लाल बहादुर शास्त्री राष्ट्रीय प्रशासन अकादमी
Lal Bahadur Shastri
National Academy of Administration

IAS Phase-I

IAS Professional Course, Phase-I (22 weeks approximately)

Soon after the completion of Foundation Course,  the IAS Officer Trainees graduate to   Phase-I training. This Course imparts rigorous training to the Officer Trainees of the Indian Administrative Service in a wide range of subjects to enable them to handle varied assignments that they would hold in the first ten years of their service. Emphasis is on understanding of public systems and their management.  Starting in December, it runs up to May of the next year and comprises of Academic instruction (12 weeks); Winter Study Tour (7 weeks) and 1 week of Block Leave.

 At the end of the IAS Professional Course Phase I, an Officer Trainee is able to:

1. Acquire a pan-India perspective of emerging socio-economic and politico-legal trends, an understanding of the emerging role of the IAS and its shared administrative responsibilities with other services.

2. Acquire knowledge and skills needed to discharge administrative responsibilities in the first decade of their career in the following areas:

i. Law and legal instruments

ii. Administrative rules, procedures and programme guidelines

iii. Modern management tools, and

iv. Economic analysis

3. Demonstrate proficiency in the regional language of the allotted State to better appreciate its administrative and cultural ethos.

4. Acquire an understanding on the cultural and socio-economic background of the State they are allotted.

5. Demonstrate effective written/ oral communication skills both in interpersonal and organizational context.

6. Exhibit right values and attitudes.

7. Maintain physical fitness.

8. Adhere to the spirit of ‘Sheelam Param Bhushanam’.

Winter Study Tour

The IAS officers have traditionally been taken for a Winter Study Tour (WST) called Bharat Darshan in Phase I. The 6-7 week Winter Study Tour (WST) precedes the academic module comprising of attachments with the armed forces, the public sector, the private sector, municipal bodies, voluntary agencies, tribal areas, e-governance and Non-Government Organizations. This gives Officer  Trainees an opportunity to experience the diversity of our country and to see and understand closely the functioning of numerous organizations.  The Officer Trainees are divided into groups of about 18-20 each with each Officer Trainee traversing nearly 20,000 kilometres across the length and breadth of the country.   

As regards curricular activities, Phase I entails a total of around 400 teaching hours across 5 subjects of Law, Basic Economic Principles and Indian Economy, Political Concepts & the Constitution of India, Management & Behavioral Sciences and Public Administration. Instructions are also imparted in ICT and the language of the cadre allotted to the Officer Trainee. The Course is thematically divided into weekly modules that form the focus of most teaching in that particular week.

Committed to development of all-round personalities, the Academy provides space for several co-curricular activities in Phase I including weekend treks; events such as Lit Fest, Theatre Workshop & film festival; activities organised by various Clubs & Societies etc. The high points, however, are the Inter Services Meet and Zonal days.

Zonal Day  

The Officer Trainees organize four Zonal days during the Phase I programme in which they showcase and display the culture and cuisine of their allocated cadres. The details of constitution of groups for each zone are as follows:

Inter-Services Meet 

SANGAM, the Inter-Services Meet, is an entertaining, exhilarating and a stimulating 3-4 day endeavour by the Trainees of varied Civil Services of India   to foster inter-service camaraderie and esprit de corps. It was initiated at a time when the Foundation Course in LBSNAA had been restricted to the All India Services and the Foreign Service which continued for some years till a common Foundation Course was re-introduced in 2016:  the idea was to bridge the professional spheres   by bringing them together and encouraging interactions across the service boundaries. Various Civil Service Training Academies, located across the nation, send their talented and accomplished representatives to compete in the events forming part of SANGAM. From taxmen to policemen, administrators to foresters, this event allows participants from  diverse Services   to inter-mingle and sportingly contest their mettle on a common platform.

SANGAM was born in 2014 due to the efforts of the I.A.S. Officer Trainees of the 2013 Batch. From quiz to sports to cultural performances, SANGAM attempts to showcase talent in different fields. The IAS Officer Trainees host their fellow Civil Service Trainees from other Academies, in their own rooms, to build and renew bonds.

 On completion of the Phase-I course, the Officer Trainees proceed on  a one year district training to their allotted cadres.