Roles and Responsibilities of an IAS Officer

The role of an Indian Administrative Officer (IAS Officer) is one of prestige and responsibility, it is one of the most coveted posts in the country. So it should be of little surprise to anyone that competitions for such a post is intense if not outright difficult.

Lakhs of candidates appear for the gateway to the coveted ranks of an IAS officer, the UPSC Exams, but only a few make it. Regardless of whether an aspirant makes it or not, it is important to know what the roles and responsibilities of an IAS Officer will be. This article illustrates what those roles and responsibilities are along with certain useful information.

IAS Officer Eligibility

To qualify as an IAS Officer, aspirants must pass the UPSC Civil Services Exams (UPSC CSE)

It consists of the following three stages:

Prelims
Mains
Interview

Other qualifications include:

Candidates must hold a valid Bachelor’s degree from any recognized university
If a candidate is waiting for his/her final examination results when applying for the Prelims stage then they can appear for the exam. However, a proof of passing must be produced during the UPSC Mains Exam.
The Minimum age required to attempt the UPSC Exam is 21 years.

Responsibilities and Salary of an IAS Officer

The responsibilities of an IAS Officer revolves around the administration of a district/department/area along with policy formulation/implementation etc. Additional responsibilities include:

Managing daily affairs of the government including the creation and implementation of policy.
Supervising the implementation of policies
At the district level, the officer will be responsible for distinct affairs like implementation of developmental schemes.

The salary of an IAS Officer varies between Rs. 56,000/- to Rs.2,500,00/ per month according to the designation. This does not include the perks and other allowances the IAS Officer is entitled to. The pay scale is based on the reforms of the 7th Pay Commission. That being said, an IAS Officer Salary is one of the reasons why aspirants are more inclined to apply for this post.

Pros and Cons of an IAS Officer

Now that the necessary information about the roles and responsibilities of an IAS officer has been hashed out, it is time to take a look at the pros and cons as this will help candidates in knowing what is in store for them in their IAS journey.

Pros

Being an all India service, an IAS Officer gets the chance to serve society.
Many perks and privileges will be available
It is a highly respectable job and comes with a sense of satisfaction that a candidate will be contributing to society to the highest level

Cons

The role of an IAS officer is the one of immense pressure as he/she will be accountable for the actions taken
There will be political pressures in certain scenarios along with pressure from those with vested interests
Will have to deal with corruption in the bureaucracy