Brief Note on Indian Information Service

The Indian Information Service (IIS) is one of the prestigious Central Civil Services of the Government of India which facilitates the crucial function of government communication and citizen outreach. The cadre of IIS acts as a vital communication link between the Government and the people by way of disseminating official information and communicating various Government policies, programmes, and development schemes to the citizens. The Service is also instrumental in collecting and providing relevant feedback to the Government for the purpose of policy formulation and implementation. Established in 1960, the Indian Information Service (IIS) was initially known as Central Information Service (CIS). In 1987, CIS was bifurcated into Indian Information Service Group ‘A’ and Group 'B'. All appointments to the Indian Information Service (Group A) are made by the President of India. The recruitment to Indian Information Service Group A is done through the Civil Service Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, every year. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India is the Cadre Controlling Authority (CCA) for Indian Information Service.

Work Profile of IIS Officers

The IIS Officers serve a variety of roles and functions through various government media organizations and offices under the Information Wing, Broadcasting Wing (Prasar Bharti) and Films Wing of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. The officers are entrusted with the task of devising and implementing Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies of various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India through Print, Electronic and Social Media vehicles as well as interpersonal communication and outreach activities at the field level. During their tenure in the Press Information Bureau, they are posted with various Ministries and Departments as official spokespersons and play key roles in meeting the Ministry's information-communication needs and media relations. The officers of the cadre also handle the news operations of the Public Service Broadcaster, Prasar Bharati at Doordarshan and All India Radio. The IIS Officers posted in the Central Bureau of Communication undertake the task of facilitating communication and publicity campaigns for various schemes of the Government of India. IIS officers are instrumental in operationalizing various statutes of the Government of India such as the Cable TV Network Act of 1994, and Cinematograph Act, of 1952. In addition, the officers of this cadre are deployed in various Ministries and organizations under the Government of India and the State Governments, on a deputation basis. The IIS Officers are deployed in key leadership and operational capacities in the various organizations under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting such as:

• Press Information Bureau (PIB)
• Doordarshan (News)
• All India Radio (News Services Division)
• Central Bureau of Communication (CBC)
• Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC)
• Office of the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI)
• Publications Division
• Photo Division
• New Media Wing (NMW)
• Press Council of India (PCI)
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
• Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC )
• Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII)
• Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI)
• National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)