The Indian Economic Service (abbreviated as IES, I.E.S.) is an inter-ministerial and inter-departmental central civil service under Group A of the executive branch of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. The unique aspect of the service is that the cadre posts are spread across various departments and ministries of central government numbering more than 55. It is a highly specialised and professional service within the government of India catering to economic analysis and policy advice.

History

The Indian Economic Service was introduced by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

for formulating and implementing economic policies and programmes in India. The initial steps towards formation of service can be traced to 1952. A Committee under V. T. Krishnamachari submitted a report in September 1953, recommending the formation of a service to be known as the Statistical and Economic Advisory Service. On the contrary, Prasanta Mahalanobis did not favour the idea of a combined Statistical and Economic Advisory Service. The Cabinet in its meeting held on 12 February 1958 decided that two separate services should be formed; a Statistical Service and other an Economic Service. The Indian Economic Service was constituted on 1 November 1961 and the Service Rules were notified on the same date. The actual operationalization of service took place in 1964. Until 2009, the post of Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India was a

Union Public Service Commission The Union Public Service Commission ( ISO: ), commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under Government of India. It is responsible for appointments to and exam ...

appointment and until the 1970s almost all CEAs were members of the Indian Economic Service.

Recruitment

The UPSC conducts a separate Economics Service exam. The minimum eligibility criterion is a post graduate degree in Economics and allied subjects.

Various Grades in the IES

Training

The direct recruits undergo a comprehensive probationary training comprising various phases ranging from Foundation Course (along with All India Services and Central Civil Services) to Applied Economics at the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG). The training programme also comprises various attachments with institutions of repute all across the country. The training course also has international attachment with Civil Service College, Singapore.

Notable members

I. G. Patel Indraprasad Gordhanbhai Patel (11 November 1924 – 17 July 2005), popularly known as I. G. Patel, was an Indian economist and a civil servant who served as the fourteenth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1 December 1977 to 15 Septem ...

– 14th governor of

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible f ...

* Manmohan Singh - Economic advisor, Ministry of Foreign Trade, India (1971–1972) *

Montek Singh Ahluwalia Montek Singh Ahluwalia (born 24 November 1943) is an Indian economist and civil servant who was the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, a position which carried the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He tendered his resignation for t ...

- Economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance (1979) *

P. N. Dhar Prithvi Nath Dhar (P.N. Dhar, 1 March 1919 – 19 July 2012) was an Indian economist and the head of Indira Gandhi's secretariat and one of her closest advisers. Early life and career P. N. Dhar was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family on 1919 ...

- Economic adviser in Prime Minister's Secretariat (1970) * Samar Ranjan Sen – Former executive director of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. * R. M. Honavar – 6th Chief Economic Adviser to Government of India * R.K. Chandolia -

Private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to Andimuthu Raja and accused in 2G spectrum case

References

''Notes''

External links

Indian Economic Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Economic Service Central Civil Services (India) Economy of India