includes appointments in Central Ministries at the position of Deputy Secretary, Director, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary etc.; appointments in various Public Sector Units, Institutes and Academies at the position of Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO), Managing Directors, Inspector General, Director General etc.
    • Deputation of IFS officers is also permissible to foreign governments, United Nations bodies, international organisations, NGOs, voluntary organisations apart from private sector as per the Indian Forest Service (Cadre) Rules, 1966.
    • Ministry of Environment and Forests (India), under the Government of India, is the cadre controlling authority of Indian Forest Service.

    Deputations:

    Let’s see how they are deputed technically…

    As per Rule 6 of the Indian Forest Service (Cadre) Rules, 1966 deputation of IFS officers broadly falls into two categories: Central Deputation & State Deputation

    #1. Central Deputation
    For Central Deputation, there are two schemes devised for the purpose of regulating appointments in Government of India and organisations under its control:

    Central Staffing Scheme
    Non-Central Staffing Scheme

    • There are two Central Staffing Schemes, one each controlled by Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) (MoEF) and Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and they are respectively called as CSS of MoEF and CSS of DoPT.
    • Manning the pre-identified professional positions in the Ministry, its regional offices, subordinate offices, organisations under its control (located elsewhere in the country) and in other Ministries/Departments, exclusively by IFS, CSS of MoEF scheme has been formulated.
    • The posts included under it are Director General of Forests, Additional Director General of Forests, Inspector General of Forests and Deputy Inspector General of Forests in Ministry of Environment and Forests, Associate Professors and Lecturers in IGNFA, Director of Forest Survey of India, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Project Tiger, Project Elephant, National Zoological Park, Forest Education and Deputy Directors/Conservators in Regional offices of the Ministry.
    • Similar to the CSS of the MoEF, for manning pre-identified positions of Under Secretary (US), Deputy Secretary (DS), Director, Joint Secretary to Government of India (JS), Additional Secretary (AS), Special Secretary (SS) and equivalent levels in the Government of India and its organizations, DoPT have formulated a staffing Scheme. A total of 38 Civil Services including the three All India Services under this scheme.
    • Similar to the CSS, there are two Non-CSS under the Government of India one each controlled by the MoEF and DoPT.
    •  All posts to be filled up by IFS officers in the autonomous bodies under the control of the Ministry viz ICFRE, Dehradun; Wild Life Institute of India, Dehradun and Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal; Wild-Life Crime Control Bureau, Central Pollution Control Board, Central Zoo Authority etc. are called as non-CSS posts.
    •  Isolated posts under various Departments and Ministries in Government of India and the posts of Commissions, Autonomous Bodies, Authorities, Trusts, Boards, Societies, etc. constitute non-CSS of DoPT.viz IAS, IPS, IFS are participants under this Scheme

    It was on deputation at AIIMS as deputy secretary and Chief Vigilance Officer that Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an IFoS officer exposed corruption and was later awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award (Asia’s nobel) for emergent leadership

    #2. State Deputation:
    An IFoS officer may also be deputed for service under a company, association, corporation which is wholly or substantially owned or controlled by a State Government, a Municipal Corporation or Local Body. Appointment is done by the State Government.

    #3. Deputation under International Organisations
    An IFoS officer may also be deputed for service under international organisation by Central Government in consultation with State Government.

    Training & Recruitment:

    • Training at the Academy extends over a period of 2 years. Comprehensive exposure to all the subjects that are directly or indirectly related to forestry are provided.
    • The course is designed to be covered in phases:
      1. Foundation Course
      2. Professional Phase I
      3. Professional Phase II
      4. Convocation Phase
    • Officers of the IFoS have to initially attend the common foundation course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussorie.
    • On completion of this, they are trained at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy at Dehradun, with training on forest and wildlife management, soil conservation, surveying, Scheduled Tribes and handling weapons.
    • After completion of their training the officers are awarded a master’s degree in Science (Forestry) of Forest Research Institute. The officers are taught more than 56 subjects of life sciences in these two years.
    • After completing training at the academy, candidates go through a year of on-the-job field training in the state to which he or she is assigned, during which they are posted as Assistant Conservators of Forests or Deputy Conservator of Forests.
    • After four years of service in the junior scale, which includes a professional training phase and foundation course, officers are appointed to the Senior Time Scale and are entitled to be posted as Deputy Conservators of Forests or Divisional Forest Officers (DFO) in charge of districts/forest divisions.

    The life in IFoS:

     

    Let’s know about life in IFoS from an IFoS himself…
    Jayanti Prasad Sharma, an IFoS officer (retd.) served for 35 years from 1963 to 1998. Sharma retired as Chief Conservator of Forests after serving in different districts and commissionerates of Uttar Pradesh. In his long career span he gathered precious insight into the world of animals and nature that most modern youngsters can only imagine.

    #1. Wildlife encounter:
    As a young officer Sharma’s first posting was in Gorakhpur in 1965 and within days, he had his first brush with the most feared of all.

    He encountered a Tiger merely 20-30 yards and was chased by him. He was literally frozen. But somehow he managed to hide himself and use all theory learnt during training into practice.

    #2. Human encounter:
    The problems and challenges faced are not from the wildlife itself, but most often from humans. Apart from the known illegal activities of poaching and felling of protected trees which the officers had to constantly check on, one of the biggest everyday challenge is to prevent encroachment of the forest land.

    On the other hand, as chief protectors of the forest and its inhabitants, forest officers are also the chief negotiators who resolve conflict when a wild animal enters human settlements. Sharma says, it was a part of his day-to-day job to ensure that peace was maintained when such conflicts arose.

    #3. Disappearing forests:
    He says during the sixties when he joined the service there was lot of love and respect in the eyes of public for forest as well as foresters. There was in general, respect for forest law. Things have changed now. There is lots of political interference. In the name of development the pressure on land has increased and it has becomes the easiest prey, he adds.

    Due to such policies to please the interests of few, the forest land has diminished a lot and is fast diminishing from what we inherited.
    When he was in service, Sharma recalls there were no roads. They were trained to travel on foot on hills.

    #4. Choosing to serve forests:
    Sharma hopes more youngsters choose IFS. He advises them to join this service with a determination and zeal of serving the country and the environment. He also importantly asks the next generation to not stoop down to political pressures.

    They must make an effort to change the mindset of people and politicians who have become anti forests, who value monetary gains over our mother nature. For them forests and forest departments are obstructions in their plans of grabbing forests land. They have to take up the task of making world aware of the natural wealth we have inherited and teach them to pass it on to our next generation. It should be taken up as our moral responsibility.

    #5. Some vital career lessons:

    As you have decided to join IFS, so now it is forests where you belong. Along with office work, field inspections are very important. Make it a habit to visit the fields and do lots of site inspections. Try not to be an arm chair officer but a one who is a field officer.

    We have inherited a chain of rest houses in dense and remote places built by Britishers. Always stay few nights every month in them. It helps connecting with the locals in much better way and gives a great command over the area of one’s jurisdiction.

    #6. Some other view:

    Let’s see what a guy has to say about his father being in IFS…

    Life’s been pretty much an adventure. His cadre is WB, sometimes it has been dangerous living around there – Bodo, Naxalite and Gorkhaland uprisings. Perks and power are the same as an IAS officer in such areas coz of extensive forest lands. Plenty of beautifully constructed colonial/modern times forest rest houses, postings in National Parks and Sanctuaries etc, discounted timber rates. Got to live in one of the nicest bungalows with fancy gardens.

    On the less brighter side, the CM can bust you for anything from minimal tree-felling to an animal getting slaughtered on a railroad. More so in states with more rural populations and tribal areas. Especially now when everybody is waking up to the environment more consciously. I would’ve liked sitting for the exam myself if people from a non-science background were eligible.

    Published with inputs from Swapnil

     

     

  • Preparing for CSE ??

    I’m preparing for CSE. I’m giving my +2 exams this year. After that i will persuade a degree in Science. My main aim is to be IAS? Is it good to go through syllabus right now?

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