Government Jobs in India — 25 Major Recruitments

The IAS / IPS / IFS / IRS gateway. 10-12 lakh applicants for ~1000 vacancies.

Cadence

Annual — Notification Feb, Prelims May, Mains Sep, Interview Mar

Typical vacancies

~1000 (IAS ~180, IPS ~200, IFS ~30, IRS + Group B services ~600)

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 21-32 (Gen; relaxations 35 OBC, 37 SC/ST, 40+ PwD), Indian citizen for IAS/IPS

Pattern

Prelims (objective, 1 day) → Mains (9 papers over 5-6 days) → Interview (personality test ~30 min)

Starting salary

₹56,100 base + DA + HRA = ~₹8-12 LPA inc. perks (housing, vehicle, staff)

Group A engineering officer in CPWD, Railways, MES, BRO, Indian Naval Armament Service, etc.

Cadence

Annual — typically Feb notification, exam June

Typical vacancies

~500 (Civil + Mech + Elec + E&T combined)

Eligibility

BTech / BE in Civil / Mech / Elec / E&T, age 21-30

Pattern

Prelims (objective) → Mains (conventional) → Interview

Starting salary

~₹56,100 base + DA + HRA (Group A officer scale)

Deputy Collector, DSP, Block Development Officer entry in UP. Easier than UPSC; cadre confined to UP.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~400-600

Eligibility

Bachelor's, age 21-40 (Gen), domicile preferred but not always required

Pattern

Prelims → Mains → Interview (similar to UPSC)

Starting salary

₹6-9 LPA (Junior Time Scale; same as UPSC Group A entry)

Deputy Collector, Asst Commissioner of State Tax, BDO entry. Highest applicant volume after UPPSC.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~500-1000

Eligibility

Bachelor's, age 22-37 (Gen), Bihar domicile preferred

Pattern

Prelims → Mains → Interview

Starting salary

₹7-10 LPA

Officer scale-I entry into PNB, BoB, Canara, Indian Bank, Union Bank etc.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~4,000 (across 11 PSU banks)

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 20-30

Pattern

Prelims → Mains → Interview

Starting salary

₹6-8 LPA (Scale-I officer)

Officer entry into India's largest bank. Slightly higher pay + posting flexibility than IBPS PO.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~2,000

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 21-30

Pattern

Prelims → Mains → Group Exercise + Interview

Starting salary

₹7-9 LPA (Scale-I, SBI slightly higher than IBPS)

Clerical cadre in PSU banks. Promotion to officer possible via internal exam after 2 years.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~6,000

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 20-28

Pattern

Prelims → Mains

Starting salary

₹2.5-3.5 LPA

Largest bank, largest clerical recruitment in India.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~8,000

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 20-28

Pattern

Prelims → Mains

Starting salary

₹2.5-3.5 LPA

Station Master, Goods Guard, Junior Clerk, Senior Clerk, Junior Account Asst etc.

Cadence

Irregular (2018, 2021, 2024 cycles)

Typical vacancies

~10,000-35,000 per cycle

Eligibility

Class 12 (some posts) or Graduate, age varies by post

Pattern

CBT-1 → CBT-2 → Skill / Aptitude (post-dependent) → Medical

Starting salary

₹3-7 LPA (Level 2-6)

Track maintainer, Pointsman, Helper, Asst Loco Pilot, Tech Helper. Largest govt recruitment in India by volume.

Cadence

Irregular (2018, 2022 cycles; 2024 cycle ongoing)

Typical vacancies

~1,00,000+ per cycle

Eligibility

Class 10 + ITI (for some posts), age 18-33

Pattern

CBT → PET (physical) → Medical

Starting salary

₹2.5-3.5 LPA (Level 1)

Path to becoming a Loco Pilot (train driver). Technician roles run in parallel.

Cadence

Irregular

Typical vacancies

~15,000-30,000 per cycle

Eligibility

Class 10 + ITI / Diploma in relevant trade, age 18-30

Pattern

CBT-1 → CBT-2 → CBAT (computer-based aptitude) → Medical

Starting salary

₹3-5 LPA (Level 2)

Income Tax Inspector, Assistant Audit Officer, Excise Inspector, Asst Section Officer in CSS etc. ~30L applicants/year.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~17,000 (Group B + C posts across central ministries)

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 18-30 (post-specific)

Pattern

Tier 1 (objective) → Tier 2 (objective) → Tier 3 (descriptive) → Skill/CPT

Starting salary

₹4-7 LPA (post-specific Level 4-7)

Lower Division Clerk, Junior Secretariat Assistant, Data Entry Operator in central ministries.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~5,000 (LDC, JSA, DEO posts)

Eligibility

Class 12 pass, age 18-27

Pattern

Tier 1 (objective) → Tier 2 (descriptive + skill)

Starting salary

₹3-5 LPA (Level 2-4)

Multi-Tasking Staff in ministries + departments. Lowest qualification entry into central govt.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~7,000

Eligibility

Class 10 pass, age 18-25

Pattern

CBT → PET (for Havaldar) → Document verification

Starting salary

₹2.5-4 LPA (Level 1)

Constable in central paramilitary forces. Largest annual govt recruitment by volume.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~50,000 (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NIA, SSF)

Eligibility

Class 10 pass, age 18-23, physical standards

Pattern

CBT → PET/PST (physical) → Medical

Starting salary

₹3-4 LPA (Pay Level 3)

Direct Class 12 entry into Army, Navy, Air Force as cadet. 3-year training → IMA/AFA/INA.

Cadence

Twice yearly (NDA-I + NDA-II)

Typical vacancies

~400 (per cycle; ~800/year total)

Eligibility

Class 12 pass (PCM for Army/Air Force; PCB/PCM for Navy), unmarried, age 16.5-19.5

Pattern

Written (Maths + GAT) → SSB Interview (5 days) → Medical

Starting salary

Cadets get stipend ₹56,100 during 3-year training; commissioned officers ₹56,100+

Graduate entry to IMA/INA/AFA + OTA (Officers Training Academy). Most common defence-officer entry.

Cadence

Twice yearly

Typical vacancies

~400 (per cycle)

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree (specific for Air Force / Navy), age 19-24 (varies by service)

Pattern

Written → SSB Interview → Medical

Starting salary

₹56,100+ on commissioning

Indian Air Force flying + ground branches. Includes both technical + non-technical entries.

Cadence

Twice yearly

Typical vacancies

~200-300 per cycle

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree (specific subjects for technical branches), age 20-26

Pattern

AFCAT written → AFSB Interview → Medical

Starting salary

₹56,100+ on commissioning

GATE clear cut score is the common selection for top PSUs. Each PSU has its own merit list.

Cadence

Yearly (most major PSUs)

Typical vacancies

~2,000-3,000 GETs total across major PSUs

Eligibility

BTech relevant branch + GATE score within PSU-specific cutoff

Pattern

GATE score → Shortlist → Group Discussion + Interview → Medical

Starting salary

₹10-15 LPA inc. perks

Mandatory cert for teaching in central govt schools (KVS, NVS) + many state cadres.

Cadence

Twice yearly

Typical vacancies

Eligibility cert (not vacancies); enables KVS/NVS/CBSE schools

Eligibility

Class 12 + DEd (for Paper I primary), Bachelor's + BEd (for Paper II upper-primary)

Pattern

Paper I (Class 1-5 teachers) and/or Paper II (Class 6-8 teachers), 150 MCQs each

Starting salary

After clearance: KVS PGT ₹56-60k base; NVS TGT ₹56-60k base. ~₹8-11 LPA inc allowances.

Central govt school teacher. Strong job security + central scale pay + national mobility.

Cadence

Irregular (last full cycle 2022-23)

Typical vacancies

~13,000-15,000 per cycle (combined PGT/TGT/PRT)

Eligibility

PGT: PG + BEd; TGT: Bachelor's + BEd + CTET; PRT: DEd + CTET

Pattern

Written (objective + descriptive) → Interview

Starting salary

PGT ₹56-65k base; TGT ₹44-48k base; PRT ₹35-40k base + DA + HRA

Civil Judge / Judicial Magistrate at sub-district + district courts. Path to District Judge + HC elevation.

Cadence

State-specific; annual or biennial

Typical vacancies

Varies by state, 50-300 typically

Eligibility

LLB + AIBE + age 21-35 (state-specific); 7 yr practice for Higher Judicial Service

Pattern

Prelims → Mains (descriptive + drafting) → Viva-voce

Starting salary

₹8-12 LPA inc. allowances + official residence

India's central bank. Strong compensation + career path; intensely competitive (~3 lakh applicants).

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~250

Eligibility

Bachelor's with 60% (50% SC/ST/PwD), age 21-30

Pattern

Phase 1 (objective) → Phase 2 (English + Economics + Finance + Statistics descriptive) → Interview

Starting salary

₹13-16 LPA inc. allowances

Securities + financial markets regulator. Among most prestigious regulatory roles.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~100

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree, age 21-30 (Gen)

Pattern

Phase 1 (objective) → Phase 2 (descriptive) → Interview

Starting salary

₹15-18 LPA inc. allowances

Rural + agri development banking apex. Strong career path with good work-life balance reputation.

Cadence

Annual

Typical vacancies

~150

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree (Agri + Allied for some posts), age 21-30

Pattern

Prelims → Mains → Interview

Starting salary

₹13-16 LPA inc. allowances