Difference Between IAS and PCS Officer

IAS Coaching

Difference Between IAS and PCS Officer

The youth of today is getting more and more interested in the government administrative jobs which is proved keeping in mind the increasing no. of students applying for UPSC examination despite the fact that the chance of clearing the exam is less than 1%. With this few a chance of clearing the exam candidates generally try their luck in their respective state’s PCS exams as well. So here we are going to discuss the difference between Provincial Civil Services and Indian Civil Services.

Selection Process and Administration

Indian Civil Services (IAS): They are recruited though a national level civil service examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Central Government has established the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that exercises the jurisdiction over the recruitments and other service matters of a public servant.

Provincial Civil Services (PCS): They are recruited through a state level civil service examination, conducted by the State Public Service Commission (SPSC). The Central Government, on the specific request of the concerned state government has established the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) which exercises the jurisdiction over the recruitment and other service matters of the state government employees.

Appointment

IAS: Although they work under the state government whose cadre is allotted to them, but they actually are appointed by the President of India.

PCS: PCS officers are under total control of the state government as they are appointed by the Governor of the state.

Exam Pattern and Syllabus

Indian Civil Services (IAS):

  • There are total three phases of the exam, the preliminary, mains and the interview.
  • The questions asked will be based largely on the concepts rather than facts.
  • There is a compulsory qualifying aptitude test (CSAT) in the UPSC Civil service examination, which is more than enough to check the reasoning skills of a candidate
  • The exam has one qualifying regional language paper.

 

Provincial Civil Services (PCS):

  • There are total three phases of the exam, the preliminary, mains and the interview.
  • The questions asked will be more factual than concept based.
  • The state civil service examination may or may not have a compulsory qualifying aptitude test.
  • Some states may have a compulsory regional language or the statistic paper.

Salary and Pay Scale

Indian Civil Services (IAS):

  • The salaries and pension are met by the cadre state. They will have the same pay scale in the whole country irrespective of the state they are posted in.
  • The Department of Personnel and Training under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension is the one responsible for services, payment, management and training of civil servants.

Provincial Civil Services (PCS):

  • The salaries and pensions of a PCS is controlled by the state government and their pay scale may change respective of the state they are employed in.
  • The department of Personnel or General Administration Department is the central personnel agency of the state that take cares of the services, payment, management and training of civil servants.

Promotion and Posts

Indian Civil Services (IAS):

An IAS officer start from SDM and can reach as high as the Secretary to the Government of India.

It may take 5-7 years after joining, for an IAS officer to become a District Collector.

Provincial Civil Services (PCS):

The starting point of a PCS officer’s career is determined by the state service rules. The promotion of a PCS is slower as compared to its IAS counterpart.

It could take anywhere between 15-17 years to reach the post their IAS counterpart has reached in a much less time.

 

No doubt IAS is better than PCS in terms of salary, growth and over all career prospective, but as PCS is much better than many other government jobs so a candidate should try for PCS as well because the chances of clearing the PCS exam is much more than that of the IAS exam.

 

 

 

 

,