IAS Officers joining IRS? - We demand Equality
THE IRS Association in a letter to its members, states;
• The number of higher promotional posts and therefore the opportunities for promotion in the IRS, compared to other Services, particularly the IAS, IFS, IPS and IFS (Forest) are very limited. Successive Pay Commissions have been placing IAS and IFS at a higher pedestal and giving them extra advantages in terms of pay, promotions etc.
• The discrepancy in number of posts is particularly marked for higher posts. It is seen that for IAS which has only a slightly bigger cadre strength compared to the IRS, the number of Apex level posts is about 10 times and for IPS and IFS(Forest) with a smaller cadre compared to the IRS there are about double the number of Apex level posts. Similarly IFS(Foreign) with a much smaller cadre has a very large number of Apex level posts resulting in very fast promotions in these Services compared to the IRS.
• There is nothing to show that the IRS is inferior to any other Service, as there is a common system of examination and any candidate can opt for any Service depending upon his or her choice and the availability of posts in that Service.
• There are a very large number of IRS officers who could have or had joined All India Services such as IPS and IFS (Forest) but preferred to join the IRS. Similarly there are some examples of candidates who could have joined IAS or IFS but preferred to join the IRS. We need to bring forward such examples so as to demonstrate to the 7th Pay Commission that there is no ground for treating or considering that the IRS is inferior to these services.
• In view of the fact that the IRS is now the Principal Revenue Collector for the Nation (a task which was performed by the ICS in the pre Independence period and by the IAS thereafter) and in view of other factors such as the efficiency of the IRS, as we collect the Revenue at the lowest cost of collection in the world, we have prayed to the 7th CPC for the IRS being treated as the premier Service of the country and to be given the edge which was earlier given to the IAS.
• As may please be appreciated, merely stating that a large number of officers decline to join the IAS / IFS/ IPS / IFS(Forest), is just not enough, as it lacks the requisite thrust. You are therefore requested to cite such concrete cases of officers within your knowledge preferring to join the IRS notwithstanding their qualifying for the IAS / IFS (Foreign)/ IPS/ IFS (Forest) etc. (in the same year or an earlier or later year) with their details.
This is from the Income Tax version of IRS.