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This blog is a part of the series – Know Your Services @Intro to Civil Services
As a career diplomat, the Foreign Service Officer is required to project India’s interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues.
The functions of an Indian diplomat may be summarized as:
Published with inputs from Swapnil
This blog is a part of the series – Know Your Services @Intro to Civil Services
The training is split into two phases:
The training involves modules where Officer Trainees are attached to the Reserve Bank of India, the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
The Officer Trainees are also given an international exposure through attachment with London School of Economics and Political Science.
The service can be divided into officers looking after State accounts and the officers at Headquarters:
IA&AS officers mainly go abroad to conduct embassy audit i.e. audit of Embassies and High Commissions of India situated all over the world. They are also deputed regularly to conduct audit of international institutions like UN. Some of the officers are doing long term foreign assignments in United Nations, UNOPS, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, UNRWA, etc.
IAAS, over its long history, has evolved as a premier central service, owing to several positives that the service offers. IAAS works under CAG of India, a constitutional body, which makes it aloof from any undue political interference.
The service is good for people with professional bend of mind, as it’s a knowledge oriented department. Auditing some entity requires a thorough understanding of that entity. So one needs to constantly update oneself. Hence, the IAAS Officers are valued in the bureaucracy for their multi-faceted experience and expertise in the area of Audit, Accounts and finance.
Not surprisingly, several of them have stints in key positions in the union ministries of Government of India.
The service is known for most timely promotions amongst all the civil services. It is said that the entire government setup is similar to huge elephant. Owing to its mammoth size, people working under it, get to feel only a part of it. IAAS is one such service which offers to understand this elephant in entirety, as it works in close contact with all the departments of government, be it for accounting function or auditing.
As years pass by, bureaucrats often complaint about monotone of their job. IAAS offers varied opportunities for its officers, to work in several domains such as Accounts, Entitlements and Audit. Within audit itself, the number of sectors covered, makes work refreshing and challenging.
In a recently conducted survey by the Government of India, amongst 3 All India Services and 7 Central Services, IAAS emerged as the service with highest percentage of job satisfaction amongst its officers. It is known to be an employee friendly service. IAAS also allows an optimal work life balance, as also evident from the mentioned survey.
Indian Audit & Accounts Service, thus, offers very challenging and satisfying career avenues to the bureaucrats of this country.
Published with inputs from Swapnil
This blog is a part of the series – Know Your Services @Intro to Civil Services
At present there are two modes of recruitment to IIS Group ‘A’ service-
This was all about very formal aspects. Let’s see what it actually is on ground.
It’s a good job full of challenges and growth. The income might not be the best when compared to what similar skillsets will make in corporate world. But you get to serve the nation with your skills at hand and if you fair really well at it, then your chances of making it big is fair enough as you will be indulging in dialogue and action with other top level bureaucrats and diplomats of India. The best part- you will make your thoughts count in the programmes and policies of Government of India as you will be doing lots of advising for the government on its information policy right from the start.
You get to work with Doordarshan and All India Radio, State’s wide community radios and many other Government owned and run print and media channels. IIS is more like a Corporation in whole via which its officers serve in myriad of organizations during the course of their career, wherein they try to spotlight the issues affecting the weaker and marginalized sections of the society, particularly in rural areas.
IIS officers will also be harnessing the technological innovations in communication and media and always keep themselves updated. Since discovery of internet, use of mobile phones for various activities, social and digital media has completely transformed the old tools of communication, Your day to day work with the government will be very fast paced and will have a very good learning curve as an Grade-A Officer and also a top notch citizen who gives a damn about people of India.
The work is interesting as it uses the flare for journalism, public relations and administration all together. So it all a well mixed career path with various inlets and sources to govern, organize and activities to do and finish within the single large framework of Information and Broadcasting in India. The promotional channel is more or less the same as that of other Services in Civils. Attached with it will come many government perks and allowances which will pay off in longer run to support your financial status and growth as an employee. You get a reasonably good pension too after you retire, Wink Wink!
Published with inputs from Swapnil
Issue arose as US industry groups recently claimed the Indian government offered them a “private” assurance that compulsory licences will not be issued, save in emergencies and for non-commercial purposes.
Issues -1. Should govt be assuring them privately <policies should be made transparently>
2. When should govt use the flexibility of compulsory licensing (CL) under TRIPS-
Some basics – Compulsory licencing is a safeguard under TRIPS provision of WTO based on national circumstances <not just under public health emergencies or urgency>
Under Indian patents act, to grant CL three conditions need to be satisfied
Under CL, govt allows domestic generic producers to manufacture drug without the consent of Patent holder who agrees to market the drug at substantially lower rate. pay some royalty to patent holder.
So far, India has issueed only one compulsory license for a kidney cancer drug where in sharp contrast to Bayer’s (innovator) Rs 2.8 lakh per month price tag, Natco offered to sell its version of the drug at Rs 8,800 per month.
Under CL, govt allows domestic generic producers to manufacture drug without the consent of Patent holder who agrees to market the drug at substantially lower rate. pay some royalty to patent holder.
So far, India has issueed only one compulsory license for a kidney cancer drug where in sharp contrast to Bayer’s (innovator) Rs 2.8 lakh per month price tag, Natco offered to sell its version of the drug at Rs 8,800 per month.
Consider these per month treatment costs
Needless to say, India should fully utilize flexibility available under TRIPS to make drugs affordable while also respecting interests of innovators. Full article here. <What are the other public health safeguards under TRIPS? Answer in the comments>
In India National Pharmaceutical Pricing authority (NPPA) brought 348 drugs into India’s National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013. But there were significant loopholes based on which Supreme court termed whole policy irrational and unreasonable.
Price controls remain an effective answer to ensuring affordability. Even free markets in the West utilise price, volume and cost-effective controls to mitigate health-care inflation. Canada has its Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, while Egypt has brought all medicines under price control. Lebanon has utilised regressive margin pricing and improved transparency by publishing patient prices on its online Lebanon National Drug Index.
As Suu Kyi can not be president <barred constitutionally as her son and husband hold british passport>, her aide U Htin Kyaw became the president. To know ,What potential it holds to transform India- Myanmar relations, read this explianer. The hindu editorial here
Govt admitted in parliament that definition of sedition is too wide and requires reconsideration. Govt should now be bold in revisiting the sedition law.
Vague and ‘over-broad’ definitions of offences often result in mindless prosecutions based merely on the wording of the act that seems to allow both provocative and innocuous speeches to be treated as equally criminal. One way to limit its mischief is to narrow the definition; but a more rational and constitutional option would be to scrap the provision altogether.
Read everything you need to know including supreme court judgement, law commision recommendatins about sedition in this awesome explainer.
Keep a note of SAARC and India Pakistan relations as SAARC summit will be in nov in Islamabad just before mains and will be a hot topic <just when aspirants stop reading newspaper but UPSC knows that event is before mains and can set the question>
Having successfully run the daily show (daily newscards) for over a year, we now begin last week tonight (roundup of the week gone by). In this initiative every Saturday or Sunday night, we shall discuss, major events of the last week.
We already cover daily news in crisp bullet points without any opinion- left, right or centre- to let you have your own opinion on various issues. In this initiative, we shall discuss most imp. op-eds of the week. Only outlines and issues within major events will be discussed here. Links of CD news stories, external oped links, RSTV videos will be attached to give you holistic picture.
So let’s discuss major events of week gone by.
Manner of passing of the bill – Money bill or not
Some basics- Article 110 deals with money bill. Essentially any bill that contains provisions related to only 6 provisions: taxes, money going into or out of Consolidated Fund of India or Contingency fund of India, Receipt into Public account of India (I haven’t listed all 6 in detail for brevity, you can get the sense from the summary) and finally 7th provision is any matter incidental to the above issues.
If bill deals with these issues plus any other issues, it will not be termed as money bill (read the word only in the definition of money bill) but financial bill under article 117.
Govt’s argument- Bill mainly deals with transfer of money (subsidies) out of CFI and other matters are incidental to it (7th provision), hence money bill. While opposition claims main purpose is giving statutory baking to Aadhar, withdrawal of money is incidental to it, hence not a money bill.
Read this Indian express oped to know why this is not a money bill .
Why govt introduced it as money bill– NDA does not have majority in RS and in money bills RS can only suggest recommendations within 14 days. Loksabha can reject them as they did in this bill. Also money bill can be introduced only in LS on recommendation of president. Speaker certifies it as money bill and speaker’s certification can not be challenged.
Read this link to understand why govt rejected all 5 amendments suggested by LS.
But wait, is the decision of speaker final? Well, constitution says so but in India supreme court can do anything. Even under 10th schedule, anti defection law, speaker’s decision was final but supreme court held it justiciable (What was the logic given by supreme court? Answer in comments>
Similarly supreme court changed the term procedure established by law to due process of law for all practical purposes, word consultation in judicial appointment to concurrence. How did supreme court do that? Read the whole story here
2nd issue is that of privacy – risk of mass surveillance plus govt’s stand in the court that Privacy is not a fundamental right. Basically as Aadhar will b linked to almost every service we avail, govt will have the vast data to profile the citizens, snoop on them. Also national security clause gives sweeping powers to govt. Read these opeds to know how it has potential to violate privacy.
Attorney general in Supreme Court on right to privacy
8 judge bench of supreme court in M P Sharma And Others vs Satish Chandra, District Magistrate Delhi (1954), and 6 judge bench in Kharag Singh vs State of Uttar Pradesh (1962), held that the right to privacy was not a fundamental right. It has not been overruled in any subsequent judgment by a larger Bench, hence not a fundamental right.
3rd issue is whether Biometric will be effective in India <fingerprinting might not work in manual labour> and issue of making Aadhar mandatory while earlier it was sold as a voluntary number.
Read these 9 issues related to Aadhar bill
Whether or not, you read those external links, please follow these CD stories
Summary– In late 2014, ministry of health proposed that 85% of a cigarette packet’s surface area on both the sides should carry health warnings, up from 40% on one side of the packet.
But now parliamentary committee recommended that
Logic– Cylindrical packing of Bidi, no concept of 2 sides but what abut horizontal packing of tobacco containing paan Masala. But wait why ain’t tobaco containing paan masala banned in every state? They are food product and thus banned under safety guidelines, Read more here
Anyway the argument for not increasing pictorial warning is
Health costs of tobacco-
I don’t need to say, what should be done with the recommendations. Full oped here
Catch up on the earlier articles:
Political Interference:
It is minimal because the absolute power is in the hand of IRS officers and there is no ground on which politicians can threaten them. Also, generally, they have no direct contact with politicians.
However, with changing times, more and more IRS officers are serving in departments and areas that used to exclusively be the forte of IAS officers. This widening of opportunities and exposure has made the IRS more attractive
Diversification of Career:
And of course you can always become a chief minister!
Family life: Best balance of family life and work is in IRS.
Uniform:
Ranks & Equivalent Salary Structure:
The equivalent ranks from IPS or IAS are given in table. You can check respective pay from earlier articles.
Published with inputs from Swapnil
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Catch up on the earlier article: Know Your Services | The Indian Administrative Service
Remember Archana Ramasundaram?<first woman to head a central armed police force> Read more about her here.
However, with changing times, more and more IPS officers are serving in departments and areas that used to exclusively be the forte of IAS officers, just as the IAS officers now at times head departments like vigilance which were exclusively given to IPS officers. This widening of opportunities and exposure has made the IPS even more attractive.
Some of the special physical requirements for IPS are listed below:
The motto of the IPS academy is Satya Seva Surakshnam, Sanskrit for ‘Mean Truth, Service Security’.
A special training in driving and mechanism of motor vehicles, and underwater survival are given to trainee oofficers
Always fascinated about 3 stars on shoulder? See here what you get at different ranks
Published with inputs from Swapnil
IAS is the premier administrative civil service of the Government of India. IAS officers hold key and strategic positions in the Union Government, States and public-sector undertakings.
Unlike Candidates selected to other civil services, a person once appointed to Indian Administrative Service or Indian Foreign Service (IFS) becomes ineligible to reappear in Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC.
Why so? Because there are no higher civil services other than these two services under Government of India.
Along with the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service, the IAS is one of the three All India Services.
All India Service, what does it mean? Its cadre can be employed by both the Union Government and the individual States.
And obviously, we know all the famous people like Vinod Rai, T. N. Sheshan, Nripendra Mishra etc.
Along with the selected Civil Service officers, the trainee IAS officers have to undergo 15 weeks training in picturesque hill resort of Mussoorie. You are taken for Bharat Darshan.
Here after they are shifted to the two stages of training before serving the actual service.
In stage I of the training, the officers learn to expand the perfect proficient qualities in managing the huge arrays of tasks which has to be taken up for the first 10 years of service that is for 26 weeks.
Then there is district training for administrative responsibilities of regional sorts, including location study of assignment for the academy.
The duration is of 52 weeks where the officers experiences about the actual execution of the regional administration. The district training aims for the allotment of Cadres for the actual appointment.
In stage II of the training, the officers have to execute the district level tasks experiences acquired in a course of one year onsite training along with the skilled program learned in foundation training.
On successful completion of probation for almost two years, the IAS officers are placed as SDM (Sub Divisional Magistrate also known as District Magistrate or Sub-Collector). There they get to do all sort of awesome stuff. Have you read the story of miracle man Armstrong Pame who built the road without govt help, no? Read here
On this position the IAS officers lead the department with key responsibilities of Revenue, General Administration, Developmental Work, Law and Order as per their work assignment.
Here comes the most important part
Don’t get fooled by these numbers. You all must have seen the collector’s bungalow of your district. Try calculating it’s market value and you would get the idea of perks they get.
Published with inputs from Swapnil