The position of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO) as a senior executive in the Intelligence Bureau is well-known. IB ACIO is a graduate-level examination held by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to hire Intelligence Bureau Assistant Central Intelligence Officers. An IB ACIO’s primary responsibility is to gather and handle sensitive information in order to protect national peace and order.
Many aspirants take part in the recruitment every year. It is a must for the applicants to go through the IB ACIO Syllabus before applying for the position and start preparing for the exam. One of the key motivations for applicants to join any department in the Government sector is the salary structure, as well as the many benefits and perks granted to them. The IB ACIO salary is mentioned in the notification, along with other information such as work profile, employment hours, benefits, and allowances granted to Intelligence Bureau Officer.
The job profile and the salary structure for the IB ACIO are discussed in the given article.
IB ACIO- Job Profile
Knowing the job description beforehand will allow the candidates to strategise their preparation properly. An Assistant Central Intelligence Officer at IB is responsible for a variety of responsibilities. The job profile of the IB ACIO is discussed below:
- Responsibilities:
- At the national level– The ‘Class I’ officials are mostly in charge of IB coordination and higher-level management. The main role of ACIO, which is a Grade II position, is to obtain classified information that safeguards national security. At the state level– IB ACIOs are assigned to the State Special Bureau and report to a Central Intelligence Officer at the state level (the intelligence advisor to the Governor).
- Another important responsibility for the IB ACIOs is to follow critical information and signals that might pose a danger to the states.
- They must also gather intelligence information such as money exchange concerns, terrorist trespassing, illegal or unethical trafficking
- The IB has many departments (in certain cases, Subsidiary Intelligence Bureaus) to monitor concerns such as terrorism, counter-intelligence, VIP security and threat assessment, and sensitive locations (for example, J&K, the North-East Region (NER), and so on).
- Work timing: IB ACIO has a regular work schedule as an Assistant in the Intelligence Bureau. It is also a job similar to any other where one leaves in the morning and returns home in the evening, with no extended work hours and working in shifts.
- Transfer: Following the first training, the officers are allocated duties in which they learn to know themselves better as they operate in an atmosphere where they will encounter really difficult conditions. This helps to prepare the officers for the worst-case situation. Each officer is assigned to a certain district/state and is deployed to that location. Some may be sent to border areas or the mainland, while others may be assigned to cities, towns, or villages.
- Career growth: The career progression of an Assistant in the Intelligence Bureau is as follows:
- Section Officers ( in 7-8 years)
- Under Secretary
- Deputy Secretary
- Director
IB ACIO- Salary Structure and Allowances
The IB ACIO salary is one of the most essential and appealing aspects of the Grade-II position. The salary of an IB ACIO is fixed in line with the 7th pay commission. This position’s salary band is INR 44,900 – 1,42,400, with a grade pay of INR 4,200 (PB-2). Despite the fact that the position is temporary, employee officers get normal allowances comparable to those paid to Central Government employees. The detailed salary structure along with the allowances are given below:
| Components | Salary 7th Pay Commission (in Rupees) |
| Pay Scale | 44,900-1,42,400 |
| Grade Pay | 4,600 |
| Basic Pay | 13,500 |
| Central Pay Commission (CPC) Fitment Factor | 35,370 |
| House Rent Allowances (HRA) | 4,050 |
| Transport Allowances | 3,200 |
| Gross Pay | 42,600 |
| Deduction in IB ACIO Salary | |
| Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) | 500 |
| Employees Provident Fund (EPF) | 1,350 |
| Total Deductions | 1,890 |
| Estimated in Hand Salary | 40,730 |
Other than these, the IB ACIO also get various allowances:
- According to the 7th Pay Commission, employees get mileage allowances to cover the expenditures of travelling for at least 8 kilometres or more during office hours.
- Medical allowances are paid to employees to cover medical expenditures for themselves and their families.
- City Compensatory Allowances (CCA) is granted to employees to compensate for the cost of living in a metropolitan city under Tier I. Employees working in Tier II cities are sometimes offered allowances as well.
- Dearness Allowances is a certain proportion that is meant to attenuate the basic wage in order to understand the effect of inflation on the people.
Employees additionally receive newspaper reimbursement, guest costs, and offers on suitcases and electronics in addition to these two big supplementary allowances.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has released an official IB ACIO 2022 notification, and interested applicants can register through IB ACIO Apply Online from 16 April 2022 to 07 May 2022 and fill out the online application for the position of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer.
As the job profile and the salary structure is very attractive, the IB ACIO exam is highly competitive. Only a good preparation strategy and hard work will help in qualifying for the exam successfully.