About Indian Engineering Service Examination:
Indian
Engineering Services, abbreviated as IES are the civil 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 numbers 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. IES remain the most sought-after careers
for the engineering graduates in India.
ESE is
considered as the toughest exam in India and amongst the toughest in the world
due to less number of posts having a selection ratio of 0.00275 (based on 2010
statistics) and its technical nature. Most toppers of this exam are graduates
of institutes like the Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of
Technology and Indian Institute of Science.
Because of
this difficult selection procedure, 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, defence, manufacturing,
inspection, supply, construction, public works, power, telecommunications etc. All
appointments to the Group ‘A’ services are made by the President of India.
The
examination will be made to the Services/ Posts under the following
categories:-
Category
I- Civil Engineering
Category
II- Mechanical Engineering
Category
III-Electrical Engineering
Category
IV-Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
Eligibility Conditions: All
candidates should meet the following eligibility criteria:
1. Nationality: A candidate must
be either:
(a) A
citizen of India, or
(b) A
subject of Nepal, or
(c) A
subject of Bhutan, or
(d) A
Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January, 1962 with the
intention of permanently settling in India, or
(e) A person
of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or East
African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia,
Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia or from Vietnam with the intention of permanently
settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c),
(d) and (e) above shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of
eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.
A candidate
in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the
examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary
eligibility certificate has been issued by the Government of India.
2. Minimum Educational Qualification: For admission to the
examination, a candidate must have:
(a) Obtained
a degree in Engineering from a University incorporated by an Act of the Central
or State Legislature in India or other Educational Institutions established by
an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under Section 3
of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956;
or
or
(b) Passed
Sections A and B of the Institution Examinations of the Institution of
Engineers (India);
or
or
(c) Obtained
a degree/diploma in Engineering from such foreign University/
College/Institution and under such conditions as may be recognized by the Government
for the purpose from time to time,
or
(d) Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India);
or
or
(d) Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India);
or
(e) Passed
Associate Membership Examination Parts II and III/Sections A and B of the Aeronautical
Society of India;
or
(f) Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London held after November, 1959.
Provided that a candidate for the post of Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engineering Posts) may possess any of the above qualifications or the qualification mentioned below namely:-
M.Sc. degree or its equivalent with Wireless Communication, Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering as a special subject
or
(f) Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London held after November, 1959.
Provided that a candidate for the post of Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engineering Posts) may possess any of the above qualifications or the qualification mentioned below namely:-
M.Sc. degree or its equivalent with Wireless Communication, Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering as a special subject
3. Age limits:
I. 21–30
years on 1 January of the year of Engineering Services Examination.
II. Upper age limit relaxation is provided to candidates as follows:
III. A maximum of three years for OBC candidates [Non Creamy Layer only]
IV. A maximum of three years in case of Defense Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof
V. A maximum of five years for candidates belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe
VI. 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
VII. 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:
II. Upper age limit relaxation is provided to candidates as follows:
III. A maximum of three years for OBC candidates [Non Creamy Layer only]
IV. A maximum of three years in case of Defense Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof
V. A maximum of five years for candidates belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe
VI. 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
VII. 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
IX. 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.
X. A maximum
of ten years in case of blind, deafmute and orthopedically handicapped persons.
The age
relaxation will not be admissible to Ex-Servicemen and Commissioned Officers
including ECOs/SSCOs who are released on own request.
Medical Examination:
Written
qualified candidate on the basis of Engineering Services Examination may
be required to undergo Medical Examination.
(a) All
written qualified candidate will have to undergo a medical examination
immediately from the date of declaration of written examination result
irrespective of the fact that he/she appeared for such medical examination in
the past and found fit/unfit on the basis of earlier medical examination.
(b) The
medical examination will be conducted at various Railway Hospitals under
Ministry of Railways (Railway Board). The findings of the Railways Medical
Board will be taken as final and binding for all allotment purposes.
Physical standards
Candidates
must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to
Engineering Services Examination, as per guidelines given in the Engineering
Services Examination.
Category
II- Mechanical Engineering:
Services/ Posts under Mechanical
Engineering.
- Border Roads Engineering Service (Border Roads Organization)
- Central Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Service (Central Public Works Department)
- Central Engineering Service (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways)
- Central Power Engineering Service (Central Electricity Authority)
- Central Water Engineering Service (Central Water Commission)
- Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Indian Army
- Indian Defense Service of Engineers (Military Engineer Services)
- Indian Inspection Service (Directorate General of Supply and Disposals)
- Indian Naval Armament Service (Directorate of Naval Armament)
- Indian Naval Stores Service (Indian Navy)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
- Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers
- Indian Railway Stores Service
- Indian Supply Service (Directorate General of Supply and Disposals)
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 level2 / 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 organization, agency, department, ministry or PSU of the Government of
India on deputation. They are appointed to 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.