Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police service both are very crucial civil services to serve in India. They are also known as IAS and IPS respectively. Both are equally very prestigious job roles. IAS and IPS get their due respect and much-needed recognition in society.
IAS vs IPS
The main difference between IAS and IPS is that Indian Administrative service holds responsibility for policy formulation keeping public administration as a reference point while Indian Police service serves responsibility to maintain law and order in the country.
As said, both the jobs are very prestigious and carry
responsibilities towards society’s wellbeing, functioning and maintain the law
and order in the governing zones of at least that they serve.
The second key difference is that the training centers’ are different.
The training of IAS takes place at Mussorie in Uttarakhand while the training of IPS takes placeat Hyderabad in Telangana.
- IAS – Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
- IPS – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy
Comparison Table Between IAS and IPS (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of Comparison | Indian Administrative service | Indian Police service |
|---|---|---|
| Controlling Authority | Ministry of personnel, public grievances, and Pension | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Appointed by | Sub-divisional magistrate | IAS official |
| Roles | Policy Formulation and implementation | Maintain Law and order |
| Ranks | Topmost in hierarchy | Lower to IAS |
| Salary | Higher | Comparatively low. |
| Area wise officers | Only One | More than one |
| Departments that they serve | All government departments | police department |
What is IAS?
The Indian Administrative Service officer is appointed by the subdivision magistrate on passing the civil service examination on a six months probation bases.
Later the promotion takes place to the district magistrate, collector, divisional commissioner, etc.
The IAS officer is usually posted at the central apex level wherein they can work on various roles. Some of the designations are Cabinet Secretary and joint secretary.
The primary actions and mandates for an IAS officer are to formulate the policies and implement the same through the public administration bodies.
The IAS officer is also responsible to look into the matters or revenue, its collection, and other revenue related matters. Also, matters of court settlements at the central and state level also are in their belt.
What is IPS?
The Indian Police service is a qualified civil servant who is a top-ranked officer in the police department. IPS operates at both, State and Central levels.
They need to get the topmost rank in the UPSC exam.
The working structure of an IPS offers looks into the matter of security provisions, public order, law enforcement, crime-related investigations, etc.
The IPS officer also takes a decision at the level of their area zone on the hiring, salary marking, other allowances, perquisites, and requisites.
Main Differences Between IAS and IPS
Roles
The IAS officer role is like the head of the state whereas the IPS officer role is the head of the police department.
IAS role is to look into the policy level while the role o the IPS officer is to look into the daily happenings in the city with respect to the functioning of law and order.
The IPS officer looks into the functioning of the police department in its totality.
They look into each and every functioning of daily crime records, its investigations, daily trials, the appointment of other subordinate officers, etc.
The role of an IPS is mainly at the application of
those decided and given administrative accords. Also, the IPS officer reports
to the IAS officer.
Departments
The IAS officer is a part of the bureaucratic wing that pertains to all India services.
The IAS office looks into the vigilance organization and central police activities.
Some of the departments that IAS looks into; research and analysis wing, national security guard, border security force, central reserve police force, intelligence bureau
Area Wise
India has various cities and every city can have one or more IAS officers depending on the geographical landscape.
But mostly there is only one IAS officer in an area while there can be more than one IPS officer in an area.
As the police department is established in each and every area of the city,
Ranks and Salary
The ranks and the salary scale differ between IAS and IPS and also within their departments as well.
An IAS officer begins at a junior scale and moves ahead to the senior scale role.
The ranks and Salary likewise seem a growth but the salary scale of an IPS is much lower than the IAS officer.
The salary scale can be up to INR 54,000 for an IPS officer. The ranks of the IPS officers are explained in detail – ranks of IPS officers.
Conclusion
Both the service is of prestige and gives a morale boost to serve the nation.
The recognition and respect that they achieve are worth the 24/7 efforts to learn/ appear for the UPSC exam.
Mostly the UPSC aspirants eye the IAS level and work very hard for their UPSC exams. Every UPC aspirants look at IPS as their second option only.
It’s important to note that the eligibility criteria for both, IAS and IPS are 21 years of age. Also holding a university degree is a norm.
References
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=288352
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01900690701229848
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0019556119710105