Indian Defence Accounts Service
| Service Overview | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | I.D.A.S. |
| Country |  India |
| Controlling Authority | Ministry of Defence |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Civil Service |
| General nature | Defence Finance, Accounts, Audit, Financial advisory |
| Service Chief | |
| Financial Advisor(Defence Services) | Smt. Rasika Chaube, IDAS |
| Controller General of Defence Accounts(CGDA) | Shri Avinash Dixit, IDAS |
| Head of the Civil Services | |
| Cabinet Secretary | Sh. Rajiv Gauba |
Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) (Hindi: भारतीय रक्षा लेखा सेवा) is a Central Group 'A' Civil Service of the Republic of India established to provide Financial Advice, Payment, Accounts and Audit services to the Defence Services i.e. Indian Armed Forces (viz Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) and other allied organisations viz. Ordnance Factories, , Military Engineer Services, Border Roads Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation etc.
IDAS officers are Group-A gazetted civilian officers under Ministry of Defence, Government of India. They are primarily recruited through the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year. . The cadre controlling authority of IDAS is the Ministry of Defence, Govt Of India. The total number of IDAS officers is approximately 550. The Controller General of Defence Accounts(CGDA) is the service head of the Indian Defence Accounts Service and also heads the Defence Accounts Department.[1][2]
Profile
The IDAS officers form the management cadre of the Defence Accounts Department(DAD). The Defence Accounts Department has a history of more than two hundred and fifty years, tracing its origin to the year 1750, having been established to look after the Pay & Accounts of Military Services in India. Presently, it is mandated to provide financial advice, payments, accounts and internal audit to the three Defence Services(Army, Navy, Air Force), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),Ordnance Factories, Indian Coast Guard and other inter-services organisations. The concurrence of concerned financial advisors from the IDAS cadre at various echelons is needed before any expenditure is undertaken by these organisations under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence.
About Defence Finance
There is a separate Finance Division of the Raksha Mantralaya (Ministry of Defence) for dealing with all defence matters having a financial bearing. The head of this division is the Financial Adviser (Defence Services).
With a view to ensuring greater efficiency in administration and quicker disposal of the cases, Ministry of Defence has been delegated enhanced financial powers in regard to expenditure met from the Defence Services Estimates. In matters within the delegated powers of the Ministry of Defence, Financial Adviser(Defence Services) or authorised Representatives of Finance Division are to be consulted before exercise of financial powers. The Finance Division prepares the Defence Budget and the Civil estimates for the Civilian Establishments of the Ministry of Defence. It also furnishes the Heads of the Branches of the Armed Forces Headquarters and Heads of Civilian Deptts./Organisations with all information necessary to enable them to discharge their financial responsibilities in respect of the grants allotted to them and advises them in regard to the preparation of proposals and the disposal of financial business generally. Finance Division is also fully associated with formulation and implementation of Defence Plans.
Training
The officers recruited to IDAS are offered elaborate training at various centres. First, a foundation training along with the All India Services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussoorie) for four months is imparted. After this, Induction Training is imparted at National Academy of Defence Financial Management, Pune. This is followed by a Professional Training Course at National Institute of Financial Management (Faridabad). Finally, there is a Departmental Training at National Academy Of Defence Financial Management at Pune. The entire training(including on-job training) lasts for a period of two years. After this, on passing the Departmental Examination, the probationers are confirmed into the Junior Time Scale grade.
See also
References
- ^ "CGDA - Controller General of Defence Accounts". Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ "Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) - UPSC Guide". Retrieved 18 September 2016.