Indian Forest Service (IFS)
If you enjoy the outdoors, draw inspiration from the simple everyday wonders of nature, and have the fire in you to persistently work for the forests and environment against all odds, this can be your call as well.
It is a multifaceted journey of challenges and experiences when reaching for the goal to be a civil servant. And if there is a passion and willingness to protect the environment, nature, and the biodiversity around us, being an Indian Forest Service officer would make efforts joyful and purposeful even more. Around this time of the year, many aspirants are taking the first step toward their Civil Service journey. It is worth understanding the history of the Indian Forest Service and its evolution over the years.
History of IFS
India is one of those few countries that took up scientific management of her forests early on. In 1864, the British Indian Government started the Imperial Forest Department. By 1866, Dr. Dietrich Brandis, a German Forest Officer was appointed as the Inspector General of Forests and the following year, the Imperial Forest Service was constituted with the mandate to manage the varied natural resources of our vast and diverse country alongside organising the affairs of the Imperial Forest Department.
Officers appointed to the Imperial Forest Services were trained at the finest Forestry colleges in France, Germany, and thereafter in Britain. The Imperial Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, presently known all over the world as FRI was established at Dehradun in 1906 where the officers were trained. By 1938, the Indian Forest College (IFC) was established in Dehradun and the officers were trained there.
With the Government of India Act 1935 the subject of “Forestry” which was managed by the Federal Government until then, was transferred to the “Provincial List” and subsequently, recruitment to the Imperial Forest Service was discontinued. This was the pre-independence period.
Post-independence, The Indian Forest Service was constituted in the year 1966 under the All-India Services Act, 1951 as one of the three All India Services, by the Government of India alongside the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS).
Mandate of IFS
The main mandate of the forest service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which covers the scientific management of forests and enforcement of various acts like the Indian Forest Act 1927, the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, The Forest Conservation Act 1980, etc. along with climate change. India being a signatory to the various international conventions, our national laws and guidelines are framed covering the roles of securing Biodiversity, Wetlands, Pollution Control, etc and are also handled by these officers. An IFS officer in a gist is a natural resource manager with a bigger role in protecting and preserving the natural heritage, managing them sustainably while securing the ecological security of the Nation.
Various stages of the selection process
Direct recruitment to the IFS happens via the All-India level competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a science or engineering background and selections start from the first round of the exam often known as Prelims.
Preliminary Exam or the Prelims must be cleared first and then to qualify for the forest service exam mains, the candidate will need to have a higher cut-off than for the civil service mains. As per UPSC website data, the cut-off of the UPSC Preliminary for the year 2020 Forest Service (Mains) for a general category candidate was 110.88 as compared to 92.51 (out of 200 marks) qualifying for Civil Services (Mains).
From this point onwards the path diverges for the civil services exam and the forest service exam. Candidates who qualified will write the forest service mains exam covering six papers on general English, general knowledge, and any two subjects to be selected from the list of the optional subjects having two papers each.
The next step involves a personality test commonly referred to as the Interview. The interview board investigates attributes and traits of the candidate such as intellectual curiosity, critical observation, and assimilation, the balance of judgment, alertness of mind, leadership capability, mental and physical energy, abilities in practical application, the integrity of character, etc. among the various desirable aspects for a civil servant. Apart from this a forest service officer’s understanding of the environment, love for outdoor life, capability and inclination to serve in the remotest of the corners of the country, and an appreciation of nature are also investigated.
Physical fitness is the next level of screening, and the candidate must pass a walking test of 25 km for men and 14 km for women in four hours. The candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards set as per regulations given in the rules for the Indian Forest Service Examination published in the Gazette of India in the year of examination or as specified in the examination notification. After passing through all these steps successfully a qualified candidate starts the training phase.
Training to be a Forester
The training phase of an IFS officer is divided into three parts. It starts with a foundation course of three months duration held at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. This is a combined training of the various All Indian and Central Service officers with the basic aim to build inter-service camaraderie and engage in the basic training on nation-building.
Then comes the Professional Training phase which is spread over 16 months with classroom sessions, various field forestry, and wildlife exercises, all India tours, special attachments with parliament, National Police Academy, NGOs, management institutions as well as weapons training, swimming, horse riding, etc. This is an exhaustive training that transforms you into a forester.
This is followed by on-the-job training (OJT) for four months at the respective State cadres. After the training, the officer takes charge as the Assistant Conservator of Forest. Later upon promotion as Deputy Conservator of Forest more commonly referred to as the Divisional Forest Officers (DFO), they would be the administrative heads of the divisions defined in the state. Apart from this 33.33 per cent of the cadre strength of the service, as per the regulations, is filled by appointing eligible officers of the State Forest Service to IFS.
Why Civil Services?
The motivation for the civil services aspirants can be many. For some, it may be a secure career path or for some the associated social respect and perks of being a civil servant. Of course, these entitlements are just ancillary benefits helping to facilitate the performance of our duty as an officer. The money earned as a civil servant as compared to corporate jobs would be still less but the passion to do good and help people and nature towards a sustainable future trumps everything else. Once selected, he or she is going to play a crucial role in nation-building, conserving and developing the resources wisely and responsibly for a sustained tomorrow the upcoming generations will thrive in, enjoy and cherish. This is no simple responsibility that comes with the power. The real power of a civil servant, including the forest service officer, lies in its transformative ability, to improve and empower the lives of common people for good while steering the nation ahead, securing and managing its richness.
Towards a greater calling
As Forest officers, it is indeed a big and serious responsibility to be the guardians of our rich nature and its resources and keep it in trusteeship for future generations. It is not a secret that there are a lot who knowingly and unknowingly exploit the resources and disrupt the rich biodiversity of our forest and natural resources thoughtlessly. As we educate the citizens and empower them to be safe-keepers of our rich biodiversity and resources, its critical unauthorised access and exploitation are strictly controlled not just for the sake of law and order but for our good and future generations. We thank you all for your partnership in this mission and for responsibly sharing the various campaigns, competitions, and events from the forest department on our communication platforms.
We can no longer be selfish for our wants and nature must be preserved so that it can continue providing for our needs. It is important to maintain intragenerational and intergenerational equity while ensuring that we thrive with the rich biodiversity and resources of nature. The state of Meghalaya, which is richly endowed with vast forests, flowing rivers, varied wildlife, natural resources, and rich biodiversity, is indeed a treasure trove that is worth sustaining.
For the people of Meghalaya, conservation is nothing new as they have been doing this for ages in their indigenous ways. The sacred groves are an evident example of this. Meghalaya is also the state having the largest number of community reserves, which are protected areas in the whole of India.
Presently we have only two serving direct officers who are locals from the state, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & the Head of the Forest Force B K Lyngwa who is an IFS officer of the 1985 batch, and the other being Terakchi K. Marak who is an IFS officer of 2013 batch. Along with them, several IFS officers from across India work in Meghalaya in tight collaboration with the local communities and foresters and the frontline field staff who brave their days to go to lengths to save and protect our nature, wildlife, and heritage.
Hopefully in the days to come more and more youngsters from the state clears the exam and join the ranks of IFS to keep going on this tireless and purposeful mission. Unlike mainland India, where most of the forests are under the control of the respective Forest Departments here in Meghalaya, most of the forests are under community ownership. Hence the way we manage and conserve the forest and natural resources must be unique keeping in account the deep-rooted traditions combined with the modern scientific management techniques. This is indeed a unique opportunity for youngsters of the state to steer Meghalaya, India towards an ecologically resilient and sustainable future.
(The writer is presently the Divisional Forest Officer, Forest Utilisation Division, Shillong. Views expressed in this article are her own.)
