Indian forest service clashes over use of acronym 'IFS'; says impacts morale
Indian forest service
The Indian forest service has clashes over the use of acronym - IFS, its association shooting off a letter to Ashwini Kumar Choubey, minister of state (MoS) Environment Forest and Climate Change who has raised it with the Department of Personnel.
The letter has been sent by Chairman of the Indian forest service union Dr. SP Yadav to MoS Ashwini pointing out that the service has a history of over 100 years. The letter explained that the department of personnel and training (DoPT)/appointment committee of cabinet (ACC) has started the use of IFoS for the service making a case that it should be IFS.
The key contentions of the association is that IFS should not be used for Indian foreign service and that the acronym is popular domestically as "forest service". Important to note, it has been an old issue and in 2017 as well the matter was raised as well by the union.
While the Indian foreign service came into existence in 1946 and the Indian forest service was created in 1966. But the union, in its pleas, has pointed out that the forest service earlier existed as Imperial forest service (IFS) which was created by the British govt in India in 1866 and the acronym IFS came into existence then. It has even highlighted the use of abbreviation IFS in govt forest codes and manuals.
Meanwhile MoS Choubey has written to Dr Jitendra Singh, MoSin the Ministry of Personnel for the use of IFS for Indian forest service. He forwarded the case made by the union that IFS has been used since the 1920s and recent changes have been made with use of IFoS even by the various departments, officials documents for the service. In the letter he said that this "impacts the morale of the officers." The matter has been raised telephonically as well by Minister Ashwini with Minister Jitendra and that no such official order exists on the use of IFoS for the Indian forest service, emphasising on use of IFS.
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