Career graphs in the PCS and the IAS: The state PCS is the Public Civil services of the state , exactly like the one we have here in Nagaland called the Nagaland Civil Service(NCS) . Recruitment happens through the NPSC exam conducted by the PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION every year. The best thing about getting into the PCS is , well, you get to work in your home state and serve your ‘own’ people, if that makes sense. Language is definitely not an issue, not to mention the food , the culture and everything else. A lot of people choose to work in their own state and that makes perfect sense. Promotions are a bit of a pickle in the state PCS. I cannot generalise for all states in the country but ( to illustrate ) from my experience working in the state government here, this seems to be the major gripe of the officers. With recruitments happening in the double digits every year, stagnation is a very probable repercussion. Extra Assistant Commissioners can expect to stay in the position for 8-12 years, another 5 years as SDOs and another 5 as ADCs , one can expect to reach SENIOR TIME SCALE in 15-20 years. SENIOR TIME SCALE officers mean officers eligible for posting as Deputy Comissioners / Collectors of a district. Later, once you become senior enough, you will get posted in the State Civil Secretariat , the Deputy Secretaries ,the Joint Secretaries and so on . In theory , if an officer has 30 years of service in the PCS, they can expect to reach the rank of Secretary in about 25ish years. Principal secretaries and above are reserved for IAS officers. If you have the years behind you , you may be inducted in to the IAS . How inductions work ? Usually in Nagaland , it happens after 25+ years and on your rank in the batch. Ex cadre posts : directors in the sports department , DUDA and a few others. Rural department: Since its bifurcation from the District Administration in the 2000s ? , now the sole purpose of administration is law &order and coordinating line departments in the district. Field work is very fulfilling however ,and an officer’s years in the field are some of their most cherished moments. Categorisation of postings as hard and soft exist in Nagaland where in officers are supposed to be rotated. It is not fair for an officer to be always posted in hard/remote areas for personal & or professional reasons. Whether the policy is followed by the cadre controlling authority remains to be seen. Under / deputy secretaries are paper pushing bureaucrats, for the most part. A lot of smart officers choose to learn the fine art of paper pushing at these levels. So in the local text ,maybe you are an EAC maybe you are smart enough to come to Kohima after 10 years in the field, to learn the fine art of paper pushing . As an added bonus, Kohima is always a nice place to work in where you can network with the head honchos. For an All-India service officer, there is the cadre policy at play . Basically , an officer is allocated a cadre and he is expected to serve their cadre throughout their career. However, they can work in their home state for about 5-7 years on deputation basis . Central postings are also an option after 9 years in the cadre. Foreign postings are another alternative. Heard of the United Nations ? The World Bank ? The INTERPOL ? Yes , those kind. One can be posted anywhere and one’s cadre is considered sacred, like a marriage. They have to make it work. That entails entrenching yourself within the ethos of your allocated state cadre , making her culture your own. Learning the state anguage is the first rite of passage for all officers. It is after all, called an All India Service. Promotions are fast-the best part. I recall a senior officer saying the IAS probationers come to the states like little lost babies. A few blinks later, they are ,suddenly, your District Collectors/ your SPs/ DFOs. So you get the hint. An IAS officer usually becomes the Deputy Commissioner in 4-5 years in most states, Secretaries in about 10 years and Principal Secretaries in 20 years.
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