Soldier on for an army job

• Q: What is the eligibility for joining the armed forces as an electronics engineer?

— Lokesh Beniwal

• A: The Combined Defence Services Exam is conducted twice a year, in February and August, by the Union Public Service Commission for selection of cadets for the army, navy and air force. The selection is on the basis of an objective type written exam followed by a Service Selection Board test and an interview for those who qualify the written exam.

The intelligence and personality tests essentially cover outdoor, group and psychological activities. There are separate entry routes for each of the armed forces. For instance, there are two modes of entry into the technical branch of the Indian Air Force: male engineering graduates or those in their final year can apply for the aeronautical engineering courses.

Both men and women can apply for the Short Service Commission. Pre-final-year male students can apply under the university entry scheme (UES).

The eligibility for aeronautical engineers (electronics branch) is 60 per cent in aggregate in BE / BTech (electronics, telecom, electrical, electrical communication, electronics and communication, instrumentation or computer science, or a combination of these subjects) or MSc in electronics and radio engineering, or section A and B of AMIE of the Institute of Engineers in electrical / electronics / telecom engineering or the graduate membership exam of the Institute of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) with subjects mentioned in sections A and B.

If selected, you will need to proceed for intensive training. After that, you will be granted permanent / short service commission and inducted into the technical branch of the Indian Air Force.

For further information, log on to www.careerairforce.nic.in , www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, or www.nausena-bharti.nic.in.

Manage the right scholarship

• Q: Are there any scholarships for pursuing MBA or PGDBM through distance learning?

— Manav Goel

• A: Here’s one you can check out. The All India Management Association (AIMA) offers 30 scholarships for underprivileged students who clear the Management Aptitude Test and qualify for AIMA’s postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM) or postgraduate diploma in information technology and management (PGDITM) through the distance learning mode.

The total cost of the PGDM and PGDITM programmes, comprising four modules each, is Rs 76,000 and Rs 1,20,000 respectively. The cost is divided into equal parts per module. AIMA initially offers the scholarship to eligible students in the first module and then extends it on the basis of their academic performance.

Robotics research is the rage

• Q: I am a final-year student of BE (mechanical). Is there any institution which allows fresh engineering graduates to enrol for research-oriented courses? I am particularly interested in robotics.

• — Naresh Agarwal

• A: The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, is the apex research and development institute for mechanical engineering and allied disciplines under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Besides MTech in mechatronics — which is offered in collaboration with the Bengal Engineering and Science University, Sibpur, and other CSIR Institutes — CMERI offers PhD in robotics and mechatronics, microsystem technology, rapid prototyping and modelling, clean energy, farm machineries, residual life enhancement and advanced mechanical design and manufacturing.

It conducts interviews / tests to select candidates for CSIR’s JRF-GATE under the engineering graduate scheme for working on contemporary research projects and obtaining a PhD degree.

Fresh BE / BTech degree holders in mechanical, electronics, computer science, IT, civil engineering or metallurgical engineering with valid GATE scores are eligible to apply.

After joining as a junior research fellow, you can either seek direct admission to the PhD programme or pursue MTech as a part of the PhD programme. You will spend the last semester working on your thesis related to the institute’s projects. GATE score-holders who are starting their thesis semester for the ME / MTech programme are also eligible, as are MSc degree holders in chemistry with valid NET scores. The age limit is 28 years, relaxable by five years for SC / ST/ OBC / PH / women candidates.

The tenure of the fellowship is five years within which you must complete the PhD degree. You will receive a fellowship stipend of Rs 12,000 per annum plus HRA and a contingency grant of Rs 20,000 per annum. On completion of two years as JRF-GATE, the fellowship can be upgraded to SRF-GATE and the stipend increased to Rs 14,000 per month in the subsequent years.

In exceptional cases where a fellow has completed MTech within a year of joining JRF-GATE, his or her fellowship may be upgraded to SRF-GATE. Eligible outstation candidates are paid to and fro second class rail / bus fare for attending the interview. For further details, log on to www.cmeri.res.in.