Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (AFHQ CS): Roles & Responsibilities, Eligibility, Recruitment, Grade And Salary For 2021

Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS) is Group ‘B’ Civil Service which is responsible for providing civilian staff, housekeeping, secretarial, clerical, and other support services to Indian Armed Forces headquarters and Inter-Service Organizations (ISOs) under the Defence ministry.

The Armed Forces Headquarters (Army, Navy, Air Force) and other inter-service bodies under the Ministry of Defence have civilian staff who are responsible for administration/ management. In 1968 the cadre was established, and the number of employees in the service was 1778.

AFHQ CS was constituted for dedicated/committed administrative pillars, which are essential in the functioning of the Defence Ministry. AFHQ CS officers are dealing/handling the issues such as personnel administration, budget, policy planning, logistic, legal matters, pension etc.

For further information about the UPSC Civil Service Examination, visit the link- UPSC CSE.

Role & Responsibilities of Section Officer in AFHQ CS

Responsible for management, coordination and distribution of work which includes supervision of staff. She/he will initiate files for proposals or decisions after analyzing the policies.
Submitting periodic Reports & returns, which includes collation of data.
The officer will be active in administration and management of the Integrated Headquarters of the Defence Ministry (Army, Navy and Air-force).
Responsible for efficient and immediate disposal of work and checking on delays.
Ensuring strict agreement with instructions regarding treatment and safeguarding of documents and maintenance of records.

AFHQ CS Eligibility

For the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS) exam, the eligibility criteria are the same as for other Civil Services Exam.

For detailed information, please visit- UPSC Posts and Ranks.

Recruitment and Training

The initial recruitment of the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS) officer is through the Civil Service Examination conducted by UPSC every year.

Candidates have to emerge victorious in all three rounds of UPSC civil service examination by attempting them. After success in the prelims, mains and the interview round, candidates have to check if they are shortlisted in the final list.

Unfilled (DR Quota) vacancies will be directed to promotion quota in the 4th year (after carrying forward of three years). And the remaining 50% filled by promoting Assistants.

Training

A foundation course which is conducted by Defence Headquarters Training Institute for newly recruited candidates, here they are introduced to the functioning of government and sensitize them of the role and responsibilities in the Headquarters and Inter-Service Organizations.
Elaborated training on the services and for their learning in-house specialized modules are created. They are given on-job training which helps them to understand their roles/responsibilities in the service headquarters and other inter-service organizations.

Grade and Salary of Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS)

Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (AFHQ CS) at present has the following grades:

S.No.	Grade	Name of Pay Band/Pay Scale	Band/Scale (Rs)	Grade Pay (Rs)
1	Principal Director (Group ‘A’) AFHQ CS has four posts for Principal Director	Pay Band – 4	Between 37400-67000	INR 10000
2	Director (Group ‘A’) AFHQ CS Directors eligible for Principal Director on completion of three years of service	PayBand-4	Between 37400-67000	INR 8700
3	Joint Director (Group ‘A’) AFHQ CS Joint Directors suitable for the Director grade on completion of 05 years of service in the grade	PayBand-3	Between 15600-39100	INR 7600
4	Deputy Director (Group ‘A’) AFHQ CS Deputy Directors eligible for the Joint Director grade and to other posts on completion of 05 years of service	PayBand-3	Between 15600-39100	INR 6600
5	Section Officer (Group ‘B’) 50% of the posts are filled by Direct Recruitment. Section Officers are eligible for promotion to the Deputy Directors on completion of 6 years’ service.	PayBand-2	(i) between 9300-34800 On initial appointment (ii)between 15600-39100 Non-functional scale or Grade pay on completion of 4 years approved service	(i) INR 4800 (ii)INR 5400 (Non-functional Grade Pay)
6	Assistant section officer (Group ‘B’, Non-Gazette)	PayBand-2	Between 9300-34800	INR 4600

Career Prospects

Under present existed rules and availability of vacancies, Section Officers have following promotional approach:

50% of the section officer’s posts are filled by Direct Recruitment. Section Officers are eligible for promotion to the rank of Deputy Directors on completion of 6 years’ service. There is an upgrade to the Grade Pay of Rs. 5400/- in PayBand-3 on completion of 4 years’ service as Section Officer.
AFHQ CS Deputy Directors are eligible for the Joint Director grade and to other posts on completion of 05 years of service
AFHQ CS Joint Directors are eligible for the Director grade on completion of 05 years of service in the category.
At the apex/higher level, the controlling authority is headed by the Joint secretary along with the Chief administrative officer.
Officers appointed as Group B officers via recruitment conducted by UPSC civil service examinations can rise to the cadre of Group A officers too. It requires the promotion of the candidates after they serve in their respective roles for a minimum of 3 years. Some of the positions require a minimum of five years’ service for promotion to higher levels, and the maximum is fixed at six years of the requirement for senior scale roles.

For more information about Civil Services, visit the link UPSC CSE Syllabus.

Summary/Overview

Topics covered in this article

Role & Responsibilities of Section Officer in AFHQ CS
AFHQ CS Eligibility
Recruitment and Training
Grade and Salary of Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHQ CS)
Career Prospects

Note- For more updates on UPSC 2021, visit- https://www.upsc.gov.in/.