About the Service
•The Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) is one of the Group 'A' services of Government of India.
•It is responsible for accounting functions of the defence department.
•The Defense Accounts Department has a history of more than two hundred years old.
•The cadre controlling authority is the Ministry of Defense.
•The Defence Accounts Department (DAD) is headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts.
•DAD provides financial payment and accounting and internal audit functions of Army, Navy, Air Force, Ordnance Factories, Border Road Organisation, Defence Research and Canteen stores Department.
History
•1750 Creation of Pay Masters and Commissary Generals of East India Co.
•1788 The re-designated Commissary General as to Military Auditor General
•1858 Creation of Military Accountants General under the British Crown
•1864 Creation of the Office of Accountant General, Military Department
•1888 Setting up of Military Accounts Department
•1906 Department of Military Accounts brought under Finance Departments and head of Department was re-designated as Military Accountants General (MAG)
•1920 Transfer of Military Works Expenditure to MAG and Controller of Army Factory Accounts created.
•1951 Military Accounts Department re-designated as Defence Accounts Department and head of the Department became CGDA
Training
•The officers of IDAS are offered elaborate training at various centres.
•Foundation training along with the All India Services at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (Mussourie) for four months.
•After this, Induction Training is imparted at CENTRAD, New Delhi.
•This is followed by a special session training at Professional Training Course in National Institute of Financial Management (Faridabad).
•Finally, there is a Departmental Training at National Academy Of Defence Financial Management Institute, Pune.
•The entire training lasts for a period of two years.
•After this, on passing the Departmental Examination, the probationers are confirmed into the Junior Time Scale grade.
ROLE AND FUNCTIONS
•Financial advice to defence services
•Providing responsive, professional financial and accounting services
•Proper accounting of all receipts and expenditure from the defence budget timely,
•Efficient and accurate payment of pay and allowances,
•Pension and gratuities and other payments relating to supplies and services.
•Internal audit
Promotions
UNIQUE FEATURES OF DAD
•DAD offers a slew of potentially rewarding professional job opportunities encompassing Accounting, Disbursement, Audit, Financial Management, Information Technology, Project Evaluation and Project Management.
•All India Transfer Liability which includes obligation to serve in Field areas as well.
•DAD today is a very lean Organization with posted strength of about 450 IDAS Group ‘A’ Officers and 24,600 Subordinate Officers and Staff.
•The DAD has a vast geographical spread with a network of 980 offices located at 230 stations dispersed over the length and breadth of the country to respond to the needs of all the elements of the Indian Defence Services i.e. Army, Air Force and Navy as also all Independent Support Groups like Defence Ordnance Factories (39), DRDO Laboratories/Projects (50), Coast Guard, DGQA, DGBR, DGNCC, Defence Estates, CSD, etc.
PARTICIPATION IN UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
•DAD has been empowered to settle accounts with UN HQ through PMI, New York in respect of deployment of Indian Contingents on various UN Peacekeeping Missions abroad.
•DAD officers are always part of the MOD delegation to the UNO to sign MOUs and to participate in working group meetings of the UNO on peacekeeping.
•DAD has been sending its officers as part and parcel of Indian Contingents deployed in UN Peace Keeping Operations.
•These UN Missions have been deployed in various countries including Congo (ONUC & MONUC), Somalia (UNOSOM), Mozambique (ONUMOZ), Rwanda (UNAMIR), Angola (UAVEM), Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Lebanon (UNIFIL), Eritrea & Ethiopia (UNMEE), Sudan (UNMIS), and, most recently, in the Golan Heights, Israel (UNDOF).