The Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) is a Group ‘A’ civil service that one may get recruited into on clearing the UPSC civil services exam. Every year the government appoints 25-30 officers. The IRAS officers are responsible for maintaining and managing the finances and accounts of the Indian Railways. At present, IRAS has a cadre strength of about 800 officers.
To know more about the UPSC Civil Service Examination, visit the link IAS exam.
Aspirants should know about different services one can be a part of:
| Civil Services | Indian Police Services (IPS) |
| Indian Revenue Services (IRS) | Indian Foreign Services (IFS) |
| Indian Forest Services (IFoS) | Combined Defence Services (CDS) |
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) – Functions
- Maintaining accounts of the Indian Railways.
- Giving financial advice to the executive in matters related to railways.
- Scrutinising all investment and expenditure proposals of the various departments in railways.
- Preparation of the budget.
- Carrying out periodical financial reviews.
- Engaging in fundraising and funds management.
- Maintaining accounts and bookkeeping for railways.
- Conducting stock inventory control.
- Settling claims and recovering dues.
- Management accounting.
- IRAS officers are also sent on deputation to various PSUs to hold finance portfolios.
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) – Grade & Pay Scales
This Group “A” civil service is one the most important cog in the smooth functioning of Indian Railways.
Below table gives details on grade and payscale of IRAS Cadre
| Grade | Designation in Ministries | Designation on Railways | Pay Scale |
| Junior Time Scale | —— | Assistant Financial Advisor/ Assistant Divisional Financial Manager/ Assistant Workshop Accounts Officer/ Assistant Financial Advisor (Traffic)/ Assistant Electronic Data Processing Manager | Rs.15,600-39100 + Grade Pay Rs.5400 |
| Senior Time Scale | Deputy Director in GOI | Senior Assistant Financial Advisor/ Divisional Financial Manager/ Workshop Accounts Officer/ Senior Assistant Financial Advisor/ Electronic Data Processing Manager/ Senior System Analyst/ Deputy Director (Railway Board) | Rs.15,600-39,100 + Grade Pay Rs.6600 |
| Junior Administrative Grade | Deputy Secretary in GOI | Deputy Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer/ Senior Electronic Data Processing Manager/ Joint Director (Railway Board) | Rs.15,600-39,100 + Grade Pay Rs.7600 |
| Selection Grade | Director in GOI | Deputy Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer/ Director (Railway Board) | Rs.37,400-67,000 + Grade Pay Rs.8700 |
| Senior Administrative Grade | Joint Secretary to GOI/ Secretary in State Government | Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer/ Executive Director(Railway Board) | Rs.37,400-67,000 + Grade Pay Rs.10,000 |
| Higher Administrative Grade | Additional Secretary in GOI/ Principal Secretary in State Government | Principal Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer/ Advisor (Railway Board) | Rs.37,400-67,000 + Grade Pay Rs.12,000 |
| Higher Administrative Grade + | Special Secretary to GOI/ Chief Secretary | General Manager/ Director General/ Additional Member (Railway Board) | Rs.75,500-80,000 |
| Apex | Secretary | Financial Commissioner | 80,000 (fixed) |
To compare IRAS Salary with salaries of other services, check the links below:
| IAS Salary |
| IFoS Salary |
| IPS Salary |
To know more about other Civil Services, visit the link UPSC Posts
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) – Training of Probationary Officers
For IRAS officers, overall training goes on for a period of approximately 2 years. The training begins at LBSNAA, Mussoorie; then it continues at National Academy of Indian Railways which is located at Vadodara. Further training goes in at NADT located at Nagpur and NIFM which is located at Faridabad. IRAS probationers also undergo 12-week training at IIM Calcutta. IRAS probationers also undergo training at MDI, Gurgaon.
Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) – Career Prospects
Once the training period is completed the IRAS Cadre officers can expect their career to kick off and grow professionally in the following given below roles.
- At Zonal Levels – Chief Account Officers and Financial Advisors.
- At Division Level – Divisional Finance Manager
- Under Divisional Railway Manager and General Manager – Inducted as Account Officers and Executives.
- The highest allocated position for IRAS Cadre is the Financial Commissioner.
The above details would help candidates preparing for UPSC 2023 in setting up their goals.
Related Links
| IAS Notification 2023 | UPSC Apply Online |
| Government Exams | UPSC Syllabus |
| Public Service Commission | Static GK |
| Latest Notifications About Government Examinations | Government Schemes |
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