Indian Engineering Services- IES are the civil service under which selected candidates are bestowed upon the technical and managerial work by the Government. Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) conducts the Engineering Services Exam which is four-stage exam for graduates who are willing to work under the Government of India in the sectors of Power, Telecommunications, Railroads, Public works etc. Large number of candidates takes 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). The examination consists of a written examination followed by an interview for personality test.
Lately, IES has become well sought-after career option for engineering graduates. It is considered as very tough exam not only in India but world over or you can say at par with IAS exam in India because of the limited number of vacancies available. Every year, lakhs of engineering graduates compete in the IES exam for a few hundred seats. Owing to the degree of toughness of the exam, the candidates who clear the IES exam and become IES officers enjoy immense respect and stature in the society. Most of the IES officers are associated with the public sector units including roads, railways, inspection, manufacturing, power, public works, and telecommunication. Graduates clearing or topping IES are usually from Indian Institute of Technology or Indian Institute of Science, but its not a norm. The toppers also emerge from the every nook and corner of the country and from other engineering institutes other than IIT, ISC or NIT.
Once you are selected in IES, you will be inducted as a Grade-I officer from any of the under mentioned positions in the four categories:
Category-I Civil Engineering
- Indian Railway Service of Engineers
- Indian Railway Stores Service (Civil Engineering Posts)
- Central Engineering Service
- Military Engineer Services (IDSE-Building and Roads Cadre)
- Military Engineer Service (Surveyor of Works Cadre)
- Survey of India Service, Group ‘A’ (Civil Engineering Posts)
- Central Water Engineering Service (Civil Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) in P & T Building Works (Group `A’) Service
- Central Engineering Service (Roads), Group `A’;
- Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) in Border Roads Engineering Service Group `A’
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Engineering Branch)
Category-II Mechanical Engineering
- Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers
- Indian Railway Stores Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Central Water Engineering Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Central Power Engineering Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Engineering Branch) (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Naval Armament Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Military Engineer Service (IDSE-Electrical and Mechanical Cadre) (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Central Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Executive Engineer (Elect. & Mech.) (Mechanical Engineering Posts) Border Roads Engineering Service, Group ‘A’;
- Assistant Manager (Factories). Department of Telecom (Telecom Factories Organization)
- Central Engineering Service (Roads) Group `A’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Executive Engineer Group `A’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence
- Inspection Service Group ‘A’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Supply Service Group’ A’ (Mechanical Engg. Posts). Group `B’ Services/Posts
- Assistant Engineer Group ‘B’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence.
Category-III Electrical Engineering
- Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers
- Indian Railway Stores Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Central Electrical -& Mechanical Engineering Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Engineering Branch) (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Naval Armament Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Central Power Engineering Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Executive Engineer (Electrical) in P &T Building Works (Group ‘A’) Service
- Military Engineering Service (IDSE-Electrical and Mechanical Cadre) (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Manager (Factories), Department of Telecom (Telecom Factories Organization)
- Assistant Executive Engineer Group `A’ (Electrical Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence
- Indian Inspection Service Group ‘A’ (Electrical Engineering Posts)
- Indian Supply Service Group `A’ (Electrical Engg. Posts). Group `B’ Services/Posts
- Assistant Engineer, Group `B’ (Electrical Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence
Category-IV Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
- Group A Services/Posts
- Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers
- Indian Railway Stores Service (Telecommunication/ Electronics Engineering Posts)
- Indian Telecommunication Service
- Engineer in Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing/ Monitoring Organization; Ministry of
- Communications (Deptt. of Telecommunications)
- Indian Broadcasting (Engineers) Service
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Engineering Branch) (Electronics Engineering Posts)
- Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics Engineering Posts)
- Central Power Engineering Service (Telecommunication Engineering Posts)
- Survey of India Service Group ‘A’ (Electronics and Telecom. Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Manager (Factories), Deptt. of Telecom (Telecom Factories Organization)
- Indian Inspection Service, Group `A’ (Electronics Engineering Posts)
- Indian Supply Service; Group `A’ (Electronics Engineering Posts)
- Assistant Executive Engineer Group ‘A’ (Electronics Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence.
- Group B Services/Posts: Assistant Engineer Group ‘B’ (Electronics Engineering Posts) in the Corps of E.M.E., Ministry of Defence
The nature of work performed by these officers largely depends on their engineering branch and the service or cadre they are recruited in. However, they can move to any cadre, organization, 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.
The salary paid under the IES 15600 (Basic) + 5400(Grade) + DA + HRA + others… Gross would be around Rs 47000 per month and it will be 2.26 times after 7th pay commission.
