INDIAN POSTS & TELECOMMUNCIATIONS ACCOUNTS AND FINANCE SRVICE

The Indian Posts & Telecommunications Accounts & Finance Service was formed in the year 1973 with the cadre controlling authority of Member (Finance) Telecom Commission with a cadre size of 1718. The source of recruitment (in percentage) was 50% by direct recruitment and 50% by promotion and with no lateral entries.

Service hierarchy:

Grade	Pay scales	Designation in HQs / Office of Controller of Communication Accounts	Designation in field units of DOT	Designation in the Department of Posts
Junior time scale	8000-275-13500	Assistant chief accounts officer	Assistant chief accounts officer	Assistant chief accounts officer
Senior time scale	10000-325-15200	Assistant director general / deputy controller of communication accounts	Chief accounts officer	Asstt. Director general / chief accounts officer/deputy director of Accounts (P)
Junior administrative grade	12000-375-16500	Director /joint controller of communication accounts	Deputy general manager	Director / Director of accounts postal
Selection grade JAG (NFSG)	14300-400-18300	Director / joint controller of communication accounts	Deputy general manager	Director / Director of accounts postal
Senior administrative grade	18400-500-22400	Deputy director general / controller of communication accounts	General manager	Deputy director general
Higher administrative grade-II	22400-525-24000	Sr. deputy director general	Principal general manager	NA
Higher administrative grade-I	22400-600-26000	Advisor (Finance)	NA	NA

Brief write up on the service outlining the main functions etc. including areas where interaction and coordination with other services is essential:
The India P&T Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) Group A is a central civil service constituted especially in 1973 for the erstwhile P&T Department under the Ministry of Communications. The formation of this cadre was born of the government’s desire to departmentalize accounts to have integrated finance advice and ensure the availability of a sound financial management infrastructure for the fast growing telecom and postal services of the country. Prior to that date, the functions in question had been discharged by the Accountant General (P&T) and the Finance Ministry.

The IP&TAFS Recruitment Rules 2001 regulate recruitment into the service, for which officers are recruited through the combined civil services examination conducted by the UPSC annually. Candidates appearing in the said UPSC examination are required to exercise their option in order of preference for various services, viz., IAS, IPS, IFS, IP&TAFS and other central services. Final placement in a particular service depends upon their preference and tank in the combined merit list. In many cases, very high ranking candidates were seen to opt for the P&T Accounts and Finance Service despite a number of service options being open to them.

These officers come from a variety of disciplines, including medicines, engineering, chartered accountancy, business administration, science, humanities etc. After recruitment, they are imparted two years training in management, government rules, law, constitutional provisions, commercial accounts etc., before their regular posting in the Department. Their training begins with the Foundation Course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie followed by training in Financial management at the National Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad, for 48 weeks along with officers of the other organised accounts and finance services. The final lap of training is at the advanced level telecom training centre at Ghaziabad, with an emphasis on postal and telecom functioning and rules. Their training includes a rigorous course in advanced accountancy.

The service conditions, promotions, disciplinary proceedings and cadre management of the service are supervised and regulated by the Department of Telecom in consultation with the UPSC and the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India.

The preceding decade saw a boon in the growth of the telecom network from 3.5 lakh lines in 1991 to over 32 million lines and revenues that grew from 3686 crore a year in 1991 to 23546 crore in the year ending 31/3/2001. Telecom grew at 22% per annum, at about 5 times the rate of the rest of Indian industry, and it was the IP&TAFS that had the opportunity to generate, monitor and collect its revenues in addition to managing all its financial operations. Officers of the service manned posts in the Departments of Telecom and Posts, the TRAI and a number of PSUs under the Communications Ministry, such as like TCH, ITT and VSNL. All the finance posts in the largest PSUs in the country, i.e., the BSNL and MTNL, were also manned by the officers of this service. The other functions exercised by these officers were budgetary control, finance advice the management of projects and internal audit. In a sector characterised by unprecedented growth and very rapid changes in technology, they had to give a very good account of themselves to stay abreast and manage the sector.