CPWD full form

CPWD: Central Public Works Department

CPWD is a Public Work agency that works for the Government of India; it comes under the Ministry of Urban Development. It deals with the construction of buildings, bridges, flyovers, stadiums, labs, border roads, auditoriums, etc. 

About CPWD:

CPWD was established in the year 1854, to serve the citizens of India more efficiently. Through this department, it has now become easy to divide the work for Public Service. 

Apart from looking into constructions, CPWD also takes into consideration the maintenance and repair of such big Public Infrastructures. The members of this department take care of the drinking water sources and public transportations. 

All these practices are done at National Level hence the name Central Public Works Department. All the Public sources come under this category and are responsible to provide well-structured facilities in every sector. 

There is a small difference between CPWD and PWD, as the name suggests CPWD works for Central Government whereas the PWD works for the State Governments. 

CPWD has evolved over some time into a proper comprehensive construction management department. Its services include the conception of the project, its completion, and maintenance. 

The Director-General (DG) is the head of the CPWD, whereas the regions and sub-regions are taken care of by the special DGs and additional DGs. 

Functions: 

  • CPWD is involved in the construction and maintenance of residential accommodation which has been allotted to the employees of the Indian Government. They will the first point of reach in case of any construction or renovation in this sector. 
  • Apart from the residential building, infrastructures like railways, communications, defense services, airports, etc also come under this department. 
  • Establishments that come under Cabinet Secretariat are also mentioned under the CPWD. 
  • Constructions done for the Central Police Organizations such as CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP, etc have been assigned to CPWD.
  • CPWD also deals with providing consultancy services to those who intend to do the planning, designing, and other construction projects.
  • CPWD is responsible for constructing roads that fall under the PMGSY and RSVY program. 
  • They play a major role in dealing with Defence and security-related work that has been assigned by the Government.
  • CPWD also constructs Embassy and other related buildings and projects upon the request of the Ministry of External Affairs. 

CPWD is known for dealing with challenging jobs and work, the reward for these types of jobs is good. Considering the type of work this department does, it has been given the responsibility to construct the border all across the country. 

The quality of construction done by CPWD is applauded; they even complete their project in the given time frame. They hold a big list of successful projects and departments which they have completed. 

Consulting and Advisory Functions of CPWD:

The Ministry of External Affairs asks and consults the CPWD concerning the maintenance and construction of the Embassy. The Director-General of CPWD also works as a Technical Advisor for the Indian Government. The Technical Advisor is related to many institutions and organizations such as:

  • Hindustan Prefab Ltd, Delhi
  • Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee
  • Indian Roads Congress
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
  • Bureau of Indian Standards
  • Indian National Group of International Association for Bridges and Structural Engineering
  • National Buildings Organization
  • Indian Council for Foresting Research Education
  • Indian National Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
  • Central University of Haryana
  • Central University of Rajasthan
  • National Productivity Council

Recruitment Process:

Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is conducted by UPSC for recruiting the middle management for CPWD. Those aspirants who top this exam will be allowed to join CPWD on a Merit basis only. The candidates must be skilled and hardworking to clear the exam.

At the time of the probation period, the candidates who got selected will be given strict training for about 52 weeks in the premises of the National CPWD academy in Ghaziabad.

Through this training, the candidates are transformed into competent Engineers and Architects. 

There are three teams in CPWD:

  1. Central Architectural Services (CAS)
  2. Central Engineering Services (CEC) for Civil Engineers
  3. Central Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Services (CEMES) for Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

A CPWD officer becomes an Assistant Executive Engineer after passing the Engineering Services Exam, the post will be allotted for the officer for four years. This period is inclusive of 52 weeks of training which is given at the National CWD academy.

Objectives of Training:

  • The main objective of CPWD training is to teach the employee thoroughly so that he is capable of completing his career with full potential.
  • Through this training, the employee can participate in every project and use their ability to the fullest.
  • The employees are given the knowledge of changing technologies regularly through a training process in between their projects.
  • All the employees of CPWD are skilled in their field; they are allowed to be competent to one another to keep up their spirit and challenges.
  • One of the purposes of CPWD training is to enable all the employees to implement and execute all the strategies related to Human Resources.
  • All the employees are kept up to date with new developments related to infrastructure and technologies used for the high-level constructions. 

The CPWD Academy makes sure that the training is conducted in all aspects of Public Works. There is a type of protocol followed by the academy to cover all the required topics thoroughly. 

They conduct training programs, seminars, workshops, brainstorming sessions, etc. to keep all the officials ready and refreshed with the technology. The training not only includes CPWD officers but also covers employees of Central Government and State Government. 

The fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, IT applications, etc., are covered in the process of training. The National CPWD Academy takes care of the need for training all across the country.