IRS over IAS? The Caste System!
IN DDT 1759 23.12.2011, I wrote about young men leaving IAS for IRS. An angry IRS officer strongly protested,
I was surprised when you wrote -
"And if you think things are going to be better in future, young men who are selected to join India's premier civil services are leaving IAS and IPS to join the IRS because they presume there is more money in IRS"
This falsehood was first propagated by India Today around 2 decades back - i.e. 20 batches of Civil Services have joined since then.
Barring one or two Officers, nobody has preferred I.R.S. over I.A.S. And you must remember that around 1000 plus officers have joined I.R.S. in these 20 years. One or Two officers can have personal reasons or choice.
By the way, one or two officers have also preferred I.P.S over I.A.S., purely due to personal reasons or personal choice.
I.P.S. is a different type of Service, with very different job profile. Since 1960s, there have been large number of officers who have not opted for I.P.S. and have opted for I.R.S. and I.A.A.S.
So please note the correct factual position.
And the fact is that the kind of career profile, variety of assignments, perks, absolute supremacy that I.A.S. enjoys in Districts, State Capitals, New Delhi - no other Service can ever come near it.
The same officer continued in another mail to DDT,
My mail was only conveying the agony of all I.R.S. Officers - or should I say double jeopardy -
* of NOT getting a Civil Services Rank to get into I.A.S. and thereby not being able to join the 'Brahmins' of Civil Services in this lifetime (Civil Services in India too have a caste system as you know - one can only be born into a Service, and after that no amount of sincerity and integrity can change the destiny) : and