History:

    India is one of the First countries in the world to have stated scientific management of its forests.
    During the year 1864 the then British India Government started the Imperial Forest Department and
    appointed Dr. Dietrich Brandis, a German Forest officer Inspector General of Forests in 1866. Having
    recognized the need to have a premier forest service to mange the varied natural resources of the
    vast country and to organize the affairs of the Imperial Forest Department, Imperial Forest Service was
    constituted in 1867.

    Having realized the importance of a multi-tier forest Administration in the federal and provincial
    Governments for effective management of forest resources the British India Government also
    constituted Provincial Forest Service and Executive & Subordinate Services, which were quite similar
    to the present day forest administrative hierarchy.

    The officers appointed to the Imperial Forest Service from 1867 to 1885 were trained in France and
    Germany. Thereafter, until 1905 they were trained at Cooper?s Hill, London, which had been one of
    the prestigious professional colleges of Forestry at that time. From 1905 to 1926 the Universities of
    Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh had undertaken the task of training the officers of the Imperial
    Forest Service. The Imperial Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, presently & popularly known all
    over the world as FRI was established at Dehra Dun in the year 1906. The baton to train the IFS
    officers was passed on to Forest Research Institute, which it did successfully from 1927 to 1932.
    Subsequently the Indian Forest College (IFC) was established in the year 1938 at Dehra Dun and the
    officers recruited to the Superior Forest Service by the provinces/states were trained there.

    The subject of "Forestry" which was managed by the Federal Government until then, was transferred
    to the "Provincial List" by the Government of India Act, 1935 and subsequently recruitment to the
    Imperial Forest Service was discontinued.

    The Indian Forest Service, one of the three All India Services, was constituted in the year 1966 under
    the All India Services Act, 1951 by the Government of India.

    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.

    Organisation of the Service

    The initial constitution of the Indian Forest Service consisted of the four following categories of the
    officers

    Initial Recruits (IR);
    Emergency Commissioned/Short Service Commissioned (EC/SSC)
    Direct Recruits also known as Regular Recruits (DR/RRs); and
    Promotees (appointed from State Forest Service.
    Initial Recruits: With the constitution of the Service, the serving members of the State Forest Service
    borne on various State Governments and Union Territory Administrations were inducted into the
    Service and they had been accordingly designated as "Initial Recruits" to the Service. All members
    under the "IR" category have since retired on superannuation.
    Emergency Commissioned/Short Service Commissioned : 20% of the permanent vacancies in the
    Indian Forest Service were filled by Direct Recruitment from the released "Emergency Commissioned"
    (EC) officers and "Short Service Commissioned" (SSC) officers and they were designated as
    ECs/SSCs and it continued till 28th January 1971. The last of the EC/SSC officers would
    superannuate from the service by 2006.

    Direct Recruits: 66.33 per cent of the cadre strength of the service is filled by Direct Recruitment done
    through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by conducting an all India level competitive
    examination open to graduates with science background. After qualifying the written examination, the
    candidates have to appear for a personality test, a walking test and a standard medical fitness test.

    Promotees: 33.33 per cent of the cadre strength of the service, as per the regulations, is to be filled
    by appointing eligible officers of the State Forest Service to IFS. Vacancies under promotion quota are
    determined by calculating 33.33% of the total Senior Duty Posts in the Cadre in addition to Central
    Deputation Reserve posts, State Deputation Reserve posts and Training Reserve.

    Composition: The Indian Forest Service, by virtue of being the youngest of the three All India
    Services, also happens to be the smallest. The total authorised cadre strength of the Indian Forest
    Service as on date is 2751 which includes 1917 Direct Recruit and 834 Promotion posts. The total
    Senior Duty Posts (SDP) in the Indian Forest Service are 1674 and the remaining under various
    reserves.

    Senior Duty Posts                                            : 1687
    Central Deputation Reserve @ 20 %               :   329
    State Deputation Reserve 25 %                       :   417
    Training Reserve @ 3.5 %                               :     58
    Leave and Junior Reserve 16.5 %                    :   272
    Total Reserve Posts                                          :  1076
    Total Cadre Strength                                         :  2763

    Direct Recruit Posts                            : 1925
    Promotion posts                                  :   838
    Total Authorised Strength                   : 2763

    Cadres: The Service consists of 24 State Cadres including three Joint Cadres namely the Assam-
    Meghalaya, Manipur-Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT).
    Every State/Joint cadre has a fixed strength of posts in various grades known as Senior Duty Posts
    (SDP). Details of distribution of strength of officers in various cadres may be accessed by clicking
    here.

    As per the relevant regulations in force, the strength and composition of the service in each and every
    State/Joint cadre is to be reviewed at 5 yearly interval by the Cadre Review Committee headed by the
    Cabinet Secretary who makes recommendations to the Central Government on the basis of the
    proposals received from the State Governments.

    Cadre Authorities : In respect of the IFS officers working under the administrative control of the States,
    the State Governments are notified as the Cadre Authorities. Those officers allotted to the Joint
    cadres of Assam-Meghalaya and Manipur-Tripura, there is a Joint cadre Authority constituted by the
    respective State Governments under the All India Services (Joint Cadre) Rules, 1972 In respect of IFS
    officers of the Joint Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT Cadre) earlier
    known as UT cadre, the Ministry functions as the Cadre Authority.

    As per the Allocation of Business Rules of the GoI, the subject of the Indian Forest Service is allocated
    to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and thus it is the Cadre Controlling Authority for the Indian
    Forest Service and also the Nodal Ministry and implements all Rules, Regulations made under the AIS
    Act in respect of the Indian Forest Service.

    Designations of Senior Duty Posts: The administrative hierarchy of Indian Forest Service in the Forest
    Departments in the States and Union Territories is as under in the descending order:-

    Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
    Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
    Chief Conservator of Forests
    Conservator of Forests
    Deputy Conservator of Forests

    On successful completion of the professional training in forestry and allied subjects at Indira Gandhi
    National Forest Academy, Dehradun, Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of
    Administration, Mussoorie, one year "on the job" training in the Cadre to which the IFS probationers
    are allotted, and on successful completion of probation period on completion of four years of service
    with reference to the Year of Allotment, the officers are appointed to the Senior Time Scale. On
    getting the Senior Time Scale the officers are entitled to be posted as Divisional Forest Officers or
    Deputy Conservators of Forests in charge of Forest Divisions.

    Pay Structure: The V Central Pay Commission recommended parity between Indian Police Service
    (IPS) and IFS and the same had been accepted by the GoI. The pay scales of posts in the Indian
    Forest Service are as under.

    Principal Chief Conservator of Forests                 : Rs. 24050-26000
    Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests : Rs. 22400-24500
    Chief Conservator of Forests                               : Rs. 18400-22400
    Conservator of Forests                                        : Rs. 16400-20000
    Deputy Conservator of Forests (Selection Grade) : Rs. 14300-18300
                        (Junior Administrative Grade) : Rs. 12000-16500
                                      (Senior Time Scale) : Rs. 10000-15200
                                      (Junior Time Scale) :  Rs.  8000-12000
                                        INDIAN FOREST SERVICE
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Site Developed and Maintained By Infiniti Inc in Association with Brain Works, Singapore.