Indian Engineering Services
The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is conducted to recruit officers for the services which cater to the technical and managerial functions of the Government of India in the field of engineering. As in most countries, the Indian government recruits its civil servants and officials through competitive examinations. Many candidates take the exams, competing for a limited number of posts. Officers are selected by the union government on the recommendation of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). A three-stage competitive examination (preliminary, main and personality tests), the Engineering Services Examination (ESE), is conducted by the UPSC for recruitment to the Engineering Services.[1]
Officers recruited through ESE are mandated to manage and conduct activities in diverse technical fields.
Government spending makes up over 15 percent of India's gross domestic product in a broad segment of the economy and infrastructure, including railways, roads, defense, manufacturing, inspection, supply, construction, public works, power, and telecommunications.[2] Appointments to Group A services are made by the President of India, and appointments to Group B services are made by a competent authority of the relevant department.[3]
Several Posts offered for Departments
Civil Engineering
(i) Indian Railway Service of Engineers. (ii) Indian Railway Stores Service (Civil Engineering Posts). (iii) Central Engineering Service (iv) Central Engineering Service (Roads), Group‐A (Civil Engineering Posts). (v) Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service. (vi) AEE(Civil) in Border Road Engineering Service. (vii) Indian Defence Service of Engineers. (viii) AEE(QS&C) in MES Surveyor Cadre. (ix) Central Water Engineering (Group ‘A’) Service. (x) Indian Skill Development Service. (xi) Military Engineer Services.
Mechanical Engineering
(i) Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers. (ii) Indian Railway Stores Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts). (iii) AEE in GSI Engineering Service Gr ‘A’. (iv) Indian Defence Service of Engineers. (v) Indian Naval Armament Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts). (vi) Asstt. Naval Store Officer Grade‐I (Mechanical Engineering Posts) in Indian Navy. (vii) AEE(Elec & Mech) in Border Roads Engineering Service(Mechanical Engineering Posts). (viii) Central Water Engineering (Group ‘A’) Service. (ix) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘A’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts). (x) Indian Skill Development Service. (xi) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘B’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts). (xii) Military Engineer Services.
Electrical Engineering
(i) Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers. (ii) Indian Railway Stores Service (Electrical Engineering Posts). (iii) Central Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Service (Electrical Engineering Posts). (iv) Indian Defence Service of Engineers. (v) Asstt. Naval Store Officer Grade‐I (Electrical Engineering Posts) in Indian Navy. (vi) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘A’ (Electrical Engineering Posts). (vii) Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance Service/SSO‐II (Electrical). (viii) Indian Skill Development Service. (ix) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘B’ (Electrical Engineering Posts). (x) Military Engineer Services.
Electronics and Communication Engineering
(i) Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers. (ii) Indian Railway Stores Service (Telecommunication/Electronics Engineering Posts). (iii) Indian Radio Regulatory Service Gr ‘A’. (iv) Indian Telecommunication Service Gr ‘A’. (v) Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics and Telecom Engineering Posts). (vi) Asstt. Naval Store Officer Grade‐I(Electronics and Telecom Engg. Posts) in Indian Navy. (vii) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘A’ (Electronics & Telecom Engineering Posts). (viii) Indian Skill Development Service. (ix) Junior Telecom Officer Gr ‘B’. (x) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘B’ (Electronics & Telecom Engineering Posts). (xi) Military Engineer Services
Functions of officers
The work performed by these bureaucrats largely depends on their engineering branch and service (or cadre). However, they can move to any cadre, organization, agency, department, ministry or public sector undertaking of the government of India. They are appointed to posts analogous to their present one, either on a fixed-term deputation basis (at least five years and extensible, after which the officer returns to their parent cadre) or an absorption basis where the official leaves the parent cadre for the new one.[4][5]
Eligibility
Candidates must be a citizen of India or Nepal or a subject of Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor's degree in engineering (B.E. or B.Tech) from a recognised university or the equivalent. An M.Sc. degree or equivalent with wireless communications, electronics, radio physics or radio engineering as special subjects is also acceptable for certain services or posts.[6]
The age range is 21–30 years on 1 January of the year of the Engineering Services Examination.[6] The upper age limit is relaxed as follows:
- A maximum of three years for Other Backward Class candidates (non-creamy layer only)
- A maximum of four years for Defence Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and discharged as a consequence
- A maximum of five years for:
- Candidates belonging to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe
- Candidates who resided in Jammu and Kashmir from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1989
- Ex-servicemen (including commissioned officers and ECOs or SSCOs) with at least five years of military service by 1 August
- Candidates already in a permanent post of the Central Government Engineering Department
Examination
Candidates are required to apply on the UPSC website. The application fee for general-category male candidates is 200. No fee is required for female and reserved-category applicants. Stage 1 of the test is conducted during the first week of January; Stage 2 is conducted in June and July across India. The government of India changed the Engineering Services Examination in 2017.
Stage | Type | Time | Marks |
---|---|---|---|
I | General studies and engineering aptitude paper | 2 hours | 200 (maximum) |
Engineering discipline-specific paper | 3 hours | 300 (maximum) | |
II | Discipline-specific paper I | 3 hours | 300 (maximum) |
Discipline-specific paper II | 3 hours | 300 (maximum) | |
III | Personality test | 200 (maximum) |
Candidates who qualify at Stage I are permitted to appear for the Stage II examination, and those who qualify at Stage II are permitted to appear for the Stage III examination. Candidates qualifying at all three stages are included on the examination's final merit list. The maximum score is 1300.
The personality test is an interview which assesses the candidate's suitability for a career in public service by a board of unbiased observers. The interview also assess social traits and interest in current affairs. Qualities judged include mental alertness, critical ability, clear and logical exposition, judgment, variety and depth of interests, social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
Notable officers
- Narinder Singh Kapany, FREng - Known as "the father of fibre optics" and "the man who bent light".[8] Kapany invented fibre optics, which revolutionalised telecommunications, power transmission, and laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. He was named as one of the seven "Unsung Heroes of the 20th Century" by Fortune for his invention.[9] Kapany is a former professor at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, and has more than 150 patents.[8]
- Nalini Ranjan Mohanty - former IOFS officer and chairman and managing director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited; director of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company, Mahanadi Coalfields, National Aluminium Company and Bharat Earth Movers; received Padma Shri in 2004 for his role in the development of LCA - Tejas.
- Rajendra K. Pachauri - former IRSME officer; chair of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when the organisation received the Nobel Prize in 2007; director general of the Energy and Resources Institute; received Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan from the government of India, the Order of the White Rose of Finland from the Finnish government, the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold and Silver Star) from the Japanese government and the Legion of Honour from the French government.
- H. P. S. Ahluwalia - FRGS; former IOFS officer; author and social worker, and a member of the first Indian group to climb Mount Everest[10][11] Founder and chairman of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. Received an Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the government of India. Commissioned officer in the Indian Army and member of the Indian Planning Commission.
- Ashwani Lohani - IRSME officer; chairman of Indian Railways and former chairman and managing director of Air India. Holds a Limca record for having four engineering degree equivalents (mechanical, electrical and metallurgical engineering and electronics and telecommunications engineering from the Institution of Engineers.[12][13]
- K. C. Banerjee - Joined as an IOFS officer. Received Padma Shri in 1967 for his contributions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as general manager of Rifle Factory Ishapore.[14]
- O. P. Bahl - Served as an IOFS officer. Former additional director of the General Ordnance Factories and member of the Ordnance Factory Board. Received Padma Shri in 1972 in the civil-service category for his efforts during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.[15]
- G. B. Meemamsi - Former ITS officer. Founding Director of C-DOT; received Padma Shri in 1998.[16][17]
- Satyendra Dubey - Whistleblower against corruption; project director of the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) Golden Quadrilateral project at Koderma. After his assassination, the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011 was passed.
- E. Sreedharan - Former IRSE officer, chairman and managing director of Konkan Railway, Cochin Shipyard and the Delhi Metro. Retired member of the Railway Board. Received Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan from India, the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold and Silver Star) from Japan and the Legion of Honour from France.
References
- "702 candidates clear Engg Services exam | Business Standard News". Business-standard.com. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "IES opens new avenues for young engineers - Tirupati". The Hindu. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "CCS (CCA) Rules". Persmin.gov.in. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Welcome to". UPSC. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Central Staffing Scheme 2008-List of Services". Centralstaffing.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "UPSC ESE Exam Pattern".
- "The Tribune - Windows - Main Feature". Tribuneindia.com. 18 November 2000. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "How India missed another Nobel Prize - Rediff.com India News". News.rediff.com. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "First Indian group to scale Mt Everest feted | Zee News". Zeenews.india.com. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Youngest and first: Indian Everest conquerors meet - Rediff.com India News". News.rediff.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "AI's new chief features in record books, has garden named after him - Rediff.com Business". Rediff.com. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Ashwani Lohani in Limca Book | India". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Rifle Factory Ishapore welcomes you". Rfi.nic.in. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- "Padma Shri Awardees". Government of India. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- "C-DOT celebrates Foundation Day". pib.gov.in.
- "Remembering founder executive director of C-DoT GB Meemamsi - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com.
External links
- Union Public Service Commission (Official Website)
- The Central Civil Services Conduct Rules of 1964
- Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure 12th edition