Which of the following are classified as All India Services in India? I. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) II. Indian Police Service (IPS) III. Indian Forest Service (IFS)

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: All I, II and III

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
All India Services are a small but very important group of civil services in the Union of India. Officers of these services are recruited by the Union government, but they serve both the Union and the States, and they hold key positions in administration, policing, and forest management. This question checks whether you remember exactly which services are constitutionally recognised as All India Services and can carefully read a three statement type format.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The question lists three services: Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFS).
  • We are asked to identify which of these are formally recognised as All India Services.
  • We assume the constitutional and legal framework is based on the present classification under the Constitution of India.


Concept / Approach:
The Constitution of India allows the creation of All India Services under Article 312. These services are common to both the Union and the States. Historically, IAS and IPS were the earliest All India Services, continuing the legacy of the pre independence Indian Civil Service and Imperial Police. Later, the Indian Forest Service was also created and notified as an All India Service. The key idea is that all three services in the list are notified as All India Services under the relevant legal provisions, not just the more famous IAS and IPS.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that IAS is definitely an All India Service and is the premier administrative service in India. Step 2: Recall that IPS is also an All India Service and provides senior leadership to police forces in the states and at the centre. Step 3: Remember that the Indian Forest Service was created in the 1960s and was also notified as an All India Service to manage forests, wildlife, and related environmental matters. Step 4: Since IAS, IPS, and IFS are all formally notified All India Services, statements I, II, and III are all correct. Step 5: Among the options, the only one that includes all three statements together is the option that says All I, II and III.


Verification / Alternative check:
A quick way to verify the answer is to recall standard lists from Indian polity textbooks and exam preparation material. These almost always mention three All India Services by name: Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service. If you have studied Article 312 or lists of central and state services, you will have seen this exact trio. No other service in the question stem is mentioned, so there is no conflict, and the memory check confirms that all three services belong to this category.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option Only I is wrong because it ignores IPS and IFS, both of which are also All India Services. Option Only II is wrong for the same reason and would wrongly exclude IAS and IFS. Option Both I and II is still incomplete because it leaves out the Indian Forest Service, which is also part of the group. Only the option that includes I, II, and III together correctly captures the full list of All India Services given in the stem.


Common Pitfalls:
A very common mistake is to believe that only IAS and IPS are All India Services and to think of IFS as a purely central service or a purely state service. Some students also confuse Indian Foreign Service with Indian Forest Service because they share the same abbreviation IFS, but Indian Foreign Service is a central service under a different category and is not an All India Service. Relying only on partial memory and not carefully distinguishing between different IFS abbreviations often leads to incorrect answers in this topic.


Final Answer:
The correct choice is All I, II and III, because IAS, IPS, and the Indian Forest Service are all constitutionally recognised All India Services in India.

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