IAS top choice for civil service aspirants: Study

IAS remains the most preferred choice for civil services aspirants followed by IFS and IPS, says a study by industry body Assocham.
Citing data of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Assocham said as many as 11,35,943 candidates took the civil services preliminary examination in 2016 as compared to 9,45,908 in the previous year.
"IAS remains the top most choice for the aspirants who are enamoured by the clout and powers, much improved salaries, perks and above all, the social status that goes with the civil servants in the drivers' seats of administration," it said.
The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) has been the second best choice for the aspirants because of its "cool" and "intellectual" nature of the job, it said, adding the Indian Police Service (IPS) is the third best choice.

Further, the Assocham's paper said that there has been an increased intake in the civil services from economically backward states like Bihar and Odisha.
This may be "because more and more boys and girls from the advanced states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra are opting for high-end private sector jobs either in India or abroad," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.