20 central civil services up in arms against 'IAS supremacy'

NEW DELHI: About 20 central civil services, including IPS and IRS, have decided to petition seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) to seek job parity and career progression enjoyed by IAS officers.

A meeting of representatives of central civil services was held here recently and it was unanimously decided to petition the CPC to inform it about job-related anomaly, official sources said.

The petition, citing in detail the discrepancy, will soon be sent to the seventh Central Pay Commission. The purpose behind sending such a request is to have parity and to end IAS supremacy, they said.

The move assumes significance as a war of words is going on between officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and those belonging to other central government services over the issue.

Officers belonging to Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Railways and other such central services have been seeking pay parity and career benefits enjoyed by those in IAS.

Opposing this, about 200 IAS officers have written to Department of Personnel and Training, cadre controlling authority for their service, requesting it to stonewall any move that seeks to bring down the edge given to them over other services due to various reasons.

IAS officers get empanelled to a Joint Secretary-level post in 18 years while those belonging to IRS and other services get it after putting in about 20-22 years of service. The early empanelment gives an upper hand to IAS officer, in terms of higher pay and other pecuniary benefits, as compared to their batchmate of other services.