Can IAS Officer Do Business?

No, An IAS Officer cannot do business as they need to follow some rules and regulations. As per the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, an IAS officer is prohibited from engaging himself/herself in any trade or business, either directly or indirectly.

The post of an “IAS Officer” is a prestigious post. Every year, lakhs of hardworking aspirants dream of joining this post but only a few can make it to the final list by clearing the UPSC Civil Services Exam. There are many interesting questions about IAS Officers, the answer to which people want to know. 

One among them may be, Can IAS Officer Do Business? Being an IAS Officer, there must be many restrictions on the individual holding such a prestigious post. Hence, An IAS Officer Cannot involve himself/ herself in any business being in the post. 

We will know more about this in the article below.

When Can An IAS Officer Start A Business?

Although an IAS Officer is entitled to a lucrative salary and a pool of allowances and benefits, not every IAS Officer is satisfied with his/her job due to a couple of reasons. That's why many of them tend to resign and start a business or find another source of employment. Talking about whether Can IAS Officers do Business, NO they cannot, prevailing to the government rules and norms implemented on them. According to the All India Services Rules, serving IAS Officers cannot engage themselves in any form of business or other employment. 

However, IAS Officers can run a business in the following cases.

• Post Retirement- Retired IAS Officers are completely allowed to start any business according to their wish.
• Post Resignation- Serving IAS Officers if willing to start any business will have to mandatorily resign from the post first and then they can.
• In the Name Of Spouse- Serving IAS Officers can open any business firm under their spouse’s name and then they can run. The business firm must not be under their names. It must be in their spouse’s name.
• In the Name Of Family Member- IAS Officers can even run any business in the name of any of their family members. 
• Prior Permission From The Government-  Serving IAS Officers can run business during their service life on the condition that they must take prior permission from the government and on getting the permission, they must disclose all the relevant information associated with their business.
• Non-Remunerative- IAS Officers can involve themselves in some non-remunerative activities.

Examples Of Some IAS Officers Who Left Their Jobs To Become Entrepreneurs

Let us have a look at some renowned IAS Officers who resigned to become entrepreneurs and are successful.

Dr. Syed Sabahat Azim

Dr Syed Sabahat Azim was an IAS officer in 2000 who quit his job to start his own chain of healthcare called Glocal Healthcare Systems. The sudden death of his father due to untimely and inadequate medical assistance compelled him to start this initiative. He started his company in 2010 with the support of Mr Damodaran, the former Chairman of SEBI.

Pravesh Sharma

After 34 years of service, Pravesh Sharma voluntarily quit his job to start an online grocery delivery service called Sabziwala. This company delivers good quality vegetables to your doorstep at a fair price.

Roman Saini

Roman Saini was the youngest IAS officer to clear the exam at the young age of 25. He resigned from the administration services and began his entrepreneurial venture – Unacademy, a website that provides free online coaching, webinars, tutorials, and motivational speeches for IAS aspirants.

Vivek Kulkarni

Belonging to the 1979 batch of IAS officers, he left the service after spending 22 years, following his stint as IT and Biotechnology secretary to the Government of Karnataka has made one of the most successful IAS Officers turned entrepreneurs. In 2005, he co-founded Brickwork India, a knowledge process outsourcing firm that provides virtual assistants to global companies.

Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay Gupta is a 1985 batch IAS Officer who cleared the UPSC Civil Service Exam at the young age of 22. After taking voluntary retirement in 2002, Sanjay joined the Adani Group as CEO (Infrastructure).

Roles And Responsibilities Of An IAS Officer

An IAS Officer is assigned a number of duties and responsibilities. They are responsible for maintaining the administration of the country and ensuring that it is going on smoothly. Below are the responsibilities that are assigned to an IAS Officer.

• They need to ensure that the government policies are implemented properly and the common people are getting the benefits of it.
• They are responsible for maintaining the law and order of the district where they are posted.
• IAS Officers need to ensure that taxes are being collected properly from the taxpayers.
• IAS Officers need to go on field visits to interact with the public to understand their grievances and take the necessary steps accordingly. 
• They are also responsible for conducting elections and ensuring that it is conducted smoothly
• IAS Officers may be asked to attend international conferences in order to represent the country and the district in which they are posted.

Thus IAS Officers can get into business on the basis of the conditions mentioned above. Normally they are not allowed for any other ways of income other than their service. This service requires utmost sincerity and dedication as this service is a promising one. That's why IAS Officers cannot involve themselves in any business venture or any other source of income. The Government wants the utmost dedication from them. Feel free to get in touch with us if you have any queries on the UPSC Civil Services Recruitment. Please download the Testbook Mobile Application to get unlimited access to useful content to enhance your exam preparation.