Union Minister Bhupender Yadav presided over the convocation of the 2024 Indian Forest Service batch at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun. IGNFA is the apex training institution for IFS officers under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The ceremony marks the formal induction of probationers into service. IFS is an All India Service, alongside IAS and IPS, constituted under the All India Services Act, 1951.

The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of three All India Services created under Article 312 of the Constitution, operationalised through the All India Services Act, 1951. Officers are recruited by UPSC and trained at IGNFA, Dehradun — the apex training institute functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

IFS officers manage India's forest and wildlife resources, enforce the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (now Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023). They serve both at state level (under state cadres) and at central deputation.

Examiners have historically used appointments and convocations as entry points to test: (1) constitutional provisions enabling All India Services, (2) the ministry or institution behind an officer cadre, (3) the legislative framework forest officers enforce, and (4) equivalence/rank comparisons across services.

The IGNFA is distinct from the Forest Research Institute (FRI), also in Dehradun — a common distractor. FRI conducts research; IGNFA conducts officer training. This distinction has MCQ potential. The 2023 Forest Conservation Amendment Act, which altered the definition of 'forest' and introduced exemptions, is also in the examiner's crosshairs for the same batch of IFS officers who will now implement it.