In India, many people consider government jobs as the safest and the most prestigious career options, becoming a C.I. is one such option. Only a few people are aware of the CI position. The Full form of CI is Circle Inspector and this position holds the highest rank of a police officer in the specific state or union territory. The Circle Inspector holds equal positions as the DSP or ASP in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, etc. Circle Inspectors (CI) are also known as Customer Officers (CO). To know more information related to the C.I. position, job role & responsibility, selection process, etc refer to the full article.
A person can become a Circle Inspector in 2 ways. 1st way, After serving the post of police inspector, a person will get promoted to circle inspector and the other way is by appearing for the State Public Service Commission exam. This exam is conducted at different times and in different states. For example in Uttar Pradesh, UPPSC conducts the exam for the State Public Service Commission and in Uttarakhand, UKPSC conducts this exam. The application procedure for this exam will differ from state to state. To apply for this exam, a candidate need to be graduated from any affiliated university in any subject.
Selection Process for Becoming a Circle Inspector
The Circle Inspector position is considered a very prestigious job position and it’s ranked as the highest in a particular state or union territory. Candidates need to clear 3 phases to become a Circle Inspector. All the 3 phases are described below:
· Preliminary Exam: First the candidates are required to fill up the PCS application form, after filling out the PCS form candidates need to appear for the preliminary exam which is conducted by the authorities. In this phase, 2 exams are conducted, but in states such as Bihar and Rajasthan, only 1 exam is conducted. The first exam is General Studies for 200 questions of 150 marks and the duration is 2 hours. This exam consists of multiple-choice questions. The second exam is the civil service aptitude test which is of 200 marks and 100 questions and the duration is of 2 hours.
· Mains Exams: After clearing the preliminary exams successfully, candidates are required to appear for the next phase i.e. the Mains Exam. This phase consists of 8 exams in which both long and short questions are asked. In Mains exams includes general Hindi, essay, general studies 1, general studies 2, general studies 3, general studies 4, and 2 options exams.
· Interview: After the main exam, shortlisted candidates appear for the next and final phase which is an Interview round. In this round, candidates are questioned about personal details and educational background.
After this, the merit list is declared by the authorities. After the final shortlisting, the shortlisted gets posted in any block as a circle officer.
Promotion Hierarchy of Circle Inspector/Officer
The promotion of the customer Inspector/officer is based on tenure and performance. The Customer Inspector follows the below-mentioned promotion hierarchy (bottom with the maximum authority):
· Circle Officer
· Deputy Collector of Lands Reforms/ DCLR Officer
· District Land Acquisition Officer/ ADM Officer
· Additional Collector
Roles and Responsibilities of Circle Inspector/Officer
The Circle Inspector or Circle Officer has to perform many duties and responsibilities. Some of the duties are mentioned below:
· Their main role is supervision and administration control in the state.
· They also need to look after the Maintenance of the office.
· They also inspect and prevent crime activities.
· They are also responsible for the collection of revenue from the states.
· They also assist the superintendent of Police in his duties.
Eligibility Criteria to become a Circle Inspector/Officer
The eligibility criteria to become a circle inspector/officer are given below:
· Age limit: Candidates age limit to appear for this exam is 21 to 40 years and the age relaxation for OBC is 3 years and for SC/ST is 5 years.
· Education Qualification: A candidate must be graduated from a renowned university.
· Communication: A candidate needs to be fluent in the native language.
· Qualification: Candidates need to clear the Civil Services Examination conducted by the PSC.
Salary of Circle Inspector/ Officer
The Circle inspector is a very prestigious job post that offers a very competitive base pay along with perks and incentives. Usually, CI’s or CO’s base pay is between INR 65,000 to INR 78,000 per month. Every year, the salary of the circle inspector increases. Along with the base pay, additional allowances are also provided to the circle inspectors like house rent allowances, dearness allowances, medical allowances, etc.
Dearness Allowance: It is an additional allowance that is given to employees to bear the rising costs.
House Rent Allowance (HRA): It is an extra allowance given to employees to cover the house rent.
Compensatory Allowance: This allowance helps to bear the extra costs.
Transport Allowance: This allowance helps to cover the travel costs.
Housing Facility: The government provides accommodation to its employees, subject to availability and demand.