Our India is meant for the beautiful Floral kingdom as well as a different type of animals across. Hence, to manage and maintain those species beautifully, a person needed. That’s none other than the Indian Forest officer. His responsibility is quite authorized and would be implementing the entire forest policy and following all rules and regulations as well. Overall, to maintain the forest ecologically, the Forest officer roles are of different types. Out of which, Head of Forest forces is quite an interesting and lucrative one too to go ahead with.
Eligibility for becoming IFS Officer:
The minimum eligibility criteria for becoming an IFS officer are the candidates should be from the science stream. However, it doesn’t guarantee the job since specialization matters a lot. The main criteria are the candidates should appear for the examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public service commission). This exam is divided into three stages- Prelims, Mains and Interview. One has to clear all three stages, wherein he is considered to go ahead. Post which, the selected candidate has to undergo 2 years of training at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy.
- The minimum Educational Qualification is to be a Graduate of a reputed University.
- The specialization that candidates had studied should be of either Botany/Chemistry/Zoology/Mathematics/Physics/Chemistry (or) Animal Husbandry & Veterinary science
- The minimum age criteria for applying is 21 years.
- As mentioned earlier, one has to clear all 3 stages of the Interview process, post which he/she has to undergo training for 2 years.
Various Job Roles-IFS:
Now, let’s look into the various roles of Indian Forest officer and you will know your eligibility, through which you can apply for and go ahead.
- Principal Chief Conservator– Who is also known as Head of Forest force wherein he/she manages the forests, wildlife issues of the Indian state. Among all the positions, this is the one which is considered as the highest demanding position.
- Chief Conservator II: This is the person who will be assisting and supporting the Principle chief conservator. The responsibility remains the same as Principal Chief, hence coordinating with him would help more.
- Forest Range officer: To manage the wide ranges of the forest, a Forest Range officer comes in place. And also known as Custodian of entire government property related to the Forest range. The instructions from the Deputy Conservator of Forest should be taken for proceeding with things in the forest.
In General, the various responsibilities of IFS officer are as follows:
- To maintain and manage the plants and animals of the forest range.
- To protect wildlife and develop the forests
- And the concerned officers should take care of environmental stability and ecological balance.
- And also look into any problems if persists, solve them and make sure the plants grow in a very well way and proceed with.
- The main area to be focused on is to look over the livelihood presence over the forest communities.
Ways for becoming an IFS officer:
Once the candidate had completed Higher secondary(12th) with a Major specialization in Physics, Chemistry/Biotechnology/Biochemistry, then he/she has to go as per the below to apply/enrol as an IFS officer.
- If the desired candidate has enrolled for Bachelors of science, then on completion, should complete Masters of Science and then go-ahead for the Interview stage process.
- On the other side, if the candidate goes with B. tech, upon completion, should complete M.tech and proceed with the Interview process.
So, for pursuing this degree, the following colleges can opt which is recognized one.
- St. Xavier’s College- Mumbai
- DG Vaishnava College- Chennai
- Indian Institute of Science Education & Research -Pune
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research- Mumbai
- S.S. Jain Subodh P.G. College- Jaipur
- Tezpur University – Tezpur
- Mount Carmel College- Bangalore
Employment Criteria and Pay Scale Criteria:
The Employment of Indian Forest service officer is available only in Government sector alone. There are no specific private sector agencies for recruitment as well. However, as mentioned earlier, the candidate has to clear all the levels of examination conducted by Union Public service commission. Based on their performance, the candidates will be offered and filled in for various positions that are available in Forest officer levels.
Now, let’s look into different pay scale criteria based on the positions. This range is an estimated figure, it might get varied depending on the post.
- Principle Chief Conservator – Rs. 15 lakhs per annum
- Additional Principle Chief Conservator – Rs.14 lakhs per annum
- Chief Conservator (Inspector General) – Rs. 13 lakhs per annum
- Deputy Conservator (Deputy Inspector) – Rs. 12 lakhs per annum
- Assistant Inspector General – Rs. 10 lakhs per annum
Pros and Cons of IFS officer:
The major benefit of IFS officer is they have amazing employee benefits and the salary keeps increasing as per the experience and based on position as well.
Since they are mostly in Forest, the risk is quite minimal, however, they need to be taken care of. And also since this is a government based role, the particular person needs to take extra care of everything all around
Study material suggestions- IFS officer:
Finally, it always to better know about the books you have to go through to crack the IFS examinations.
1. R. Gupta’s Indian Forest service book
2. R. Gupta’s Indian Forest- Agriculture
3. R. Gupta’s Indian Forest- Botany
Added to the above, one can look into the books that are provided by UPSC to clear all stages of examination
Faqs:
- What are the major criteria to become an IFS officer?
Once you have completed Graduation, then you need to enrol for the examination conducted by UPSC. This exam has 3 stages, wherein the desired candidate should clear all the stages to become an IFS officer.
- Can I get a salary during my training period?
Yes, during a training duration of 2 years, the salary is provided.
- What specialization is needed to become an IFS officer?
It’s not all the Graduation courses that are eligible. One has to complete the Graduation either in Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Botany/Zoology/Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences/Geology etc.
