Current Affair 1:

How Are AIS Officers Selected? How is Their Cadre Strength Fixed?

 

The Constitution of India provides for the creation of All India Services (AIS) common to the Union and the States. The rules for the regulation of recruitment and other service conditions of the All-India Services (AIS) personnel are determined by the All-India Services Act, 1951.

The recruitment to the service is done either through direct recruitment by examination or by promotion from state services. As of now, Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Services (IFS) are the only services under AIS.

Recruitment and vacancies

As per a reply to the Parliament in April 2022, the vacancies and their filling is an ongoing process. For direct recruitment (Civil Service Examination, CSE), an examination is conducted while for vacancies in promotion quota, the selection committee of UPSC holds meetings with the respective State Governments.

Further, the Central Government has decided to increase the annual intake of IAS officers to 180 from 2012 till CSE 2022, while for IPS, it increased from 150 to 200 with effect from CSE-2020. Additionally, a committee has been formed to recommend the intake for the direct recruitment of IAS officers every year from CSE 2022 to CSE 2030.

Cadre management of AIS

Cadre management is an important aspect of the All-India Services. This system ensured that the officers from various regions of India are placed at different locations in India, enabling the diversity to prevail.

Cadre Management is done under the Indian Administrative Services (Cadre) Rules, 1954 for IAS. Similarly, for IPS, it is done under the Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules 1954, and for forest service under the Indian Forest Service (Cadre) Rules 1966. These rules together guide the cadre management of AIS. Let’s look at some key provisions of these rules.

Section 3 of these rules deal with the establishment of cadres for states, while section 4 deals with the strength of the cadres. Consultation with State Governments for fixing strength and composition of the cadre, and a review for every five years to re-examine this allocation are two key provisions of section 4 of the above rules.

As of 2022, there are 24 state cadres and Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre which includes 3 states and 8 Union Territories.

Each state cadre has a specified cadre strength which is revised by the Union Government, in consultation with the respective State Government, depending on the requirement and availability of human resources.

The posts borne on, and the strength and composition of the cadre of the All-India Services of the various States shall be as specified in The Indian Administrative Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations, 1955; The Indian Police Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations, 1955; and The Indian Forest Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations, 1966. These cadre posts are subsequently divided into senior duty posts, central deputation reserve, state deputation reserve, training reserve, leave reserve, junior posts reserve, and posts to be filled by promotion under recruitment rules for AIS.

For the purposes of recruitment and selection, these state cadres are classified into five zones as shown below. The process of selection of candidates under different cadres is outlined in the Cadre Allocation Policy, 2017.

Also, learn about Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is the nodal Ministry for personnel management in the Government of India. It formulates policies with respect to recruitment, training, career progression, staff welfare, post retirement dispensation, administrative reforms, vigilance administration, grievance redressal, good governance and pensioners‟ welfare.

Evolution of the Ministry

1. In March, 1954, an Organization and Method (O&M) Division was set up in the Cabinet Secretariat to oversee the work relating to Administrative Reforms.
2. Subsequently, in March, 1964, a Department of Administrative Reforms was set up within the Ministry of Home Affairs and Organization and Method (O & M) Division was transferred to its charge from the Cabinet Secretariat.
3. In April, 1977, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms was shifted from Cabinet Secretariat to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
4. In March 1985, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms was elevated to a full-fledged Ministry of Personnel and Training, Administrative Reforms, Public Grievances and Pensions.
5. On December 10, 1985, Ministry was re-designated as the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions with three departments namely, (i) Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), (ii) Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (iii) Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare.

This Ministry was placed under the overall charge of the Hon'ble Prime Minister assisted by a Minister of State.

Current Affair 2:

The white-winged wood duck

 

The white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata) has been classified as endangered by​ the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), since 1994.

Only 800 individuals of this species are estimated to be left in the wild, out of which 450 individuals are known to be present in India. The bird is called Deo Hanh (the spirit duck) in Assamese, owing to its ghostly call. In India, this species can only be found in ​the northeast states.

Assam, which has been the stronghold for ​the white-winged wood duck in India, has a long history of conservation efforts by various individuals and organisations pursuing to protect this enigmatic species.

A recent study conducted to assess the impacts of climate change and the potential distribution of the white-winged wood duck in the Indian Eastern Himalayan (IEH) region for the 2050s and 2070s revealed that 436.61 square kilometres of highly potential habitat of the species would be lost by 2070.

Current Affair 3:

The “trees outside forests in India (TOFI)” programme

 

Why Trees Outside Forests?

Trees not only grow in forests but also beyond: in farms, pastures, meadows, parks, cities, along roads, rivers and across other non-forested landscapes. These trees outside of designated ‘forest’ areas are categorised as Trees Outside Forests (TOF).

TOFI is a key initiative for conserving nature while benefiting the livelihoods of millions of people. TOFI has three major objectives.

Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) is a five-year joint initiative by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of India.

With the united force of eight consortium partners led by CIFOR-ICRAF, the initiative is committed to expanding the area under trees outside forests for the benefit of livelihoods and the ecosystem.

TOFI seeks to scale up and accelerate the expansion of the area under trees outside forests in the seven participating states — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh — while enhancing livelihoods and ecosystem services.

Current Affair 4:

About World Spice Congress

 

News:

World Spice Congress (WSC), the conglomeration of the global spice industry, has become the most apt platform to deliberate the concerns and considerations of the sector.

This biennial event organized by Spices Board India remains the premier platform that brings the global spice industry together to deliberate on the problems and prospects in the spices sector.

Since its inception in 1990, the WSC could successfully bring together the global perspectives in the spice sector to its ambient ranging from the traditional food and beverages to the most advanced examinations for nutraceuticals and nootropics.

About Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Spices Board is a statutory body constituted with effect from 26.02.1987 under the Spices Board Act, 1986 (10 of 1986) by merging the erstwhile Cardamom Board and the Spices Export Promotion Council under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce.

Spices Board is responsible for the overall development of cardamom industry and export promotion of 52 spices listed in the schedule of the Spices Board Act, 1986.

The primary function of the Board includes development of small and large cardamom, promotion, development, regulation of export of spices and control on quality of spices for export.

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