Civil Services Firsts and Milestones From Official Records

This page lists firsts and milestones in the history of India's civil services that an official Government record states, with the record named beside each one. The first Indian to succeed in the Indian Civil Service examination, in 1864, was Satyendranath Tagore, according to UPSC's own history. The first Public Service Commission was set up on 1 October 1926.

Every entry below can be checked against the source linked at the end. Some firsts you may have seen elsewhere are missing; the last section explains why.

Firsts in the history of the services

Year	First	Record
1855	Competitive examinations for the Indian Civil Service begin, held only in London.	UPSC
1864	Satyendranath Tagore, brother of Rabindranath Tagore, becomes the first Indian to succeed. Three years later four more Indians succeed.	UPSC
1893	The first open competition for the Indian (Imperial) Police is held in England in June; the top 10 become Probationary Assistant Superintendents of Police.	UPSC
1922	The ICS examination is held in India for the first time, at Allahabad, and later in Delhi.	UPSC
1926	A Public Service Commission is set up in India for the first time, on 1 October. Its first Chairman is Sir Ross Barker.	UPSC
1946	In September the Government of India decides to create the Indian Foreign Service.	Ministry of External Affairs
1948	The first batch recruited through the combined civil services examination joins the Indian Foreign Service.	Ministry of External Affairs
1959	The National Academy of Administration is established in Mussoorie. The earliest name in its list of Directors is A. N. Jha of the ICS, from 1 September 1959.	LBSNAA
1960	A common Foundation Course for the IAS, the IFS and other Central Services is introduced at the Academy.	LBSNAA
1966	The Indian Forest Service is created under the All India Services Act, 1951.	UPSC
2006	The first Civil Services Day is observed, on 21 April.	PMO archive
2025	UPSC marks its centenary with a two-day 'Shatabdi Sammelan' on 26 and 27 November at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.	PIB

The history of UPSC tells the story behind these dates, and Civil Services Day explains why 21 April was chosen.

People the Government records as firsts

• Satyendranath Tagore, the first Indian to succeed in the ICS examination, in 1864 (UPSC's history).
• Sir Ross Barker, a member of the Home Civil Service of the United Kingdom, the first Chairman of the Public Service Commission in 1926 (UPSC's history).
• Ira Singhal, an IAS officer, the first person with disability to top the Civil Services Examination, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development's 'First Ladies' list of 2018.
• Beno Zephine, India's first 100% visually challenged Indian Foreign Service officer, who secured rank 343 in the Civil Services Examination, according to the same list.
• Ruveda Salam, a doctor and Kashmir's first woman IPS officer, according to the same list.

The 'First Ladies' list was drawn up by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which honoured 112 women who were first in their fields in January 2018.

Milestones in women's representation

• CSE 2025: 299 of the 958 candidates UPSC recommended were women, over 31%, the Ministry of Personnel said in April 2026.
• The 2023 IAS batch: 74 women among 180 officers, about 41%. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh called it the largest representation of women in the history of the IAS.

Year-by-year numbers of candidates and selections are in the success rate guide.

What is not on this page

This page was planned to name the first IAS officer and the first women in the IAS and the IPS. We could not find a Government record, from UPSC, PIB, a ministry or a training academy, that states them. Under our rule that every fact needs an official document, they are left out rather than taken from unofficial sources.

If you know of an official record that states one of these firsts, send it to us. We will add it with its source.