https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

IAS Alone Don’t Run The Government; It’s A Synergy Of All Services

Dr Sanjeev Chopra, a 1985-batch IAS Officer of West Bengal cadre, retired couple of years ago as Director, LBSNAA, Mussoorie Despite having worked in WB and Uttarakhand in various capacities, he finds LBSNAA job closer to his heart In this free flowing interview, Dr Chopra speaks about the training modules of Civil Services, their needs,  if changes are needed and issues like ethics, morals and superiority of IAS over other services. Please read on...
Indian Masterminds Stories

Every UPSC CSE aspirant aspires to be selected for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). After all, they are perceived as running the government. There is always an IAS heading for every other service. The Finance Secretary manages the Indian Revenue Services (IRS). The Union Home Secretary manages the IPS cadre. The Forest Secretary heads the Ministry, which consists mostly of IFS officers.

So, are IAS the Brahmins of Civil Services? The former director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, doesn’t think so. A secretary’s job is to ensure that the budget of that department is passed and to assist the minister in answering questions put up in Parliament. It’s the job of the directorate to implement decisions of the government. It doesn’t make the directorate in any way inferior to the secretariat, he told Indian Masterminds in a candid interview.

Please watch the full interview here…

A very senior and efficient officer, besides being an erudite reader and author, Dr. Chopra feels that this whole notion that only IAS runs the country is not correct. Everyone has to work together. It’s a misconception that only IAS does everything. Government is something where everyone works together.

“You can’t run a district if you don’t have a good rapport with the IPS. We won’t get our salaries unless GST collection (by IRS officers) grows and unless the projection of the country (at international forums by IFS officers) is good. People who represent India in the United Nations Security Council, our ambassadors in other countries, or persons collecting taxes for the government, or for that matter, Indian Forest Service officers preserving our protecting our wildlife and forests, everybody contributes to the making of this nation”, he said.

Dr Chopra, a 1985-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre worked with LBSNAA in two stints – first as Deputy Director for six years and then as Director for three years…till his retirement. He has seen officer trainees being turned into officers – of different services and different cadres. He believes his tenure as LBSNAA Director is closest to his heart. Therefore, he has traversed the entire path as Officer Trainee himself in 1985 to mentoring and training hundreds of officer trainees every year.

In this free-wheeling interview, he talks about the atmosphere in LBSNAA – whether it is tense, whether training is rigorous, whether it is all studies/work and no play at LBSNAA or the other way round – considering several events like India Day, Parents Day, Trekking, Horse-riding etc? 

He also answered to the questions like What is the purpose of the foundation course? How is it structured?  Also, what happens to the vacancy created due to the shifting of people like Aditya Srivastava AIR 1 in UPSC CSE 2023, who was already training for the IPS at National Police Academy, Hyderabad, to the IAS after improving their ranks?

And what happens to people who are improving their ranks consistently, over three years – do they have to undertake the four-month-long foundation course every year, year after year on their selection? 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Lamchonghoi Sweety (L S) Changsan
Sweety Changsan IAS Takes Charge of Revenue, Tribal Affairs & ASDMA in Assam
chandrachud1
SC Administration Asks Ex-CJI Chandrachud to Vacate Official Bungalow After Deadline Lapses
cji-br-gavai-supreme-court
CJI Changes 64-Year-Old Rule, OBCs to Get Reservation in Supreme Court Recruitment
Screenshot 2025-07-06 092240
Global Firefly Count Begins with India’s Lead: Conservation Policy in the Works - Details Inside
Raj DGP
Rajasthan: New DGP Rajeev Sharma Aims to Make Rajasthan a Model for Policing in India – Know His Future Plans for Policing in State
Leopard Threat on Kanwar Yatra
UP: Leopard Threat Looms Over Kanwar Yatra in Bijnor; Administration Steps Up Vigil with Drones and Patrolling
Ladli Behna Yojana Housing
Ladli Behna Yojana: 1.30 Crore Urban Beneficiaries to Receive Houses Alongside Financial Aid, Announces MP CM Mohan Yadav
Mohan Yadav
Rs 8,682 MSP for Moong: CM Dr Mohan Yadav Requests 40% Procurement Amid Surge in Cultivation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
IRS Sanjay Bahadur: The Officer With a Pen That Bites | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Air India
Is Air India Carrying The Burden of Split Before Privatisation?
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
Ex-IRS Officer C. Rajendiran Illuminates Thirukkural’s Timeless Wisdom in Exclusive Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS SHWETA BHARTI Bihar
From Wipro to Civil Services: How Bihar's IAS Shweta Bharti Juggled a BPSC Job While Preparing for UPSC
IAS Shweta Bharti, from rural Bihar, balanced a full-time job and UPSC prep with discipline, cracked...
IPS Deepak Meghani
Deepak Meghani, IPS: A Journey of Focus, Failure, and Quiet Discipline
A passionate writer, he has authored several books in Gujarati, ranging from exam strategy guides to...
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Social Media
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu’s Visit to NADT Turns into a Wholesome Tribute to Legacy—and ‘Moolchandj
The Olympic champion shared nostalgic memories, met aspiring IRS officers, and sparked viral laughter...
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-05 at 18.56
Where a Mine Once Lay, Minds Now Grow, Thanks to An IPS with A Vision
Lamchonghoi Sweety (L S) Changsan
Sweety Changsan IAS Takes Charge of Revenue, Tribal Affairs & ASDMA in Assam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-03 at 13.33
Inderjit Singh Air India
Ex IRS C Rajendiran
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT