IFS Job Profile : A bird’s eye view for an aspirant

Many Aspirants asked me to write a post on "What" is the exact Job Profile of an IFS officer, the Scope of his Work, the Oppurtunities etc., My Seniors have put in some effort in writing a blog post on the same topic. So i take the liberty of Copy-Pasting the same in the interest of the future aspirants, with due acknowledgment to 2014 batch of IFS.

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Introduction

Indian Forest Service (IFS) is amongst the most prestigious services of our country and is one of the three All India Services, the other two being Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service. It was constituted in the year 1966 under the All India Services Act, 1951 by the Government of India for scientific management of its forests. Prior to that, the British had constituted Imperial Forest Service in 1867 which functioned under the Federal Government until ‘Forestry’ was transferred to the “Provincial List” by the Government of India Act, 1935, and subsequent recruitment to the Imperial Forest Service were discontinued.

The main mandate of the service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which envisages scientific management of forests and to exploit them on a sustained basis for primary timber products, among other things. Since 1935, the management of the forests remained in the hands of the Provincial Governments and even today the Forest Departments are managing the forests of the country under the respective State Governments.

Why IFS?

IFS is a specialized service that guarantees lots of opportunities to work for the unprivileged sections of our society, especially those in tribal areas; for the conservation and enhancement of forest cover and wild life, which is gaining global concern and importance with each passing day; and personally, you get to live a healthy life, in close proximity to nature for a good part of your career. Markedly different from all other services, Forest Service gives you a unique opportunity to work not only for the present but also for future generations. Our contribution to the cause of sustainability has a distinct charm. The service also promises comparatively much less political interference and otherwise.

Career as IFS

Now, if we talk about career progression, it is extremely good in IFS. If you join before the age of thirty years in IFS, there is a very high possibility that you will retire as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (State) or Additional Secretary to the Government of India or Secretary to the concerned state. Above that, there is only one position i.e. Secretary to Government of India. There are very few posts at that level, and you can imagine how many officers from other services will be able to reach there, even from among IAS, only very few do. And we do have some posts at Special Secretary level that is considered equivalent to Secretary to GoI. You make it to IFS at an early age, you get to reach there. Now let us also understand the various stages of career in more details.

First position of impact, IFS officers take is at the level of district administration, theDivisional Forest Officer (DFO). DFO assumes an important position. She is among the top five officials of the district, i.e. District Magistrate (DM), Superintendent of Police (SP), Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and District Judge (DJ). She acts as the ex-officio Secretary of various government committees and plans, with DM as Chairman. Of late it has been a practice in many states that if the position of DM falls vacant, DFO takes over the charge.

After the level of DFO, an IFS moves up as Conservator of forests and works in various domains ranging from crafting working plans, wildlife conservation, implementation of various schemes, forestry research and development, training of forest cadres etc. Next up the hierarchy, as Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), an IFS officer gets more involved with policy formulation. Finally, a state’s forest department is headed by a Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) who is the senior-most IFS officer in the state.

S No	Indian Police Service	Indian Forest Service	Indian Administrative Service
1	Assistant Superintendent of Police	Assistant Conservator of Forests	Section Officer to Government of India/SDM (States)
2	Deputy Superintendent of Police	Divisional Forest Officer/ Deputy Conservator of Forests	Under Secretary to Government of India/Deputy Commissioner/Collector/District Magistrate(states)
3	Superintendent of Police	Deputy Conservator of Forests (India)	Deputy Secretary to Government of India /Deputy Commissioner/Collector/District Magistrate(states)
4	Senior Superintendent of Police(Selection Grade)	Deputy Conservator of Forests (India)/Director of Forestry(Selection Grade)	Director to Government of India/Deputy Commissioner/Collector/District Magistrate(states)(Selection Grade)
5	Deputy Inspector General of Police	Conservator of Forests	Non-existent for IAS
6	Inspector General of Police	Chief Conservator of Forests	Joint Secretary to Government of India/Secretary to State Govt
7	Additional Director General of Police	Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests	Additional Secretary to Government of India/Principal Secretary to State Govt.
8	Director General of Police	Principal Chief Conservator of Forests	Non-existent for IAS (Rank Equivalent to Additional Secretary to Government of India)
9	Director General of Police (Head of Dept.)	Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, HoFF in States & Director General of Forests (India)	Secretary to Government of India/Chief Secretary of State
10			Cabinet Secretary (India)|Cabinet Secretary of India (One post)

At various points in their career, IFS officers work at the state level as well as on deputation at central level either in India or abroad, in various international organizations. IFS officers are getting to work on various projects and are being deputed as CVO of PSUs and as Additional Secretary in various Ministries other than MoEFCC e.g. urban development, land, social justice, consumer affairs, tribal welfare, and even in PMO. There are also options to go abroad for higher studies and posting in the United Nations and World Bank. So, diversity of work-profile is ensured and if you feel that as IFS, one is bound to work for the forest resources alone, you are mistaken. Every state has a forest development corporation which is manned by IFS people, tourist department is manned by forest people and there are so many other lateral postings which are open to IFS people. As an IFS officer, one also gets the experience of working closely with protected areas (National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries etc) as well as various conservation projects (like Project Tiger).

Independence as an administrator

Another important aspect of this service is its independence from any other sphere of power. An IFS officer is largely independent of the district administration and exercises administrative, legal and financial powers in his own domain. They search premises, make arrest for forest law violations and give judgments related to forest matters. The IFS officers, however, also discharge functions that normally fall in the domain of IAS and IPS officers in the field. These include implementation of traditional development schemes, land records and surveys, revenue generation, law enforcement (policing and quasi-judicial functions), supporting livelihoods of forest-fringe populations, assisting anti-naxal and anti-insurgency operations, etc.

Also, the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) of an IFS officer is always prepared by another IFS officer until you are directly under Chief Secretary. Apart from this, much of the funding to the IFS cadre comes through independent channels like MoEFCC, UNEP and other International agencies. The overall aura of the service gives you a better scope to express yourself.

Myths about IFS

A common myth about IFS is that it is for the jungles and an officer has to reside therein. NO!! Most IFS officers do not reside in jungles; those serving in the districts get accommodation in district headquarters, same as IAS and IPS officers do. So you need not worry where you are going to live. But if the district itself is a forest area like in Jharkhand or MP cadres, then all three (IAS, IPS and IFS) will have to live in that area itself.

A trivial, yet common myth among people remains that after getting into IFS, we become rangers. The hierarchy at the ground level is Guards, Rangers, State Forest officers, IFS. Depending upon the state, as a DFO, we have a staff of somewhere from 150-300 people working directly with us.

Another myth is that an IFS officer has not much to do in districts or areas where there is less or no forest cover. An IFS officer is tasked with not just the protection work but also afforestation and re-forestation of the unforested area. The overall ecological restoration of the region is her responsibility.

Final words

This is pretty much an outline of Indian Forest Service. It treads a fine line between democratic responsibility and autonomy. Beautifully balances between personal and professional life and lets you enjoy best of both the words. This should give you a fair idea about what lies ahead in a career as IFS and help you make an informed decision to choose if it suits your temperament and your personal and professional goals.

Credits: The article is written by Navneet Kumar Srivastava with inputs from Kunal Angrish, Sunil Berwal, Rajkumar M and Pankaj Rajput. All of them are from IFS 2014 batch.

Disclaimer: This article is published in the individual capacities, and not reflections of policies of Government of India.