The Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is one of the three All India Services, and the other two are the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in 1966, although the service dates back to 1864 under the British Raj when it was established as the Imperial Forest Service.
The main mandate of this service is to implement the National Forest Policy, which aims to ensure environmental stability and manage the country’s natural resources.
Indian Forest Service is mentioned as IFoS. Indian Foreign Service is mentioned as IFS. UPSC IFoS is also a part of the Civil Services Exam(CSE). Therefore, candidates should know the difference between the IFoS and IFS.
Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam
The Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruiting officers at the All India level by the Government of India (GoI) for the management of its forests service. An Indian Forest Service officer is independent of district administration and exercises administrative, judicial and financial powers in their domain. All higher positions in the state forest department are held by IFoS officers.
IFoS Exam details
- The IFoS notification is the same as the UPSC Civil Services Exam Notification which is released every year around January- February by the UPSC. The prelims exam, the first stage, is always the same for both the civil services and the forest service’s exams.
- Candidates should indicate whether they are taking the civil services, the IFoS, or both the exams while applying online.
- Several vacancies for the IFoS exam (around 100 per year) are less, as compared to the civil services.
- The mains exam (the second stage) for the IFoS is different from the civil services exam.
The IFoS selection procedure consists of three stages –
- Preliminary examination
- Main examination
- Personality test
The UPSC has to postpone the Civil Services (Preliminary) 2021 examination due to Coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak. The action of postponement of the Preliminary exam will also affect the selection process of the Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
Note- For further details and latest updates visit UPSC official website.
| IFoS 2021 Notification | March 3, 2021 |
| Organizing body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam mode | Offline |
| Number of attempts | 6 |
| Number of vacancies | 90 (approximately) the number of vacancies liable to alteration Reserved vacancies – 3
|
| Date of Commencement of Examination | June 27, 2021 |
Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam Eligibility
The eligibility conditions for the IFoS exam:
- Nationality
Candidate must be either:- a citizen of India, or
- a subject of Nepal, or
- a subject of Bhutan, or
- A Tibetan Refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, to be settled permanently in India, or
- Must be a person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire and Vietnam intending to settle in India permanently.
- Age limit
As per the Civil Services Age Limit, the candidate should be a minimum of 21 years old as on August 1 2021 (for UPSC CSE 2021) and maximum 32 years as on August 1 2020, i.e., he/she must have been born not earlier than August 2, 1988, and not later than August 1 1999. - Number of attempts
Total number of attempts for General – 6 attempts (Up to 32 Years)
In case of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Candidates (SC/ST)-No Limits (Up to 37 Years)
For Other Backward Classes (OBC)-9 attempts (Up to 35 Years)
In case of Physically handicapped- 9 attempts for general and OBC, while for SC/ST no bar on no. of attempts. - Educational Qualification
The conditions are different when it comes to the educational criteria for the forest service exam.
The civil services require a bachelor’s degree but the IFoS exam requires a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering from UPSC recognized universities. Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the subjects, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Statistics and Zoology or a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or Engineering or Forestry from a recognized university or equivalent.
Candidates appearing for their final examination (with prescribed subjects) can also apply. They have to submit the proof of passing the required examination along with their detailed application form to be filled in at the second stage.
Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam Pattern
Stage 1: Preliminary Exam
- The preliminary exam for the Indian Forest Service (IFos) is the same as the IAS Preliminary exam. There are two papers, GS I and CSAT, both objective in nature.
- For the IFoS exam, the cut off is higher than for the IAS exam since the number of vacancies is less.
Stage 2: Mains Exam
- In the IFoS mains exam, there are Six papers.
- All of them are descriptive. The time duration for each paper is 3 hours.
- Two optional subjects are there that candidates have to choose.
| Paper | Subject | Total marks |
| Paper I | General English | 300 |
| Paper-II | General Knowledge | 300 |
| Paper III | Optional I | 200 |
| Paper IV | Optional I | 200 |
| Paper V | Optional II | 200 |
| Paper VI | Optional II | 200 |
For the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) main exam available list of optional subjects (two to be chosen):
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Engineering
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Botany
- Civil Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Forestry
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Statistics
- Zoology
- Geology
Note- The candidates will not be allowed the combination of following optional subjects:
- Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Of the Engineering subjects, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering – not more than one subject.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Candidates must note that all the papers will be only in English and in the IFoS this is the only medium of examination.
Stage 3: Interview (Personality Test)
- Total marks for the interview will be 300 marks.
- The candidate will be assessed on communication skills, general awareness, intellectual curiosity, assimilation, critical powers of observation and balance of judgment, capacity for leadership, etc.
- The interview will follow a physical test. Male candidates have to complete a walk or run of 25 km in under 4 hours, and female candidates have to complete a walk or run of 14 km in less than 4 hours.
Roles and Responsibilities
- One of the important roles of an IFoS officer is to conserve and protect the heritage of the forest.
- As an IFoS officer one needs to keep checking on illegal logging of trees and work with the security personnel and forest guards to stay alert all times.
- The main mandate of this service is to implement the National Forest Policy, which aims to ensure environmental stability and manage the country’s natural resources.
- Animals are an important part of forest resources. As an IFoS officer, one needs to be assured of their safety and need to prevent any kind of illegal activity that revolves around hurting or killing them.
Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Salary
Grade | Designation in state govt. | Designation in GOI | Basic Monthly Salary |
| Junior Time Scale | Assistant Conservator of Forests/Asst. Dy. Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹56,100 |
| Senior Time Scale | Deputy Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹67,700 |
| Junior Administrative Grade | Deputy Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹78,800 |
| Selection Grade | Deputy Conservator of Forests (Selection Grade) | Assistant Inspector General of Forests |
₹1,18,500 |
| Super Time Scale | Conservator of Forests / Chief Wildlife Warden | Deputy Inspector General of Forests | ₹1,50,000 |
| Senior Administrative Grade | Chief Conservator of Forests | Inspector General of Forests | ₹1,75,000 |
| HAG scale | Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | – | ₹2,00,000 |
| HAG+ Scale | Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | Additional Director General of Forests | ₹2,05,400 |
| Apex Scale | Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) | Director-General of Forests | ₹2,25,000 |
Summary/Overview
The Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is one of the three All India Services, and the other two are the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in 1966, although the service dates back to 1864 under the British Raj when it was established as the Imperial Forest Service.
The primary nature of this service is to implement the National Forest Policy, which aims to ensure environmental stability and manage the country’s natural resources.
Areas covered in this article
- IFoS Exam details
- The IFoS selection procedure consists of three stages.
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam Eligibility
- Exam Pattern
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Officer Roles and Responsibilities
P.S. You can check the official UPSC IFoS Exam notification with the help of below-mentioned link- https://www.upsc.gov.in/exams-related-info/exam-notification.