The Indian Defence Estates Service
(IDES) is one of the Group ‘A’ services options available for candidates who
have successfully cracked the UPSC Civil Services Examination. IDES cadre
officers work at the Defence Estates Organization (DEO) whose primary mandate
is to manage and administer the civil affairs of cantonments and defence land
in the country. This article provides the service profile of the IDES.
Functions:
- Managing the defence lands.
- Administering the Cantonment
Boards.
- Developing Cantonments and
ensuring health care for all residents, quality schools for all children,
social care system for the elderly, differently-abled and the
underprivileged sections of society.
- Conducting a regular survey of
defence lands.
- Acquiring, hiring and
requisitioning immovable properties for defence purposes.
- Conducting regular audits of
defence land.
- Maintaining and updating
accurate and digitised records of land.
- Preventing and removing
encroachments and unauthorized constructions on defence land.
- Disposing defence land.
- Handling litigation regarding
ownership of defence land.
- Advising the Defence Ministry
on matters regarding Cantonments and defence land.
- Supervising the implementation
of the Cantonments Act 2006.
Training:
The officers undergo training at the
National Institute Defence Estates Management (NIDEM) at Delhi.
Organisation Structure:
The Directorate General of IDES is
situated in Delhi Cantonment. This is the Headquarters. The Directorate General
is headed by the Director-General of Defence Estates (head of the IDES). Here
there is one Senior Additional Director General and four Additional Director
Generals, in charge of specific divisions. In the final tier of IDES structure,
there are 62 cantonments each of which is headed by a Chief Executive Officer.
Career Prospects:
- Opportunity for deputation with
Central Government.
- Opportunity to work with State
Governments
Grade
& Pay Scales:
This is not a very large group “A”
civil service cadre like its counterparts. However, it has a very structured
grade and respective pay scales associated with it.
Below table gives extensive details
on grade and pay scale of IDES cadre
|
Grade |
Designation in Directorate |
Designation in Directorate General |
Pay Scale |
|
Junior Time Scale |
Assistant Director |
Assistant Director-General |
15,600 – 39,100 + Grade Pay 5400 |
|
Senior Time Scale |
Deputy Director |
Assistant Director-General |
15,600 – 39,100 + Grade Pay 6600 |
|
Junior Administration Grade (Ordinary) |
Joint Director |
Deputy Director-General |
15,600 – 39,100 + Grade Pay 7600 |
|
Junior Administrative Grade (Selection) |
Joint Director |
Deputy Director-General |
37,400 – 67,000 + Grade Pay 8700 |
|
Senior Administrative Grade |
Director |
Additional Director General |
37,400 – 67,000 + Grade Pay 10,000 |
|
Higher Administrative Grade |
Principal Director |
Senior Additional Director General |
67,000 – 79,000 |
|
Secretary-level Post |
—— |
Director-General Defence Estates |
80,000 |