There are approximately 8 lakh candidates who enrol themselves in the UPSC examination. They desire to serve the country by getting into the Police force. So if you are planning to become an IPS officer you must know about the What is cadre in IPS, how IPS Cadre is allocated, the best cadre for IPS and how to get home cadre in IPS. In this article, you will get to know all about it. So read it all to get insight into it.
What is Cadre in IPS?
It is very easy to understand Cadre. It is just a group of state and union territories that are allotted to IAS and IPS officers. When a particular cadre is provided to the IAS and IPS officer, they remain in the same group for the service tenure. But the officer decides to go to the central government deputation, in this case, the cadre may change but apart from this situation, the group remains the same for the IAS officers. But who allocates this cadre to candidates?
These are allotted by DOPT (Department of Personnel and training) of the Government of India. They allocate the Cadre to the IAS and IPS candidates. These are allotted to the Candidates on the basis of their preference, vacancies and rank that they have got in the UPSC Examination.
Joint Cadre and States for the UPSC Candidates
The joint cadre and states are divided into 5 zones to make the procedure of IPS cadre allocation easier. These 5 zones are:-
- In Zone 1 there is Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, AGMUT and Haryana
- In zone 2 there is Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh
- In zone 3 there is Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat
- In Zone 4 there is Assam and Meghalaya, Skkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura
- In Zone 5 there is Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
These can be allotted to a candidate who is looking to become an IAS officer. They need to serve in this group till the end of the tenure.
How Cadre is Allocated to IPS?
A cadre is allotted on the basis of the rank of the candidate in the exam, their preference and the vacancies.
There are three steps included in the process of group allocation:
- The candidates who can possibly be allocated to the insider vacancies which are available in their category would be allocated. This will be done firstly, then moving to other steps.
- Then it is seen that who are eligible to get allocated at their home cadre. After the two steps if the vacancies are not filled then the insider vacancy is converted into an outside vacancy, to get it filled. But it would not be taken forward in the next examination year.
- After this allocation of the category for the outside vacancies is started.
Candidates Preference for Cadre
Candidates are given the Detailed Application Form (DAF) to fill it. In the form, the information about their prefered zone and cadre is asked so that the procedure can be done accordingly. Candidates have to give their preference in descending order.
Candidates will be choosing the prefered category from each zone that they prefer. Then, they will choose the second preference of cadre and the zone. This process is carried on till the preference for all cadre is displayed by the candidate.
To make it more clearly see the following example.
Example
If the candidates have chosen Zone 1 as the first choice then they have to choose the state cadre mentioned within the zone specified. They have to choose the state as first preference, second preference and third preference. Like Rajasthan to be the first preference, Punjab to be the second preference and Uttarakhand as the third preference.
If the candidate does not provide any choice then this is displayed as the candidate does not have any preference, and any category and zone will be suitable for them.
Also Read:- What are the Physical Requirements for being in IPS? Check-out the Physical Requirements & Eligibility
Allocating the Cadre to Recommended Candidates
Allocation of the recommended candidate is done on the basis of a few criteria that are:-
- Candidate’s Category
- Candidate’s Rank in the UPSC examination
- Candidate’s Preference for service and category
- Watching out the availability of the vacancies in the candidate’s category
- Appellate Board or Medical Board reports with respect to the candidate.
When DOPT is in the allocation process they need to see the ratio of the outsider and insider. The general ratio followed is 2:1 which is to be maintained while the allocation. But how outside and inside is decided? Candidates status outside and inside are based on their bonafide certificate or it can be a parent’s resident status. This ratio keeps on changing every year which depends on the number of retiring civil officers in the category.
Who is Insider and Outsider?
As described below, Insiders are the ones who have the domicile of the state they are living in. Outsiders as the name suggests are the ones who come from some other states. For example:- If you are living in Punjab then you are an insider for that category. And if you have filled it as your first preference, and the vacancy for the category for insider and outsider are 1 and 3 then, it is not guaranteed that you will get the position, it will then decide on the basis of your rank that you have achieved in the UPSC examination. If your rank is at the topmost that you may get Punjab as your category.
Also Read:- What is the Medical Criteria for an IPS Officer? Check the Eligibility, Medical Tests & More
How to Get Home Cadre in IPS?
If you desire to serve your state as an IPS Cadre then you need to work much harder to be at the top of the list. Because getting the home category is difficult as it generally depends on the number of vacancies that are there on the category. If there is only one vacancy for the insider, then the candidate is chosen on the basis of the rank that the candidate has achieved the top rank in the list. This way you can get the home cadre. This also answers the question for many people “Can IPS get home cadre?” so the answer is given above
Which is the Best Cadre for IPS?
It depends on individual preference. If the candidate is looking for a more comfortable journey as the IPS, then she/ she might go with the home cadre or other states in the same zone, as he is well acquainted with her/his home category. And he will not be moving far apart from his family. But if you are looking to take a risk and have the adventure in the IPS journey of yours then the candidate may also opt for Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir. Or any unknown state that he/ she is not aware of. Best category for IPS is the one which the candidate achieves according to his preference whether it is his/ her home or any other category.
Also Read:- What Police Related Job Can I Take Up During My Preparation for IPS?
Conclusion
Starting with your IPS journey calls for great responsibility and important decision-making skills. You have to make decisions at every step because that is what will make you a successful IPS officer. You need to check the pros and cons of everything, even when you are required to fill the Detailed Application Form (DAF). You need to choose the preference of the category carefully. And before you choose the category, it is important that you know all about it.
You should know the Police force. So if you are planning to become an IPS officer you must know about “ What is cadre in IPS, how IPS Cadre is allocated, best Cadre for IPS and how to get home cadre in IPS”. Then on the basis of your evaluation and what you desire, you should go ahead to choose the category. But you can just put your preference forward, but the final decision is in the hands of the DOPT (Department of Personnel and Training) who allot the cadre to the IPS officers.
