Provincial Forest Service
Provincial Forest Service (IAST: Prāntīya Vana Sevā), often abbreviated to as PFS, is the civil service under Group A state service of Government of Uttar Pradesh responsible for ensuring the ecological stability of the country via thorough protection and participatory sustainable management of natural resources. It is also the feeder service for Indian Forest Service in the state.[3]
| Service Overview | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Uttar Pradesh Forest Service |
| Founded | 1966 |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Staff College | Central Academy for State Forest Service, Dehradun[1] |
| Cadre Controlling Authority | Department of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Uttar Pradesh |
| Minister Responsible | Dara Singh Chauhan, Minister of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Uttar Pradesh |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government service |
| Duties | State Administration of Forest and Wildlife resources |
| Current Cadre Strength | 98 members (18 officers directly recruited by UP-PSC and 80 officers promoted from Forest Rangers' cadre)[2] |
| Selection | State Civil Services Examination |
| Association | Uttar Pradesh PFS Association |
| Head of the State Civil Services | |
| Chief Secretary | Sri Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, IAS |
| Principal Secretary (DoF&W) | Shri Sudhir Garg, IAS |
| Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Forces) | Dr. Rajiv Kumar Garg, IFS |
The Department of Forest and Wildlife of the Government of Uttar Pradesh is the cadre-controlling authority of the service. Along with the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) and the Provincial Police Service (PPS), the PFS is one of the three feeder services to its respective All India Services.
Recruitment
In theory, one-third of the PFS quota is filled by promotion from Forest Rangers' cadre, and the remainder of recruitment is done on the basis of an annual competitive examination conducted by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, but in reality, there hasn't been an examination held for ACF in many years. PFS officers, regardless of their mode of entry, are appointed by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.[2]
Responsibilities of PFS officer
The typical functions performed by a PFS officer are:
- Conservation of precious forest resources while understanding the larger policies of the government to protect and preserve the heritage of the forest and its resources.
Career progression
After completing their training, a PFS officer generally serves as assistant conservator of forests ans are posted as sub-divisional forest officer. After that they are promoted as deputy conservator of Forests, divisional forest officer, deputy director in forest department.
Salary structure
Most of the directly recruited PFS officers get promoted to the IFS after getting pay level 11.
| Senior time scale (pay level 11) | ₹67700–160000 | deputy conservator of forests, divisional forest officer, deputy director in forest department | 16th year |
| Junior time scale (pay level 10) | ₹56100–132000 | assistant conservator of forests, sub-divisional forest officer | Initial year |
See also
References
- "Staff College for PFS officers" (PDF). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- "2017 Total Cadre strength of PFS as in December 2017" (PDF). upforest.gov.in. Department of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Uttar Pradesh. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- "Indian Forest Service". ifs.nic.in. Retrieved 18 October 2016.