Engineering career

Indian Engineering Services ( Hindi : भारतीय
अभियांत्रिकी सेवाएं), abbreviated as IES
are the services that meet the technical and
managerial functions of the Government of
India . Like most countries, the Government of
India recruits its civil servants and officials on
the basis of merit, the middle management
positions in the bureaucracy are filled through
competitive exams. Large number of
candidates take these exams, competing for
limited posts. IES officers are selected by the
union government on the recommendations
made by the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC). A combined four-stage competitive
examination (comprising six tests), called the
Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is
conducted by the UPSC for recruitment to the
Indian Engineering Services. [1]
IES remain the most sought-after careers for
the engineering graduates in India. [2][3][4] In
the year 2010, a total of 157,649 candidates
applied for 434 vacancies (includes all
branches and cadres). [5][6] In 2011, a total
number of 693 candidates were recommended
for appointments in these four lists include 317
General, 209 Other Backward Classes, 113
Scheduled Castes and 54 Scheduled Tribes
(including 44 candidates belonging to
Physically Handicapped category). [7] ESE 2012
was conducted for the recruitment of
candidates to as many as 560 posts, which
also includes 47 vacancies available only for
the PH (physically handicapped) category. [8]
ESE 2013 was conducted for the recruitment of
candidates to as many as 763 posts, which
also includes 19 vacancies available only for
the PH (physically handicapped) category. [9]
IES officers carry high respect and stature in
society and are able to manage activities in
diverse areas. Government spending comprises
more than 15 percent of India's GDP and given
the extent of tasks and functions managed by
the public sector, this extends to a fairly broad
segment of the economy covering the railways,
roads, defense, manufacturing, inspection,
supply, construction, public works, power,
telecommunications, etc.[10] [11] All
appointments to the Group A services are
made by the President of India .[12]
Civil Engineering
1. Border Roads Engineering Service (Border
Roads Organisation)
2. Central Engineering Service (Central Public
Works Department)
3. Central Engineering Service (Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways)
4. Central Water Engineering Service (Central
Water Commission)
5. Indian Defence Service of Engineers
(Military Engineer Services)
6. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
7. Indian Railway Service of Engineers
8. Indian Railway Stores Service
9. Bandel civil engineering.
Mechanical Engineering
1. Border Roads Engineering Service (Border
Roads Organisation)
2. Central Electrical & Mechanical Engineering
Service (Central Public Works Department)
3. Central Engineering Service (Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways)
4. Central Power Engineering Service (Central
Electricity Authority)
5. Central Water Engineering Service (Central
Water Commission)
6. Corps of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (EME), Indian Army
7. Indian Defence Service of Engineers
(Military Engineer Services)
8. Indian Inspection Service (Directorate
General of Supply and Disposals)
9. Indian Naval Armament Service (Directorate
of Naval Armament)
10. Indian Naval Stores Service (Indian Navy)
11. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
12. Indian Railway Service of Mechanical
Engineers
13. Indian Railway Stores Service
14. Indian Supply Service (Directorate General
of Supply and Disposals)
Electrical Engineering
1. Central Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering Service (Central Public Works
Department)
2. Central Power Engineering Service (Central
Electricity Authority)
3. Corps of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (EME), Indian Army
4. Indian Defence Service of Engineers
(Military Engineer Services)
5. Indian Naval Armament Service (Directorate
of Naval Armament)
6. Indian Naval Stores Service (Indian Navy)
7. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
8. Indian Railway Service of Electrical
Engineers
9. Indian Railway Stores Service
10. Indian Supply Service (Directorate General
of Supply and Disposals)
Electronics &
Telecommunication
Engineering
1. Central Power Engineering Service (Central
Electricity Authority)
2. Corps of Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (EME), Indian Army
3. Indian Defence Service of Engineers
4. Indian Inspection Service (Directorate
General of Supply and Disposals)
5. Indian Naval Armament Service (Directorate
of Naval Armament)
6. Indian Naval Stores Service (Indian Navy)
7. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
8. Indian Radio Regulatory Service
9. Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers
10. Indian Railway Stores Service
11. Indian Supply Service (Directorate General
of Supply and Disposals)
12. Indian Telecommunication Service
Career progression
At the time of selection – Assistant
Executive Engineer / Assistant Works
Manager / Assistant Director.
after 3–4 years of service (including
probation period) – Executive Engineer / Works
Manager / Deputy Director (equivalent to Under
Secretary to Government of India).
after 8 years of service – Superintending
Engineer / Deputy General Manager / Joint
Director (equivalent to Deputy Secretary to
Government of India).
after 13 years of service – Chief Engineer
level-2 / Joint General Manager (equivalent to
Director to Government of India).
after 20 years of service – Chief Engineer /
Additional General Manager (equivalent to
Joint Secretary to Government of India).
after 30 years of service – Engineer-in-
Chief / Senior General Manager (equivalent to
Additional Secretary to Government of India).
after 34 years of service - Chairman /
Director General / Managing Director
(equivalent to Secretary to Government of
India).
Promotions are subjected to availability of
vacancies and may take more time than
mentioned above. The age of superannuation
is 60 years for all civil servants in India.
Functions of the officers
The nature of work performed by these
bureaucrats largely depends on their
engineering branch and the service or cadre
they are recruited in. However, they can move
to any cadre , organisation, agency,
department, ministry or PSU of the Government
of India. They are appointed in the posts
analogous to their present one, either on
deputation basis which is of a fixed tenure (at
least 5 years and extensible) after which the
officer returns to their parent cadre or on
absorption basis where the official leaves the
parent cadre and is "absorbed" permanently
into the new cadre. [13] [14]
Eligibility
Nationality
The candidate must be one of the following:
A citizen of India
A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan
a person of Indian origin who has
migrated from Pakistan , Myanmar , Sri
Lanka, Kenya, Uganda , Tanzania , Zambia,
Malawi, Zaire , Ethiopia or Vietnam with the
intention of permanently settling in India.
Educational qualifications
At least a bachelor's degree in Engineering
(B.E. / B. Tech) from a recognised university or
equivalent. M.Sc degree or its equivalent with
Wireless Communications, Electronics, Radio
Physics or Radio Engineering as special
subjects also acceptable for certain services /
posts only. [15]
=== Age limit 21-30 years on 1st August of the
year of Engineering Services Examination.
Upper age limit relaxation is provided to
candidates as follows:
A maximum of three years for OBC
candidates [Non Creamy Layer only]
A maximum of three years in case of
Defence Services personnel disabled in
operations during hostilities with any foreign
country or in a disturbed area and released as
a consequence thereof
A maximum of five years for candidates
belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled
Tribe
A maximum of five years if a candidate had
ordinarily been domiciled in the State of
Jammu & Kashmir during the period from 1
January 1980 to 31 December 1989
A maximum of five years in case of ex-
servicemen including Commissioned Officers
and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least
five years Military Service as on 1 August and
have been released on either of the following
basis:
on completion of assignment (including
those whose assignment is due to be
completed within one year from 1 August)
otherwise than by way of dismissal or
discharge on account of misconduct or
inefficiency
on account of physical disability
attributable to Military Service
on invalidment
A maximum of five years in case of ECOs/
SSCOs who have completed an initial period of
assignment of five years Military Service as on
1 August and whose assignment has been
extended beyond five years and in whose case
the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that
they can apply for civil employment and that
they will be released on three months notice
on selection from the date of receipt of offer of
appointment.
A maximum of ten years in case of blind,
deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped
persons
The age relaxation will not be admissible to
Ex-Servicemen and Commissioned Officers
including ECOs/SSCOs who are released on
own request.
Examination
Application
Candidates are required to apply online only by
using the website www.upsconline.nic.in
Application fee
The application fee of the online form for
General category male candidates is 200 (US
$3.30), while no fee is required by female and
the reserved category applicants.
Test centres
The test is conducted in June every year at
centres across India, namely: Agartala,
Ahmedabad , Aizwal , Aligarh , Allahabad,
Bangalore , Bareilly , Bhopal , Chandigarh ,
Chennai, Cuttack , Dehradun , Delhi, Dharwad ,
Dispur , Gangtok , Hyderabad, Imphal , Itanagar,
Jaipur, Jammu , Jorhat , Kochi , Kohima, Kolkata ,
Lucknow , Madurai , Mumbai, Nagpur , Panaji
( Goa), Patna, Port Blair, Raipur , Ranchi ,
Sambalpur, Shillong , Shimla , Srinagar,
Thiruvananthapuram , Tirupati , Udaipur and
Vishakapatnam .
Plan of examination
There are objective as well as conventional
(descriptive) papers. One paper for GA (General
Ability) is part of the assessment system apart
from the engineering subject of the candidate.
The entire technical subject is divided into four
papers (Papers II, III, IV & V). There is a
penalty (negative marking) for wrong answers
marked by the candidate in the objective type
papers. There is a three-day schedule of the
written examination, comprising all five written
examinations.
Scheme
of
Examinat
ion
Paper I (
Objective
type)
General Ability Test (Part
A: General English) (Part
B: General Studies)
200
Marks
Papers II
& III (
Objective
type)
Civil Engineering /
Mechanical Engineering /
Electrical Engineering /
Electronics &
Telecommunication
Engineering
200
Marks
for
each
paper
Papers
IV & V (
Conventi
onal
type)
Civil Engineering /
Mechanical Engineering /
Electrical Engineering /
Electronics &
Telecommunication
Engineering
200
Marks
for
each
paper
Total marks for written
examination
1000
Marks
Interview Personality Test 200
Marks
First stage
The first day is allocated for the General Ability
(GA) paper. This exam is of 2 hours duration.
On the first day there is just one exam. This
exam consists of General English and General
Studies. Paper is maximum of 200 marks.
Second stage
The second day is allocated for the Objective
Technical Papers (II & III). There is one
objective exam for each paper separately and
each being of 2 hours in duration. Each paper
is maximum of 200 marks.
Third stage
The third day is allocated for the Conventional
Technical Papers (IV & V). There is one
subjective exam for each paper separately and
each being of 3 hours in duration. Each Paper
is maximum of 200 marks.
The conventional answer sheets of a candidate
are evaluated only when he / she qualifies the
objective examination.
Interview
This is the fourth and final stage; candidates
who qualify the written exam are called for the
interview. Interview carries 200 marks.
Officially called "Personality Test", the object of
the interview is to assess the personal
suitability of the candidate for a career in
public service by a Board of competent and
unbiased observers. The test is intended to
judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In
broad terms this is really an assessment of not
only his intellectual qualities but also social
traits and his interest in current affairs. Some
of the qualities to be judged are mental
alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear
and logical exposition, balance of judgement,
variety and depth of interest, ability for social
cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral
integrity.
The technique of the interview is not that of a
strict cross-examination but of a natural,
though directed and purposive conversation
which is intended to reveal the mental
qualities of the candidate.
The interview test is not intended to be a test
either of the specialized or general knowledge
of the candidates which has been already
tested through their written papers. Candidates
are expected to have taken an intelligent
interest not only in their special subjects of
academic study but also in the events which
are happening around them both within and
outside their own state or country as well as
in modern currents of thought and in new
discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of
well educated youth.
These four stages ensure that the candidates
selected, are best suited to handle the
responsibilities which will be entrusted to
them. The selected candidates then undergo
training at the academies / institutes of their
respective cadres that makes them acquainted
with the area of work, the cadre / service is
engaged in.
Cut off marks from last 5 years[16]
Objective Cut
off Marks
600 (GA I : 200, objective II :
200, objective III : 200)
General OBC SC ST
2011 228 208 176 141
2010
2009 245 220 192 158
2008
2007
Intervie
w Call
1000 Marks ( 600, Conventional
Paper IV : 200, Conventional Paper
V : 200)
General OBC SC ST
2011 432 390 339 304
2010 410 360 312 288
2009 440 401 348 296
2008 388 346 306 297
2007 392 376 347 319
Final Cutoff Marks : 1200 Marks
General OBC SC ST
2011 576 541 451 446
2010 554 514 450 420
2009 579 547 467 430
2008 526 500 438 460
2007 594 557 505 463
Notable officers
Satyendra Dubey - Whistleblower against
corruption, served as Project Director in
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
E. Sreedharan - "Metro Man of India",
Former Chairman & Managing Director of the
Konkan Railway, Cochin Shipyard Limited and
the Delhi Metro. He retired as the Member of
the Indian Railway Board. Awarded Padma Shri
and Padma Vibhushan by the Government of
India and Légion d'Honneur by the French
Government.
External links
Complete details of ESE including Syllabi
Union Public Service Commission (Official
Website)
The Central Civil Services Conduct Rules of
1964
Central Secretariat Manual of Office
Procedure 12th edition
References
1. ^ http://www.business-standard.com/
article/pti-stories/702-candidates-clear-
indian-engg-services-
exam-114022800099_1.html
2. ^ http://
articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-
15/chandigarh/31345102_1_alma-mater-
jaspal-singh-indian-engineering-services
3. ^ http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/07/
stories/2011060762780300.htm
4. ^ http://www.niecdelhi.ac.in/about/
media_center/?media=29
5. ^ http://www.upsc.gov.in/general/
rti/61annual_report/61Annual%20Report
%202010-11%20Eng.pdf
6. ^ https://docs.google.com/viewer?
a=v&q=cache:lrVGmQFnynIJ:www.iesacademy.
com/docs/ENGINEERING%2520SERVICES
%2520EXAMINATION
%25202010%2520vacancy.pdf
+&hl=en&gl=in&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgv48gDqO
hqqI8nQmAou6pgT_-
cBhxBC31ZYChrynKmrSHc0ONFAqSo0YZJd1M
6t0ZoL-
CBuBJG9DMsRy-46DVrhtJjVfcNLprjQAf5QG23U
WTP0xfEfve8objugRb-
qQRZZDRf&sig=AHIEtbQwsyQ-
eM4ikv_d2D4TW7Plc-3bMQ
7. ^ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/upsc-
engineering-services-examination-2011-
results-announced/1/178518.html
8. ^ http://www.assamjournal.com/2012/03/
ies-exam-2012-upsc-engineering-
services.html
9. ^ http://www.upsc.gov.in/
10. ^ Indian Engineering Services
11. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-
paper/tp-features/tp-educationplus/ies-opens-
new-avenues-for-young-engineers/
article533758.ece?css=print
12. ^ http://www.persmin.gov.in/DOPT/
EmployeesCorner/Acts_Rules/ccs%28cca%29/
ccstotal1.htm
13. ^ http://www.upsc.gov.in/
14. ^ http://centralstaffing.gov.in/
WebOfferList/List%20of%20Services
%20Participating%20under%20css.htm
15. ^ http://www.upsc.gov.in/general/
engg.htm
16. ^ Annual Reports http://
www.upsc.gov.in