Note for Shankar: My comments are in italics and follow your footnotes.Where there is no comment this means I am in complete agreement with what you say. Shirish 20.5.03Please Note: Mr.V.Shankar Hoskere is the Chairman of the Blue Ribbon Group set up at the end of the Conference at Renaissance Hotel, Powai last year.

Engineering Council of India

Draft Report of the Committee on Registration of Professional Engineers

A. Registration of Professional Engineers – Criteria, Procedures

1. Preamble

The ECI, an apex body of the Association/Institutions/Bodies of engineering professionals in India had constituted a Committee to look into the issues of Registration of Professional Engineers and creation and maintenance of a National Register of Professional Engineers.

The intent is to create a core of competent engineers whose academic qualifications and experience is at par with international standards, who can be authorized to sign/approve an engineering design/process and supervise and certify implementation/execution of projects as per set standards and who could be held accountable for the outcome of the engineering activity under their preview.

This is executed (a) to raise the standards of engineering profession in the country by introducing the concept of accountability in the profession,(b) to facilitate international mobility of Indian engineering professionals and (c) to develop a data base on professional engineers1.

2. Definitions

Committee proposes following definitions, for the purpose of this document.

a) Engineer – is a person who has graduated with a bachelors degree in a branch of Engineering/Technology or has an equivalent academic qualification which is awarded by a recognized university of India or such other bodies as may be specified by the ECI for the purpose.

b) “Practice Of Professional Engineering” means any service or creative work, the adequate performance of which requires engineering education, training

1 Registration of Engineers is seen in most places as firstly having the fundamental objective of ensuring the safety and welfare of the public. This is a larger objective that may be kept in mind and accommodated in the final document.

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and experience in the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical and engineering sciences for rendering such services or doing creative work as consultation, studies, investigation, design, evaluation, construction, planning the use of natural, human and financial resources/ information, management of projects, review of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with drawings and specifications; any of which embraces such services or work, either public or private, in connection with any utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, projects, industrial or consumer products or equipment in so far as they involve safeguarding life, health, environment, maintenance and management of human resources or property and including such other professional services as defined by ECI from time to time.

Teaching along with research/consultancy in any engineering discipline in a recognized Institute/Engineering Research Organization shall be considered as part of practice of Professional Engineering.

c) “Professional Engineer” is a person who is recognized as such by ECI and is entitled to undertake independent practice of professional engineering.

3. Certifying Authority

All certificates will be granted by ECI. For this purpose ECI will set up a Board of Registration of Professional Engineers (BRPE). The BRPE has its own mechanism of conducting examinations, assessments and evaluation of a candidate. The Board also decides its schedule of the date, time, location for conducting examinations/interviews for various disciplines and sub-disciplines of engineering2.

4. Qualifications for Recognition as Professional Engineer3

The basic pre-requisites for the registration as PE;A candidate should

i) be an engineer as defined in para 2(a)4

2 The roles of ECI and BRPE are not clearly separated. The BRPE at this stage appears more to be a committee which is responsible for reviewing applications, conducting examinations and submitting results to ECI. In such a case, the word ‘Board’ may be confusing.

3 This section seems to be ahead of its place referring to section 6.1 and 6.2 which have not yet appeared. It may be appropriately shifted to after section 6.

4 This once again removes the possibility of Diploma in Engineering students from obtaining PE registration even if they are capable of passing the PE exam and capable of practicing professional engineering. Further it does not envisage the possibility that a person with adequate apprenticeship under a professional engineer and without a formal degree, may be barred from ‘practicing’ even if he is capable of passing the PE exam. It may be better to have a way by which an person who passes the ‘Fundamentals of

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ii) have relevant working experience of atleast 7 yearsiii) be of good characteriv) have passed the written examination as prescribed in para 6.1 and 6.2v) have been assessed by the ECI through its mechanism of assessment of

expeience and peer evaluation as described in para 6 of this document5.vi) have made a formal application with prescribed fee to the ECI6

4.1 Education/Qualification Standards

PE certification requirements include an educational component. To obtain the professional engineer certificate, applicant must be an Engineer as defined in para 2(a).

4.1.1 Exemptions

i) Has requisite academic qualification of bachelor’s degree in Engineering conferred outside India that is found to be equivalent to that from a University-accredited/equivalent program in India.

ii) He/she has a bachelors engineering degree from an institution in a country that has a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the ECI, or

iii) Any other criteria based exemption made by BRPE7.

4.2 Experience Requirements

The applicant shall have at least 7 years of Professional Engineering work experience, before he/she can obtain his/her professional engineering certificate8.

Engineering’ exam and has the required apprecticeship can take the PE exam and become a ‘Professional Engineer’. Another possibility is that a Diploma holder passes the AMIE exam of the Institution of Engineers (India). This is recognized as equivalent to an engineering degree. The FE and PE exam can follow. With this arrangement, there will be no disputing the fact that the candidate has all the requisite engineering qualifications. Incidentally, I don’t think ECI is clear about their being two levels of exam, the FE and the PEat least I hadn’t understood that until I saw your comments.

5 This is superfluous. Once he has passed the exam he has passed the ultimate barrier. I agree, but instead of ECI, say “BRPE”. This makes it part of the exam, which is BRPE’s responsibility.6 This is also superfluous since it is not possible to pass the exam without making an application and paying the fees to ECI.

7 If BRPE defines the criteria for exemptions, then it may be omitted here and mentioned in detail under the recommendation of the BRPE. There needs to be more clarity regarding the separation of roles of ECI and BRPE.

8 This section may be altered to say ‘he/she can appear for the PE examination’. Essentially the experience and education requirements are requirements to complete the eligibility to take the PE exam. The fact that a certified PE has such experience is only a corollary. If such clauses are meant to be used for ‘grandfathering’ existing pool of experienced engineers as ‘PE’s’ then it is confusing and should be clearly mentioned elsewhere. The ‘grandfather clause’ needs to be specific and separately defined.

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ECI shall evaluate the engineering experience based on9:

i) application of engineering theory and standards and practicesii) management of engineering works,iii) communication skills, andiv) understanding of broader social and legal implications of engineering

profession

4.2.1 Exemptions

i) The applicant can be credited with 24 months of experience if he/she has a postgraduate engineering degree or degrees, recognized by the ECI for the purpose10.

ii) The applicant can be credited with 36 month of experience if he/she has obtained a Ph.D. recognized by the ECI for the purpose in the appropriate field of engineering11.

iii) Maximum exempt for higher education shall not exceed 3 years12.

5. Assessment Procedure

5.1 Assessment would have two parts13

i) Written Examinationii) Evaluation of Experience

5.2 Written Examination would have two parts

i) Fundamentals of Engineering

9 Is it the ECI that evaluates the experience or is it the BRPE? I agree. “ECI” should be replaced by “BRPE”

10 24 months credit for a course that can be completed in 18 months seems too much. May be it should be restricted to 12 months. I agree. For a PhD (3 year course) it could be 18 months, but nothing over this, regardless of the number of years of academic work.

11 This entire section may be removed. Ph.d also comes under the head of ‘Post-graduate’ education. Furthermore, obtaining a ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ may not be considered as definite proof that a person is now equipped with adequate field design experience to carry out professional practice of engineering.12 This may also be deleted. First in this section however should be four years credit for a four year engineering degree from an accredited college/university. Second should be two years credit for a three year Diploma in Engineering or for a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from a non-accredited college/university – Indian or Foreign. This is not clear. Are you saying that of the 7 years experience required, a degree course accounts for 4? And would a Diploma course followed by an non-accredited degree add up to 4?

13 The order of the two assessments seems reversed. First the Evaluation of Experience is carried out presumably by the BRPE and then he is allowed to take the Written Examination. This contradicts what you are saying in the next note, that the Written Exam can be taken at any time.

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ii) Practice of Engineering

5.2.1 A prospective candidate can appear and clear the examination for Fundamentals of Engineering without waiting for gaining the stipulated 7 years of experience14.

5.2.2 The examination on Practice of Engineering can be taken only after gaining relevant working experience of 7 years15.

14 Whether the candidates waits for 7 years or not is not to be bothered by ECI. The objective of carrying out the FE examination is to ensure that the candidate’s has an acceptable level of knowledge in Fundamentals of Engineering. There shall be no qualification requirements to take the FE exam. Surely a pre-requisite is an engineering degree?

15 A clearer definition of ‘relevant working experience’ is required. I agree, but do we want to do this here, or leave it to the BRPE to work out?

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5.2.3 Exemption

A candidate may be exempted from taking the written examination (either or both papers) provided he/she ahs Professional Experience for 15 years and has held a senior position in an engineering organisations for at least 5 years. He/she will have to submit a written report on the professional experience gained and it will be assessed by BRPE or by a committee of experts appointed by it for this purpose16.

5.3 Evaluation of Experience

For this purpose, Report and Record of experience should be in chronological order and should emphasize the learning and application, though primarily in engineering, may also include learning in the field of human resource management, materials management, system and procedures followed in an organization and its rationale and implications, legal implications of various management decisions, financial implications of various management decisions, cost cutting measures, efficiency improvement techniques, commercial aspects of the profession etc. The major emphasis would be on evaluating the relevance of the learning to the profession rather than mere knowledge accumulation. The Evaluation may also require the candidates to appear for interview, at the discretion of BRPE, where considered necessary17.

6. Steps for obtaining the Certificate of Professional Engineer

6.1 Candidate should study the syllabus of the subject in which he / she wishes to obtain the certification of PE and understand whether he / she meets the requirement18.

16 This seems to be the ‘grandfather clause’ in disguise. There is no harm in defining the process of grandfathering and setting separate criteria for awarding a PE license without examination to the existing pool of experienced engineers. There should also be a specific period for the application for this clause. It is not appropriate to certify PE’s without examination for individuals graduating after the Registration Process is in place since they will be able to adequately plan their professional career objectives. This is a a huge issue, which we have been debating separately. I would be happy to have no grandfathering, or initial grandfathering on a purely temporary basis, with each grandfather required to pass the FE exam before his Registration is renewed. Or grandfathers with 35 years experience, and no exam, so in five years time they are out of the work force anyway. Or as you’ve suggested we can have specialist licences for more significant works, as long as grandfathers are not exempt from this. If our goal is a Register of competent engineers, quite soon and not after 30 years, then we have to look for a mechanism that is both produces the desired results and is acceptable to serious professionals.

17 This is sketchy and it is not clear whether this record of experience is a part of the requirement for taking the PE exam or part of the ‘Grandfather clause’.

18 This indicates that the qualification is a sort of ‘self assessment’ which it is not. Therefore delete this clause.

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6.2 If the candidate fulfils the requirement, he/she should obtain the Application form, fill it, attach the requisite documents and sent it to the zonal office of the BRPE alongwith the prescribed fee19.

6.3 BRPE would communicate dates on which written examination is to be conducted. The candidate should appear in the examination20.

6.4 BRPE would also announce the date, time and place for conducting interview. The candidate should appear before the interview board constituted for the purpose on the applied date, time and place21.

6.5 The result of the two examinations would be compiled by the Examination Committee and it would send its recommendations to the National Committee22.

6.6 The National Committee, if it deems fit, may call for additional information or set up another interview board23.

6.7 The National Committee would send its recommendations to the BRPE on the applications based upon the examinations and interviews.

6.8 The BRPE would announce the result.6.9 In case of unsuccessful candidates, the Examination Committee would invite the

candidate for counseling24.6.10 An unsuccessful candidate can re-apply only after a lapse of a minimum of one

year25.

19 There should not be any obstacle to obtaining Applications. The application should clearly define eligibility and qualification criteria. A fee will be paid along with the application submittal. The BRPE/ECI will evaluate the application and arrive at a suitable decision.

20 ECI/BRPE cannot say that the candidate ‘should appear’. They can announce the dates and conduct the exam. If the candidate fails to appear, it is his loss.

21 It is very expensive and cumbersome to conduct interviews. Perhaps it may be better to remove this clause. I think we should look at precedents. The Institution of Civil Engineers (London) considers interviews (by 2 senior professionals) an essential part of the exam. The Institution of Structural Engineers (London) on the other hand depends only on the exam, there are no interviews. Given the Indian context, where all kinds of malpractice are possible, I would prefer to retain the interviews Cost is something that needs to be met by the candidates. We should not do anything that dilutes the quality of the final Register.22 Which two examinations? The Fundamentals of Engineering and the Professional Engineer Exams? These cannot be conducted simultaneously. The FE is a prerequisite for taking the PE exam. The PE exam is taken after passing the FE and acquiring adequate experience and qualifying. I think they mean the written exam and the interview. The concept of two exams, and FE and a PE, is I think your idea, not theirs.

23 Very vague – the whole interview procedure may be removed. See above. I think the interview should be retained.

24 Counseling – also may be impractical and may be removed.

25 A one year period is harsh. Between getting results and applying next year the period will be less than one year. A stipulation of one year would mean that he will lose 2 years in terms of applying for the examination assuming that exams are conducting once a year. Alternately, this clause may be removed. Let the candidate appear as many times and whenever he feels confident of taking the exam after acquiring the qualifying experience. If he passes he gets his PE. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t get his PE. Therefore this clause may be removed.

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7. Certificate of Professional Engineers

10.1 The certificate shall be in the format to be decided by BRPE and will have following information26

i) Full Name of the applicantii) Permanent Address of the Applicantiii) Nationality of the Applicantiv) Date of Birthv) Place of Birthvi) Passport No.(in case of non-Indian nationals)vii) Certificate of Professional Engineer Granted for

Discipline/sSpecialization/s

viii) Validity

8. Engineering Disciplines

8.2 A sample of major Engineering Disciplines in which Certificate of Professional Engineer will be accorded is given below. Additional Disciplines including inter-disciplinary fields of Engineering can be added by BRPE27.

1. Civil Engineering2. Electrical Engineering3. Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering4. Computer Engineering5. Chemical Engineering6. Metallurgy 7. Mining Engineering8. Ceramics9. Aeronautical Engineering10. Marine Engineering

26 This is something that the issuing authority will have to comply and is not required to be part of this document. It is only an internal matter and the ECI may keep this in mind while formatting it’s certificate. Once this is done, this topic will not be revisited again. Therefore this clause may be deleted.

27 The process of registration of Engineers is a serious, time consuming, effort taking procedure which also has to be financially self sustaining in the long run. Furthermore it may not be necessary to regulate all engineering professions. Trying to regulate Agricultural Engineering at this stage when the major practice of Agriculture is carried out by farmers and agricultural scientists may be ill-advised. It may be best to start with only one profession – Civil Engineering – since the practice of civil engineering affects seriously the health and welfare of the public. At the most, three professions – Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering may be regulated. Over enthusiasm at this stage in introducing all disciplines that we can think of may result in unnecessary expenditure and effort. Taking a pointer from the experience of other countries, it may be noted that three disciplines were recently removed from the list of Disciplines being certified by the California Board as recently as 2002 since there were no applications for certification in these disciplines.

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11. Textile Engineering12. Agricultural Engineering13. Production Engineering14. Environmental Engineering

8.2 Each Discipline would have its specializations under it28.

8.3 The certificate of Professional Engineer shall mention the discipline and specialization, For example29

(a) Discipline : Civil EngineeringSpecialization: Structural Design, Geo-technical Engineering, Water Resources, Environmental Engineering.

(b) Discipline: Mechanical EngineeringSpecialization: Machine design, Fluid Engineering, Computer Aided Manufacture, Computer Aided Design, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Indujstrial Engineering, Thermal Engineering, etc.

8.4 Full list of Disciplines of Engineering and the Specialization for purpose of granting status of Professional Engineer will be prepared by BRPE separately30.

9. Professional Engineers – Privileges and Responsibilities

9.1 A Professional Engineer would be authorized to31

a. approve an engineering drawing/design/process/system/cost estimatesb. certify the design quality of a product or process, projectc. certify the adequacy of safety measures and environmental protection.

9.2 Seal

28 Specialisations should be restricted very much. Specialisations such as Structural and Geotechnical may be permitted since the general PE examination doesn’t test the candidate in depth in these crucial subjects which affect the health, safety and welfare of the public. These areas become especially important in areas prone to seismic hazards. It may not be necessary to regulate other specializations within other branches.

29 Again an internal matter for the ECI/BRPE to consider while designing the certificates. The specialization aspect may be reviewed thoroughly.

30 The list of disciplines may be reviewed by BRPE from time to time and decisions taken at the appropriate time should events occur which warrant the inclusion of additional disciplines or removal of existing disciplines.

31 Restricting the authorization to the three actions mentioned below is meaningless since the Practice of Professional engineering in a broad sense has already been described in Section 2(b). Essentially a certified Professional Engineer is authorised to ‘Practice Professional Engineering’ as defined in Section 2(b).

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A Professional Engineer would have a seal of his own as per design approved by the BRPE which would have following information32

Name of the PEPE Registration No.Issuing AuthorityDisciplineValidity upto

This seal must be affixed on each and every page of the drawing/design/report/Certification certified by him/her.

9.3 A copy of the impression of the Seal would have to be submitted by the PE to the BRPE for record33.

9.4 PE would be responsible for civil/criminal liability for the losses/damages suffered by the user of his/her services if it is found that the losses/damages have arisen out of wrong certification3435.

9.5 PE would have to take an Insurance Policy against any liability arising out of damages suffered due to wrong certification36.

i) The application is to be made in the prescribed format to the National Committee entrusted with the responsibility of the engineering discipline in which the candidate wishes to work.

ii) The National Committee would assess the application and send its recommendations to the BRPE who would take the final decision.

32 The issuing authority should give the exact dimension, size and format of the seal and it should be manufactured and mailed only by an approved manufacturer who is bound not to issue false seals and whose authorization to prepare a seal of authority is reviewed from time to time. There could be only limited number of such approved manufacturers and the Board shall make it invalid to obtain a similar Seal from others. The approved manufacturer shall get all his requests only through the ECI/BRPE.

33 Section 9.2 to be modified and this section deleted.

34 Any consumer can file a complaint with ECI/BRPE regarding malpractice of a certain Registered Professional Engineer. The ECI/BRPE shall review the complaint and hear both sides on the issue and a decision may be taken to withdraw the Registration issued. Furthermore, a public notice may be issued notifying the cancellation of registration either through the newspapers or on the web. A procedure may be set to review his application after a certain suspension period if he provides adequate proof of re-qualification, the criteria for which are to be set.

35 ECI/BRPE is not responsible for fixing civil/criminal liability. This is a matter for the courts. As such this clause may be deleted.

36 The ECI/BRPE cannot force a person to obtain Insurance. This is a matter of free will and should be excluded from the purview of the ECI. This section also may therefore be deleted.

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10. Redressal of Grievances for denial of status of PE37

10.1 Grievance in regard to denial of the status of a Professional Engineer, are to be sent by the aggrieved party to the Chairman of the National Committee of BRPE along with supporting documents.

10.2 The grievance would be put before the National Committee, and it may decide to constitute a team of two experts chosen by it to look into the matter. One of the two experts would be designated as the Team Leader

10.3 The aggrieved person, in his letter of grievance, can suggest four names of Professional Engineers in the same Discipline, and specialization for which the aggrieved party has made application for obtaining the status of Professional Engineer with whom he/she has neither family relationship nor official relationship and from whom he/she has not taken their prior consent, formally or informally, for becoming the member of the team, if invited to do so. The National Committee may decide to invite one such expert to join the team, if it considers appropriate.

10.4 The Team would be free to look into the matter in whatever way it considers fit.

10.5 The National Committee would provide all documents needed by the Team and all support that it may require to look into the grievance.

10.6 The member of the Team would not divulge the proceedings of the Team to any one personally. The leader of the Team would submit the report to the chairman of the National Committee and the decision of the Team will be final. Chairman, National Committee would convey the decision of the Team to the aggrieved party.

10.7 The Expert Team may if they so wish, decide to do counseling to the aggrieved party.

10.8 The Expert Team, apart from giving its decision on the grievances, can alsosuggest to the National Committee, any changes, that it considers important, in the procedures adopted by the BRPE, for processing Applications seeking status of Professional Engineer. These suggestion are to be communicated to the BRPE

37 Essentially, a denial of registration will be effected when based on a complaint, a review is conducted and it is found that the actions of the registered PE has not been consistent with the objective of safeguarding the health, safety and welfare of the public. A certain period of suspension may be made mandatory depending on the nature of the offense. This can be decided subjectively by a ‘Complaints Committee’ on a case-by-case basis. The experience of 7 years or a lesser number of years may be nullified in the committee’s judgement. After the period of suspension has elapsed, he or she may apply again, qualify with additional years[equivalent to the number of years of experience nullified] and take the exam and obtain his PE again. For very serious offences, the Board may bar him from practicing for life. This of course would not prevent him from working for other PE’s as a subordinate.

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through the concerned Member of the Board, for the consideration of the Board. However these suggestion, as and when accepted by the BRPE would be applicable in future only and would not affect the proceedings of the case under considerations.

10.9 Appellate Body: There would be an Appellate Body of 3 persons of whom at least one will be the status of a judge of a high court of India or equivalent. The Appellate body would evolve its own procedure for dealing for individual cases after going through the records and the complaints.

11. Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Action

ECI has constituted a Board of Ethics for Professional Engineers and Consulting Engineers, which lays down the Code of Ethics and is empowered to recommend removal of a name from the National Register of Professional Engineer on following grounds

i) False / incorrect / partially correct information provided by the candidate at the time of filing the application for obtaining the certificate of Professional Engineer.

ii) Willful violation of Code of Ethics38.iii) Violation of the conditions imposed at the time of grant of the status of

Professional Engineer39.iv) Expiry of the validity period of the status of Professional Engineer before the

renewal of the certificate40 41.

12. Expiry and Renewal of Certificate of Registration

i) Certificate of registration shall be valid for five (5) calendar years including the year in which the certificate is issued and shall become invalid after that date unless renewed42.

38 This is covered under Section 10.

39 This is covered under 11[i]

40 May be modified to say ‘Expiry of the Validity Period’ only. Once the renewal has happened, the expiry date is automatically shifted.

41 It is important for the Board to send a reminder for renewal and also allow a grace period of perhaps 90 days to renew registration. Failure to complete a formality within a very restricted time may not be viewed as a violation of the code of ethics. The grace period proposed is 6 months. See 12 (iii).

42 May be modified to say ‘ from the date of issue of certificate’.

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iii) The Professional Engineers whose certificate of registration is expiring shall apply to the BRPE on the prescribed form alongwith prescribed fee43.

iii) Renewal of a certificate for further period of 5years may be effected 6 months prior to and not later than 6 months after the date of expiry of the previous registration under Rules promulgated by the BRPE which may specify the criteria for renewal. This may include amongst the other the following44:

a) Details of professional activities during the period of registration.b) Time spent in activities related to Continuing Professional

Development (CPD).c) Review of the annual reports to be given by the registrant on the

format prescribed by BRPE for the previous period of the registration.

iv) The registrant will be assessed by the concerned National Committee of the BRPE on the basis of above criteria at the time of renewal of registration and will be issued fresh Certificate of Registration on satisfactory assessment and payment of outstanding dues.45

13. Registration of 1st batch of Professional Engineers

13.1. Background

It has been stipulated that the process of assessing a candidates application for the certificate of a Professional Engineer would be conducted by Professional Engineers only. However, since there are no Professional Engineers to begin with, we have to develop a mechanism for creating a core group of engineers whose competency in the disciplines and sub-disciplines for which ECI is willing to issue certificates of Professional Engineer, is beyond doubt. Members of this core group can be granted the Certificate of Professional Engineers on the basis of

43 Modify……’on the prescribed renewal form’

44 The suggestions below are very restrictive. Perhaps a renewal by paying fees may be deemed sufficient. Otherwise, the process of renewal will get as cumbersome as the process of registration and the whole process may fall apart . Annual reports may be removed. I don’t think renewal should be automatic against payment of a fee. We do need to know that the practicing professional continues to work in the same field (established by (a) in the Clause), that he has made some progress in CPD (so we need (b) in the Clause). Part (c) could be removed, perhaps by requiring that (a) be in a a prescribed fornat.

45 Seems like over-procedure for renewal. Delete clause. Are you suggesting that filing the above information is enough, and no one needs to look at it?

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Peer Evaluation and without having to go through written examination. Below is given the proposal for creating 1st batch of Professional Engineers46.

13.2 Mechanism

1. Secretariat of ECI would prepare the following lists47

i) Disciplines and sub-disciplines in which the certificate of professional Engineers are to be given.

ii) List the “Fellows” according to Discipline and Sub-discipline. The list would also mention qualifications and experience of individual “Fellow”.

2. Secretariat of the ECI would prepare a comparative statement of the criteria of various Societies for awarding Fellowship and the requirements of the ECI for issuing the certificate of professional Engineer to these “Fellows”.

3. Identify the “Fellow” who could be considered for awarding the status of Professional Engineer by the ECI.

4. ECI would estimate the number of Professional Engineers required in each discipline for constituting various committees of the BRPE which would make it functional.48

5. Identify 3 times of numbers of persons required for constituting the BARPE and its committees. This number of people may be accorded the status of Professional Engineer49.

6. In case the number of people available falls short of the required numbers, ECI would constitute as many committee as possible with these numbers (from top to bottom) and request them to assume the charge of the lower

46 It is not required that the process be conducted by Professional Engineers. It is important that the criteria for granting PE’s to the first batch be defined. All who apply and qualify may be granted. I don’t agree. This depends on what criteria are set for granting PE’s. If it’s everyone with 35+ years of experience, I agree. If it’s everyone with 15+ years experience, I don’t agree, there needs to be a further sifting process, otherwise you’ll have a very poor first list of PE’s,

47 Once the definitions and requirements for granting the first batch of PE’s are set, it is a matter of receiving applications and processing it. ECI need not actively pursue the granting of PE to core groups or any other groups. In fact it is advisable that the ECI consists of at least one third from non-engineering professions who can reflect the larger interests of the society appropriately.

48 Granting PE’s to form committees may not be a laudable objective. PE’s shall be grandfathered based on their experience. Thousands will qualify. Members of the first committee looking into qualifying the 1st batch need not have prior PE certification.

49 Remove Why? More sensible to limit the number somehow, as proposed here or in some other way.

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levels of committees till sufficient numbers of Professional Engineers become available through the formal system evolved by the ECI50.

7. There might be some people, who are eminent and fulfill the criterial for being accorded the status of Professional Engineer and have not found their names in the list of para 5. ECI would obtain the names of such people from Associations, PSUs, Defence Establishments, Railways, large Private Sector organisations along with the records of their academic qualifications and work experience and prepare the list of such people according to disciplines and sub-disciplines51.

8. The Board of Governors of the ECI would identify requisite number of persons as the first Chairman and the Members of the Board of Registration of professional Engineers, accord them the status of Professional Engineer and appoint them for the positions for which they have been identified and selected52.

9. BRPE, once constituted, would take up the job of conferring the status of Professional Engineer from the lists prepared and procedure outlined in para 1 to 7.

13.3 Criteria

Criteria for according the first batch of engineers the status of Professional Engineer are:

i) Should be an engineer as per ECIii) Should have work experience of at least 15 years in a particular

engineering disciplineiii) Should have been in responsible position in an engineering

organization for at least 2 years. Responsible position means work involving designing, execution of projects and certifying quality of products53 54.

50 Remove Why? It’s harmless, and provides a default mechanism in case the numbers fall short.51 It is not obligatory for ECI to go in search of people who will be granted PE. Remove clause. I see no harm in this. There may be some eminent people who can’t be bothered to apply for Registration. Why not enroll them, by pursuing them if necessary?

52 Remove ‘accord status of Professional Engineer’

53 A different definition of ‘responsible’ here. This may be directed to clause 2.1 again. I don’t see 2.1 in this document. What do you mean?

54 Having PE registration from another country may also be considered here for granting PE for the first batch.

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B. Board for Registration of Professional Engineers

1. Functions i) It will lay down a policy, criteria and standards for grant of Professional

Engineers Status including conduct of examination/tests (written and/or oral) at such intervals as necessary55.

ii) BRPE will prescribe the application form and fee for initial registration as well as subsequent registration as Professional Engineers (PE).

iii) It will also lay down procedures for processing applications and involvement of concerned member Institutions/ Associations.

iv) BRPE may appoint expert committees to deal with cases of different engineering disciplines and receive their recommendations56.

v) BRPE will take the final decision on granting the status of Professional Engineers and the name of the successful applicants will be entered in the National Register of Professional Engineers (NRPE).

vi) The Board will review the continuation of grant of Professional Engineers Status as and when necessary57.

vii) BRPE would laydown the condition, if any, that it deems fit that the grant of status of Professional Engineer, should be subjected to, rights and privileges that the person having acquired the status of a Professional Engineer would enjoy and the responsibilities and accountability that such a person would be subjected to.

viii) BRPE would grant the status of Professional Engineer to a candidate only after the candidate agrees to abide by the terms and conditions stipulated by it as well to the Code of Ethics of Professional Engineers in force as prescribed by the Board for Code of Ethics of Professional Engineers and Consulting Engineers from time to time.

ix) BRPE would issue the appropriate certificate to the successful applicant.

x) All certificates for granting status of Professional Engineer would have a validity for a fixed period only58.

55 If ECI is the ‘Legislative Body’, then policy decisions have to be taken by ECI. Recommendations may be made by BRPE.

56 Editing required.

57 This should be ‘renewal’ instead on ‘continuation’?

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xi) BRPE would decide the various categories of the certificates of “Professional Engineer” and the respective period of validity thereof59.

xii) BRPE would lay down the requirements for renewal of the status of “Professional Engineer” and the methodology to be adapted for the purpose.

2. Composition of BRPE

2.0.1 BRPE would consist of a Chairman and 6 nos. of Members of the Board.

2.0.2 ECI Chairman would nominate the Chairman and the Members of the Board.

2.0.3 Chairman and the members of the Board would be Professional Engineers, eminent personalities and should command respect of the members of Engineering Profession60.

2.0.4 The Board would constitute of National Committees for Registration of Professional Engineers. Each Committee would be responsible for registration of the Professional Engineers in specific disciplines of Engineering assigned to them. The number of such committees may be decided from time to time.

2.0.5 Each Member of the Board would take up the responsibility of monitoring the activities of one or more National Committees. The Chairman of the National Committee would keep the Member of the Board responsible for monitoring the activities of the National Committee informed on its activities. The Member of the Board would be ex-officio member of the National Committee.

2.1 National Committees61

2.1.1 Each National Committee would be responsible for implementing the procedure for registration of Professional Engineers for the specific disciplines assigned to it by the BRPE.

2.1.2 The BRPE would invite nominations from the concerned Member Association of the ECI for the purpose of constituting the National Committees.

58 Repeat clause to be deleted. I don’t see where this is a repetition. What it says in effect is that PE status cannot be given for lifeit has to be for a specified period and renewed thereafter.

59 BRPE ‘recommends’ or ‘decides’? It is important to clarify.

60 Requirement that all ECI members be engineers only seems restrictive. Words such as ‘eminent personalities’ and ‘command the respect’ are subjective and may be removed. It is important to state that the Chairman and Members of the Board shall be Indian Citizens.

61 It may be advisable to form State Level Committees or BRPE at state levels, and implement the Legislation at the state level using the Central Approving Authority of the ECI. This is a fundamental departure in approach and may be reviewed.

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2.1.3 National Committee would consist of one Chairman and 5 members. Chairman of the Committee would be nominated by the Chairman ECI in consultation with the Chairman of the BRPE.62

2.1.4 Members of the Committee would be nominated by the BRPE from amongst the nominations received from the concerned Member Associations of the ECI. Fifth member will be decided by the Chairman of the National Committee.

2.1.5 Each National Committee would constitute one Syllabus Committee and one Examination Committees for each discipline of engineering under its perview. These Committees together would be responsible for processing the application for Registration of Professional Engineer and conducting the examination as per the prescribed syllabus and criterion.

2.2 Examination Committee63 64

This committee is responsible for appointing people to set the examination paper, as per the syllabus, for the written examination, appoint people as examiners for the answer books of the candidates, appointing panel for doing peer evaluation by assessing the Report/Record of experience and by interviewing the candidate.

2.2.1 There would be an Examination Committee for each discipline.

2.2.2 Each Examination Committee would have a Chairman and 5 members.

2.2.3 Chairman of the Examination Committees would be nominated by the Chairman of the relevant National Committee.

2.2.4 The National Committee would invite nominations from the Member Associations of the ECI. Four persons amongst the nominated persons would be invited by the Chairman of the Examination Committee to become members of the Examination Committee. Chairman of the National Committee would nominate the 5th member of the Examination Committee.

62 All members shall be citizens of India.

63 The responsibility of conducting the exams may be passed on to IIT’s which have been successfully conducting the IIT – JEE examinations throughout India with a mechanism that is not easily violated or corrupted. I think this is something for the BRPE to decide. Which Institutions to use should not be mandated here.64 Input may be taken from experienced IIT faculty to arrive at the procedure for conducting the FE and PE exams. The syllabus and examination paper may however be set by practicing engineers in the agreed format. The exams may then be conducted using the IIT –JEE apparatus – if feasible. Help may also be taken in evaluation from IIT faculty. Again something for BRPE to decide. We should not tie their hands here.

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2.2.5 The ECI may establish Zonal Offices as offices for receiving, processing the application and conducting actual examination of the candidate.

2.2.6 The Examination Committee would decide the persons who would set the question papers, examiners, interview boards, and the members of the assignment committees, and would recommend to the National Committee the names of the candidates that it considers fit for granting the status of Professional Engineer.

2.3 Syllabus Committee

The Syllabus Committee would appoint people to prepare syllabus of discipline, sub-discipline and specialization for the disciplines of engineering for which the ECI is prepared to give certificate of Professional Engineers.

2.3.1 The Syllabus Committee would consist of one chairman and 5 members of the Committee.

2.3.2 Chairman of the Syllabus Committee would be nominated by the chairman of the respective National Committee

2.3.3 National Committee would invite nominations from the Member societies of the ECI for constituting of the Syllabus Committee for each discipline. The Chairman of the National Committee would invite 4 persons to join the Syllabus Committee amongst the persons nominated by member societies of the ECI. One member of the Committee would be nominated by the Chairman of the BRPE.

2.4 Organization Structure

Members of various Boards/Committees may be appointed on full time or part time basis, as may be required.

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