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SSC CGL Inspector
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts the Combined Graduate Level or SSC CGL examination to recruit candidates to various departments and ministries under the Central Government. One of the popular posts under SSC CGL is that of Inspector which comes under the Group “B” Non-Gazetted category. The salary and job profile of SSC CGL Inspectors varies with the ministry and place of posting. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is one of the most sought-after organizations for becoming an Inspector through SSC CGL 2024.
Candidates can choose from the following three posts under CBIC who are responsible for reviewing the indirect taxes. These posts come under Pay Level 7.
- Inspector (Examiner)
- Inspector (Central Excise)
- Inspector (Preventive Officer)
The eligibility criteria for these posts are the same as the SSC CGL examination. However, physical standards are specifically mentioned in the SSC CGL notification. If you have a graduate degree and are between the ages of 21 to 30 years. The selection process includes a written exam, a physical fitness test, and document verification.
SSC CGL Inspector Salary
SSC CGL Inspector Salary comes under Pay Level 7 and the basic salary ranges from Rs 44900 to 142400. The salary varies according to place of posting. An overview of the SSC CGL Inspector’s Salary is given below along with the allowances and calculation.
| Pay Level of Posts | Pay Level-7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Payscale | Rs 44900 to 142400 | |
| Grade Pay | 4600 | |
| Basic pay | Rs 44900 | |
| HRA (depending on the city) | X Cities (30%) | 13470 |
| Y Cities (20%) | 8980 | |
| Z Cities (10%) | 4490 | |
| DA (Current: 50%) | 22,450 | |
| Gross Salary Range (Approx) | X Cities | 80,820 |
| Y Cities | 76,330 | |
| Z Cities | 71,840 | |
SSC CGL Salary: Check Post-Wise Salary Structure
SSC CGL Inspector Job Profile
Although the three posts of CBIC work under the same department and are responsible for collecting taxes, these posts are quite different in every aspect from promotion to exposure. Compare these posts for a better understanding of the job before filling preferences.
Inspector (Examiner)
It is the most sought-after job due to the following reasons:
- Faster promotion, the Department(Customs) as working in Customs brings pride to the family because you are working for the betterment of the nation by collecting Taxes.
- It provides a higher degree of Exposure, you will get signing authority at the very initial stage just after the joining and completion of training which is of One Month Duration.
Examiners everywhere have two types of posting –
- sensitive(Examination)
- non-sensitive (office).
Rotation between them is periodic. For example, in Mumbai Customs you will be posted in both postings for 6 months alternatively. It means if you are posted in-sensitive posting in April – October then you will be posted in office posting for October – April (This period is different in different zones may be one year for sensitive or non-sensitive in some other zones)
Examiner’s Responsibilities
- In the sensitive posting, you will have to examine the goods to be imported or exported and examine the duty being paid by the exporter and importer.
- The workload in the sensitive postings is high and you might not get enough time. You may also have to work beyond your usual time while working on sensitive postings.
- Examiners have the Authority to stop the consignment of goods if they find that there is any misinformation or documents are not according to the rules.
- As you are a subordinate officer you have to work within the limit and you should never harass clients (exporter and Importer). This is more important these days as the government is now more like a Facilitator than a Regulator of trade.
- In the world of Free Trade, the role of a customs officer is Limited. So, in practice, you have very limited powers.
- In non-sensitive or office postings you will have to do all the work that an assistant (Assistant Section Officer) in CSS does, i.e. Typing letters, writing note sheets, and making monthly or ad-hoc reports.
- In addition to this, you may be posted in the investigation wing for some time (6 months or 1 year) where you have to do work like Search seizure, and detention.
- You also may be posted at the Personnel and Establishment Section (HR Department) where you have to do the work of posting, promotions, RTI, and Administration work.
The Main Duty of an Examiner SSC CGL (according to the booklet given at the time of joining) is to give clearances, he has the power to access and examine goods, the power to take samples, examine the cargo that needs to be imported or exported to other countries and then, levy the charges (duty) on that shipment. After examining the goods, the examiner needs to prepare lists, check the market values of confiscated goods, loading and unloading of the goods whether generally or specifically, escorting goods from one Customs area to the other (especially in the case of gold and other precious material), and any other customs work authorized to him by the Commissioner of Customs. Moreover, an examiner also needs to help the officers in the Auctioning of Goods.
Work location of Examiner
This is an all-time coastal job. You will be posted at any one of the cities according to your rank and preference and availability of seats. Cities/Zones are Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Vizag, and Kochi. This is not a uniform post.
Promotion (Career Growth) of Examiner
- One of the main reasons that it is considered to be the best job offered by the SSC CGL Exam is faster promotions as compared to the other posts of CGLE. Once you are placed as an Examiner under CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) you can expect exceptionally good career growth.
- The career progression can be seen in the following way. There is a qualifying period of 3 years for the promotion to the post of Appraiser; which means he can’t be promoted to that post before the completion of three years of service as an Examiner. There is a departmental exam for confirmation; without passing in neither he can be made confirmed nor he can be promoted to the next post.
- The promotion period differs from zone to zone since there is zonal seniority. For example, In the Chennai zone the promotion to appraiser is fastest as of now, normally 3 and half years. In Mumbai, it’s been almost 5 years.
Transfers
In the Examiner profile, you will remain only in the coastal region, so spouse ground for transfer will not work if you want the non-coastal transfer. Moreover, the Examiner is liable to transfer anywhere in his custom zone. You may get a temporary deputation (usually 1 year) to Northern India but otherwise would stay in coastal areas only.
Inspector (Central Excise) or Excise Inspector
Excise (Inspector) Responsibilities
- Central Excise duty is an indirect tax levied on those goods which are manufactured in India and are meant for home consumption.
- An Excise Inspector can be posted in either Assessment of tax (work related to augmentation of the central Excise tax, Service Tax, detection of evasion of tax) or non-assessment (clerical type job). For administrative reasons, the Area is divided into Ranges.
- Each range is headed by a Superintendent designated as a ‘Range Officer’. Each Range officer has two to four inspectors in his charge. Each inspector is in charge of a certain number of units, which varies from Range to Range. The jurisdiction of an inspector is called ‘Sector’.
- In short, the Excise Inspector is given some sort of power at the very initial stage. This is not with every post offered by SSC.
- However, only Excise and Service Tax come under Excise in some places where there is a lack of examiner and preventive officers Excise Inspectors handle the duties of an examiner and preventive officers and work like a customs officer. This is common at borders with Nepal, Bangladesh etc. This is called ‘Land Custom’ in the common language. This is preferred by some Excise Inspectors for some ‘unknown’ reasons.
- Deputation to other departments is also very common. Apart from this, they are also posted in Customs Intelligence Agency like DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence), where most of the personnel belong to Central Excise. Thus, Excise inspectors are the most experienced officers among the Three Inspectors of CBIC.
Work Location
Though not preferred by top rankers, it is famous among toppers when reappearing for getting a decent job in the Home State. Many Examiners posted in coastal cities and Income Tax Inspector posted far from their home Town, leave their Jobs and join the Excise as this post provides an opportunity to work near Home Town and they don’t have to be top rankers for that.
Working Hours
The workload is not high but due to the Biometric Attendance system, you will have to reach the office on time. Earlier there was some sort of liberty.
Promotion
The First Promotion is to the Rank of Superintendents which is Gazetted Post. According to current rules, you will be eligible for promotion after 8 Years of Service, but there is a proposal to make it 3 years. The proposal is in the final stage of approval. The overall prospect of promotion was/ is gloomy but it will change fast if the new proposal is approved and implemented successfully.
Promotions in order are:
1. Superintendents (Group-B Gazetted)
2. Assistant Commissioner (Group A-IRS)
3. Deputy Commissioner
4. Joint Commissioner
5. Addl. Commissioner
6. Commissioner
You’ve to pass a departmental exam to get a promotion but it is for “screening”, otherwise promotion is given based on your zonal seniority.
Uniform
This is a Uniform Job (Khaki with Ashoka Stambh on the Chest and Three Stars on the Shoulders) which is also a point of attraction for many, especially aspirants from Rural Backgrounds where Khaki(Uniform) itself means Power and Prestige. But it’s optional to wear. It is worn on some special occasions like Republic Day.
Transfer Policy
Excise inspectors are posted at both sensitive and non-sensitive postings on rotation which is two years as per the latest rule. However, while posting at sensitive locations your work will be reviewed after one year and if you don’t perform there you will be transferred to another sensitive posting.
After the final selection from SSC, you will have the option to choose/ prefer a commissioner which will be allocated to you according to your Rank. After you are allocated to any commissioner there is no tenure system within the commissioner which means you will not be transferred to any other commissioner unless you wish so or you are promoted. The transfer is also done on the grounds of a spouse.
Inspector (Preventive Officer)
Inspector (Preventive Officer) under CBIC is considered to be an adventurous and broadly classified job. You are the first to interact with Assesses/Clients of the department. This is a uniform post which makes it the most attractive officer of CGL as the uniform is white (same as that of officers of Indian Navy) with Ashoka Stambha on Chest and with 2 yellow strips on the shoulders. You will have to wear the uniform while on duty regularly. Social Recognition is also very high and can be considered a high-profile job as you will be posted at various International airports and Major sea Ports.
Preventive Officer’s Responsibilities
- Preventive officers are the most dynamic officer in the department. You will be posted at various places and your role will change accordingly. You will be usually posted at Airports as a customs Officer, at seaport as a Gate officer, in the investigation section as an Investigation officer, as a control room officer in the control room of HQ, and as a Patrolling Officer posted at any Ship. You might be allowed to work as an Examiner if there is a shortage of Examiners at that location for any reason.
- In office posting, you will have to do clerical work e.g. Making reports, Noting, and Drafting. He may be posted in the Personnel and Establishment Section (HR Department) to handle joining, transfer, and promotion matters of staff of the department.
- As Customs Officer at the airport, your main work will be to collect customs duty from passengers coming from abroad. You will be in charge of a post where actual work will be done by Head Constables and Sub-Inspectors and you will be a supervisory officer. You have to be sure that there is no smuggling at the airport.
- The work of gate officers is to ascertain the genuineness of Out of out-of-charge given to any container by Appraisers or any other officers at seaports.
- As Protocol officer to commissioners, you may be assigned some work related to special Protocol on visits of Members, Chairman Ministers, etc.
- As a Patrolling Officer on the ship, you will get the chance to Experience the Big Ships very closely. This experience is very lively and you will feel like a real customs officer.
- The work of the control room officer is to provide the information asked by outsiders on the phone or by other means.
- A PO has to do the least file work among all three Inspectors of CBIC. In short, Core’s job is to prevent smuggling and collect duties at the airport.
Working Hours
Normal working hours. May extend if required depending upon the workload. You will have to work in shifts as working hours at the International Airport are 24*7. However, you will have to work for only 8 hours in a shift and if you stretch (do overtime) you will be compensated well for that. Most of the officers prefer to perform the duty of 12 hours in a shift so they can stay at home longer and avoid transport inconvenience.
Work Location
This post lies in 6 zones only, namely Kolkata, Kochin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Mumbai, and Goa.
There is a rotation for posting within the zone and you will be posted at both sensitive and Non-Sensitive Posts on a rotation basis. Sensitive posting is also called field posting. Rotation is done after 6 months at some places and after 1 year at some places.
Promotion
The First Promotion is to the Rank of Superintendents which is Gazetted Post. This takes around 8-10 years or even more. According to current rules, you will be eligible for promotion after 8 Years of Service, but there is a proposal to make it 3 years. The proposal is in the final stage of approval. The overall prospect of promotion was/ is gloomy but it will change fast if a new proposal is approved and implemented successfully. You will have to pass the confirmation test in the first two years to get confirmed. It is very easy and there is almost a 100% success rate in this. However, promotion is not based on any test but on Zonal Seniority.
Promotions in order are:
1. Superintendents (Group-B Gazetted)
2. Assistant Commissioner(IRS)
3. Deputy Commissioner
4. Joint Commissioner
5. Addl. Commissioner
6. Commissioner
Transfer
After final selection from SSC, you will be allocated a zone and your posting will be done at various offices/locations within the Zone only. You will not be transferred to another zone unless you wish to or you are promoted. Even if you wish to get yourself transferred to another zone it is not easy to get inter-zone transfers and it is up to the authority to transfer. The authority will consider the availability of vacancies at the zone you applied for and many other factors come to light. However, there is some relaxation when it comes to transfer on Spouse grounds and illness. Training of PO is done at the Regional Training Institute of the respective Zone you will be selected for. The duration of training is around 1 month.
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