Topic summary
Indian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is the premier forest service of India. The IFS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) & the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in the year 1966 under the All India Services Act, 1951.
The service implements the National Forest Policy in order to ensure the ecological stability of the country through the protection and participatory sustainable management of natural resources. The members of the service also manage the National Parks, Tiger Reserve, Wildlife Sanctuaries and other Protected Areas of the country. A Forest Service officer is wholly independent of the district administration and exercises administrative, judicial and financial powers in their own domain. Positions in state forest department, such as
- District/Divisional Forest Officer (DFO),
- Conservator of Forests,
- Chief Conservator of Forests and
- Principal Chief Conservator of Forests etc.,
are held, at times, by Indian Forest Service officers.
- The highest-ranking Forest Service official in each state is the Head of Forest Forces.
A forest service officer also hold positions of Chairman and Member Secretary in the State Pollution Control Boards.
Earlier, the British Government in India had constituted the Imperial Forest Service in 1867 which functioned under the Federal Government until the Government of India Act 1935 was passed and responsibility was transferred to the provinces.
Administration of the Service is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.