By civil service, we speak of UPSC. IAS is the first word that comes to our mind. Other services like IPS, IFS, IRS follow. However, we often ignore the other services. What exactly is a civil service? Is it diff from IAS? Firstly, one must not that IAS is just a post in civil services. There are multiple civil service posts are such. However, IAS is among the highest of them all. But there are many other reputed posts available for aspirants. One can look at them as an alternative for IAS. However, some of us can also select them as our priority. In today’s article, we are going to talk about a very well-known service. That is, the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service. Also known as the AFHQ Civil Service (CS). Further, we are going to discuss the eligibility and salary of AFHQ CS.
Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
Before heading to the salary and posts, let us read some basic info about the service. Firstly, this civil service is listed under the Group B of central civil services. This service was created in the year 1968. Now, what is the role of AFHQ in our country? This institution works under the MOD. That is the Ministry of Defence. Hence, AFHQ CS provides civilian staff to the ministry. Secondly, it provides secretarial, clerical, and support services to the ISOs. Here, ISO stands for Inter-services orgs. Moreover, they also provide staff to the Indian Armed Forces Headquarters. During the initial years, this Civil service had a total of 1778 employees under it. This number went on increasing. Hence, by the year 2016, a total of 3235 employees were working under it.
Armed forces are mainly related to defense or paramilitary by laymen. However, very few of us have an idea about the civilian posts as well. A UPSC aspirant must have a clear idea about the services. For this, we will be discussing the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service in detail. Firstly, we will talk about the eligibility of AFHQ CS. There are no special criteria for this civil service. It is the same as the UPSC eligibility criteria. Hence, one must hold a university degree. The aspirant must be 21 years of age during application. Hence, if you are eligible for the UPSC exam, you also clear AFHQ CS eligibility.
AFHQ CS Posts
Now let us look at the AFHQ posts. Then, we will discuss the salary of AFHQ in detail.
- Principal Director (Assigned to Group A).
- Director (Assigned to Group A).
- Joint Director (Assigned to Group A).
- Deputy Director (Assigned to Group A).
- Section Officer (Assigned to Group B).
- Assistant (Group B Non-gazette).
Hence, we can see that most of the AFHQ CS posts are for Group A. Only the post of section officer and asst belong to Group B. Now let us discuss the salary of the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (AFHQ CS). The first two posts receive salary as per the 4th pay band. The next two posts earn a salary as per the 3rd pay band. The final two posts earn a salary as per the 2nd pay band.
Salary of Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (AFHQ CS) Officers
Now, let us look at their approx salary range. A principal director enjoys a min salary of INR 37400. The maximum salary can go up to INR 67000. The principal director also receives a grade pay. This pay is around INR 10,000. How to secure this post? One has to follow the eligibility of AFHQ CS. Then, you need to write the UPSC exam. Based on your rank and preference you will get a service. Next, we will talk about the salary of a director. This post is assigned to group A. They receive salary as per the 4th pay band. Their salary is equal to that of a principal director. Hence, it ranges between 37400 to 67000. However, the grade pay enjoyed by a director is less than that of a principal director. The director enjoys a grade pay of INR 8700.
Further, you will also find the post of Joint Director at Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service. This post is also assigned to Group A services. A joined director receives a salary as per the 3rd pay band. The minimum salary for a joint director is INR 15600. Moreover, the maximum salary of a joint director is INR 39100. Note that the actual salary can range somewhere between INR 15600 to 39100. This post enjoys a grade pay of INR 7600. Further, let us talk about the salary of a deputy director. The deputy director receives the same salary range as that of a joint director. However, the grade pay of a deputy director is INR 6600.
Sectional Officer’s Salary Details
Now let us talk about the salary of a section officer. This post is assigned to Group B. A section officer receives a salary as per the 2nd pay band. This post enjoys a variable pay scale. The min salary of a section officer on the initial appointment is INR 9300. The maximum salary at this level is INR 34800. Further, the salaries differ for a Non-functional scale. The same applies to allotment of Grade pay on completion of 4 years of approved service in the cadre. The minimum salary of a section officer at this level is INR 15600. Whereas, the maximum salary is INR 39100.
On the initial level, the grade pay is around INR 4800. Further, on the next level, the grade pay increases to INR 5400. Lastly, let us speak about the assistant Group B post. Note that this is a non-gazetted post. An Assistant at AFHQ CS receives a salary as per the 2nd pay band. The minimum salary at this level is INR 9300. The maximum salary of an assistant is around INR 34800. This post enjoys a grade pay of INR 4600. Hence, now we have looked at all the AFHQ CS posts and their salary respectively. To read more on AFHQ CS: click here.
Roles and Responsibilities of AFHQ Civil service/CS Officers
Now let us read about the roles and responsibilities at this service. Firstly, we will talk about section officers at the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service. These officers take part in the decision-making process of the govt. The officers look after the welfare of the staff and ensure a good work culture. The officers also tender proposals. Further, officers are also a part of the policy-making process. The higher-level posts are more involved in policymaking. They study, analyze, research, and update or launch new policies as per need. In addition to this, the AFHQ CS is responsible to look after the staff admin. They also cater to the management.
To perform the above-mentioned tasks, the officers are well trained for the job. The training takes place at the defense headquarters training institute. Along with this, the officers also undergo on-the-job training. This helps them to clearly understand their job role. Hence, we learn that the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service plays a vital role. They are essential for the smooth functions of the Ministry of Defence. Moreover, they are a great support system for the governance of civilian defense posts. One can surely consider their career in AFHQ CS along with other offices at UPSC. We noted that the eligibility of AFHQ CS is the same as other UPSC exams. Hence, the strategy also more or less remains unchanged. One must stay updated with the latest exam data and prepare as per that. To read more such interesting articles: click here.
FAQs
We listed the different posts for AFHQ CS. Moreover, we also spoke about the eligibility and salary of AFHQ CS/Civil Service. We noted that the eligibility is the same as that for UPSC CSE. Hence, it is pretty clear that one has to crack the civil services exam to enter AFHQ CS.
Just like UPSC CSE, the minimum age for this service is 21 years as of 1st august of the exam year. This remains pretty much unchanged no matter which service you opt for from the list of civil services under UPSC.
For the general category, there are a total of 6 attempts. The attempt limit differs as per reservation criteria. Moreover, there are added benefits for the age limit in case you belong to the reserved category. One must surely confirm their category before applying for the exam.
Editor’s Note | Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
Here we will conclude our article. Today’s article was all about the AFHQ CS. That is Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service. We read some imp details about the service. Then, we spoke about the various posts available under this service. Further, we discussed the salary and eligibility of AFHQ CS. In addition to this, we listed the job roles and responsibilities that the officers perform at different levels of the services. Thus, we can clearly understand that this service is essential for the working of the Ministry of Defence.
