UPSC Posts – 3 Types of Civil Services
Clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination can lead to any one of more than twenty different services. Depending on cadre and function, these posts are grouped into three broad categories — the All India Services, the Group ‘A’ Civil Services and the Group ‘B’ Civil Services.
The 3 Types of Civil Services
Once candidates are selected through the Civil Services Examination, they are assigned to a service based on their final rank, category and the preferences they fill in. Every such service falls under one of the three groups below.
1. All India Civil Services
- Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
- Indian Police Service (IPS)
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
2. Group ‘A’ Civil Services
- Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
- Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
- Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
- Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
- Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
- Indian Information Service (IIS)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
- Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
- Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
- Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
- Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
- Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
- Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
- Indian Trade Service (ITS)
- Railway Protection Force (RPF)
3. Group ‘B’ Civil Services
- Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
- DANICS
- DANIPS
- Pondicherry Civil Service
- Pondicherry Police Service
All India Services
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
- Part of the three All India Services
- Forms the permanent administrative backbone of both the Union and State Governments
- Officers help shape government policy and steer its implementation on the ground
- Complete probationary training at LBSNAA, Mussoorie
- The service most aspirants aim for
Indian Police Service (IPS)
- One of the three All India Services
- Officers are trained at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad
- Lead senior roles across the police hierarchy
- Also staff key agencies such as RAW, the IB and the CBI
Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
- The third of the All India Services
- Top central post: Director General of Forests
- Top state post: Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
- Works under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- Officers may also serve with bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Group ‘A’ Civil Services
Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- Training at LBSNAA followed by the Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi
- Handles India’s foreign affairs
- Officers become High Commissioners, Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives at the UN
- Selected candidates cannot reappear for the Civil Service Exam
Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
- Training at NAAA, Shimla
- Falls under the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
- Conducts financial auditing of the Central Government, State Governments and PSUs
Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
- Functions under the Ministry of Finance
- Head: Controller General of Accounts
- Training at the National Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad and the Institute of Government Accounts and Finance
Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
- Functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- Primary objective: govern the corporate sector
- Training at the ICLS Academy, Manesar Campus of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
- Officers receive training in law, economics, finance and accounting
Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
- Falls under the Ministry of Defence
- Officers trained at CENTRAD, New Delhi, then NIFM and the National Academy of Defence Financial Management Institute, Pune
- Serves the Border Roads Organisation, DRDO and Ordnance Factories
- Main objective: audit defence accounts
- Headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA)
Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
- Training at the National Institute of Defence Estates, New Delhi
- Primary objective: manage cantonments and defence establishment land
Indian Information Service (IIS)
- Manages the media wing of the Government of India
- Acts as a bridge between the Government and the public
- Falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Initial training at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication
- Officers work in DD, PIB, AIR and other media departments
Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
- Manages Indian Ordnance Factories producing defence equipment, arms and ammunition
- Falls under the Ministry of Defence
- Training at the National Academy of Defence Production, Nagpur (1 year 3 months)
Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
- Formerly the Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service
- Training at the National Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad
- Provides accounting and financial services to Indian Posts and Telecommunications
Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
- Training at the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy, Ghaziabad
- Officers serve as higher-grade officers in India Post
- Manages postal services, banking, e-commerce, pension disbursement and MGNREGA wages
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
- Maintains and manages Indian Railways’ finances and accounts
- Two years of training at NADT, Nagpur; Railway Staff College, Vadodara; and specialised institutes
Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
- Initial training at LBSNAA
- Further training at NADT, RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration and Dr Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute
- Advanced training at the National Academy of Indian Railways, Vadodara
- Manages Indian Railways’ human resources
Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
- Training at Railway Staff College, Vadodara and the Indian Railway Institute of Transportation Management, Lucknow
- Primary responsibility: revenue generation for Indian Railways
- Acts as a bridge between railways and the public, and railways and the corporate sector
- Manages the operation and commercial wings of Indian Railways
Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
- Initial training at LBSNAA
- Further training at NADT, Nagpur and the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics, Faridabad
- Functions under the Ministry of Finance
- Primary objective: collect direct and indirect taxes
Indian Trade Service (ITS)
- Training at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
- Primary goal: manage international trade and commerce
- Falls under the Ministry of Commerce
- Headed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)
Railway Protection Force (RPF)
- Main objective: provide security to railway passengers and protect railway property
- Falls under the Ministry of Railways
- A paramilitary force
- Training at the Jagjivan Ram Railway Protection Force Academy, Lucknow
Group ‘B’ Civil Services
Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
- Provides basic support services to the Indian Armed Forces and Inter-Services Organisations
- Falls under the Ministry of Defence
- Headed by the Defence Secretary
DANICS
- A feeder service to the Indian Administrative Service
- Full form: Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Services
- Initial posting: Assistant Collector (District Administration, Delhi)
- Officers handle administrative functions of Delhi and the Union Territories
DANIPS
- Full form: NCT of Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service
- A federal police service administering Delhi and the Union Territories
Pondicherry Civil Service
- Recruitment through the Civil Service Examination conducted by UPSC
Pondicherry Police Service
- Recruitment through the UPSC Civil Service Examination
- A Group ‘B’ civil service
Frequently Asked Questions related to UPSC Posts
What is the highest post an IAS officer can reach?
At the very top of the IAS hierarchy sits the Cabinet Secretary — the country’s senior-most civil servant, who occupies a high place in the official order of precedence.
What is the entry-level post in the IAS?
A freshly recruited officer joins as a probationer (trainee) and takes on full administrative charge only after completing the foundation course and service training.
IAS or Collector — which is the higher role?
The two are not really separate. “Collector” is one of the field postings an IAS officer holds. As District Collector / District Magistrate, an IAS officer is the senior-most administrator of the district, heading both its revenue and general administration.
How many services are filled through the Civil Services Examination?
Through a single examination, the UPSC recruits officers for roughly two dozen central and all-India services — covering administration, police, foreign affairs, revenue, railways, accounts and several other domains.
What does “Group A” mean in the civil services?
Group A, or the Central Services, refers to the higher administrative services that run the Union Government’s departments. Appointments to these posts are made in the name of the President of India.
What are Group B civil services?
Group B services handle administrative and executive support work across central government and Union Territory offices. Officers in these services generally assist and operate alongside senior IAS and gazetted officials.
Do IAS and IPS officers wear uniforms?
The IAS has no prescribed uniform — its officers attend official functions in regular formal attire. The IPS, on the other hand, follows rank-specific uniforms that bear the national emblem (Ashoka insignia) on the shoulders.
Take the First Step Today
Join hundreds of selected officers who began their journey at P.L. Raj IAS & IPS Academy. Free demo class, no commitment, no fees.