Training Process of the Indian Administrative Services IAS
For recruitment in the Indian Civil Services the Union Public Service Commission conducts a written and oral competitive examination and then prepares a merit list on the basis of it. The U.P.S.C. conducts this examination for recruitment in All-India services and for the services under the union government. However, on the basis of such list the union government makes the necessary recruitment and then provides them the necessary training before they are appointed and provided with responsible duties. The main objective of such training is to make these new recruits acquainted with the nature of the task that they are to en-shoulder. Apart from this the other objectives of this training is to increase the technical efficiency of the employees, to teach him how to make adjustment with the changing situations and bring adaptability in him, to create resistance against mechanization, to make him efficient for, different types of activities and above all to increase his mental strength.
For the recruits of the All India Administrative services and the services under the union government a refreshment course was introduced in 1957 in the I.A.S. Staff College at Simla. After that, in July 1959 an I.A.S. Training School was established in New Delhi wherein training is provided to the recruits of Indian Administrative Services (I.A.S.), Indian Foreign Services (I.F.S.), Indian Postal Services (I.P.S.), Indian Income Tax Services (IITS), and Indian Defence Accounts Services (IDACS) etc. However, as decided the Home Department’ of the Govt. of India, the National Academy of Administration was established in Musoury in 1959 by amalgamating both the I.A.S. Staff College of Simla and the I.A.S. training school of Delhi. In 1972 its name was changed as Lal Bahadur Sastri National Academy of Administration.
Each recruit of the All Indian Services and of the services under the union government has to undergo training for five months in this institution. Then they are sent to their respective training centers for further training. However, the recruits of Indian Administrative Services (I.A.S.) have to take training for some more days in this institute. For them a new Sandwich training programme has been introduced in 1969 following which:
An I.A.S. candidate has to take primary training for six months from July to December initially.
Then he has to undergo an one year’s training programme for acquiring practical knowledge in different departments under the state governments and
Thereafter once again he has to go back to Lal Bahadur Institute for getting of further training of six months from January to June.
The recruits of the Indian Administrative Services (I.A.S.) of the services under the Union Government of Indian Foreign Services and of the Indian Police Services have to take training jointly in the said training centre from July to October wherein they have to make necessary study on economics, political science, law, public administration, the constitution of India, the history of Indian Freedom Movement, the history of Indian Culture etc. In October the foundation course examination is taken and thereafter the candidates of I.P.S. I.F.S. and of the Union Services are sent to their respective training centers. Only the candidates of I.A.S. have to remain in this training institute even after the foundation course examination and complete the professional course. An examination in the professional course is taken in December. Apart from this examination, the recruits have to take training on horse riding and of physical training.
Thereafter, the I.A.S. candidate, better known as cadre, is sent to the State where he is to be appointed to take practical training there, Generally he is to take practical training in the Land and Land Revenue department, agriculture, co-operative, panchayats, judiciary, the police department and the divisional level of the state government. This practical training continues from 10 to 12 months. Then they said candidates again have to go back to their original training centre. There discussions are made on the problems they had to face while getting practical training in the states and they are given further training thereof. After all these trainings each and every I.A.S. cadre had to sit for a further examination of the Union Public Service Commission. After passing this examination the I.A.S. cadre is appointed as the sub-Divisional Officers (S.D.O.) and is frequently transferred in different divisions of different districts in order to enable him to get practical knowledge and experience. After this they have to work as under-secretaries in various departments of the Secretariat for nearly one and half years. Thus working for more than six to seven years they are generally appointed as the District Magistrate of a district or in any other post of like power and responsibility.
Thus it is evident that no I.A.S. cadre is appointed to the highest posts the moment he becomes qualified for the Indian administrative services. At first he is to get adequate training and to obtain adequate knowledge on many things which helps him to gain enough experiences thereof. He is generally kept in the much lower post of S.D.O. for a good length of time so that he can face different types of situations and environÂments and can enrich himself with enough of experiences. Then only they become efficient to en-shoulder real responsibilities and as such then only they are appointed to the higher administrative posts of the District Magistrate or other like higher posts of responsibilities and efficiencies.
It should be kept in mind as well that the training method of the I.A.S. cadres in India has followed the pattern of Great Britain and the U.S.A. It is quite suitable for the administrative outlook generally found in the liberal democratic countries.
