MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026: Sub Engineer, Draftsman, Lab Technician Form Reopened

MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026 (second) is for Sub Engineer, Draftsman, Lab Technician and similar technical posts in Madhya Pradesh government departments. The Employees Selection Board (ESB) has reopened the online form from 13 October to 27 October 2026, with corrections allowed until 28 October 2026. The written test, first proposed from 7 October 2026, is now probable from 20 January 2027. The August rulebook listed 1,700 posts. A revised page of 9 October 2026 raises one post code from 27 to 42 posts, but ESB has not printed a new total. Most posts need a diploma in the right branch, and the age limit is 18 to 40 years on 1 January 2026.

MP ESB Group 3 Recruitment 2026 posts by type: about 1,490 Sub Engineer seats by our count

The rulebook’s department-wise table (pages 15 to 17) lists 132 post codes in 48 departments and offices, with a printed total of 1,700 posts. That total splits into unreserved (UR) 628, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) 146, Scheduled Castes (SC) 246, Scheduled Tribes (ST) 254 and Other Backward Classes (OBC) 426. The table does not group posts by type, so the split below is our own count from it:

A Pay Level is a level in the Madhya Pradesh pay matrix under the 7th Pay Commission, and the first figure is the starting basic pay. Two codes are contract posts at a fixed amount. Code 037 is Sub Engineer (Civil) at MP Urban Development Company, 49 posts at Rs 43,000. Code 083 is Sub Engineer (Civil) at Markfed, 9 posts at Rs 29,520. Fourteen posts in 13 codes are backlog posts (reserved seats left unfilled in earlier rounds), which carry no exam fee.

Water Resources, RES and PWD: the largest Group-3 post codes

Codes 125, 126 and 127 (Water Resources, Sub Engineer Civil, 28, 25 and 31 posts) are only for candidates with disabilities. Code 125 is for the VH (visual) group, code 126 for the EH (hearing) group and code 127 for the MD group (page 92). Page 10 says the MD group covers autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, mental illness and multiple disabilities. Most Lab Technician posts are single seats in government polytechnics, so read each code before choosing it.

Diploma, first class or degree: Group-3 qualification rules that differ by code

• Sub Engineer: mostly a diploma in Civil, Electrical or Mechanical engineering. PWD (codes 020, 021), Mandi Board (091) and some others also accept a degree.
• Code 123 (Tribal Affairs): Higher Secondary pass plus a civil diploma or degree with at least 50% marks.
• Code 045 (Agricultural Engineering): needs a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering, not a diploma.
• Codes 089 and 090 (Town and Country Planning): a civil diploma or degree plus a diploma of at least 1 year in GIS and remote sensing. Code 088 needs a 3-year diploma or degree in architecture or civil engineering (or a planning degree) plus a GIS certificate course of at least 8 weeks.
• Draftsman codes 122 (Archaeology, 1 post) and 132 (Forest, 35 posts): these start from Higher Secondary. Code 122 needs Higher Secondary plus a 3-year diploma or a draftsman certificate. Code 132 lists Higher Secondary plus options such as a draftsmanship certificate from a recognised industrial training institute or a diploma in architecture or draftsmanship. Page 97 does not say whether these options are alternatives.
• Lab Technician, Technical Assistant and college Draftsman posts: usually a first class diploma in the named branch. The polytechnic and engineering college Draftsman posts give preference to candidates trained in AutoCAD and STAAD.
• Experience needed: code 041 (Lab Technician, hotel management) needs 3 years in a hotel of at least 3 stars. Code 042 (Computer Operator) and code 074 (Demonstrator) need 3 years. Codes 053 and 075 (Junior Instructor) need 5 years as a workshop instructor. Code 102 (Campus Supervisor) needs a first class civil diploma; 3 years of building construction and maintenance work is listed as desirable (page 78).

What ESB’s 9 October pages changed: code 123 and contract-worker seats in Water Resources

The revised pages change only six pages of the rulebook:

• Code 123, Tribal Affairs Sub Engineer (Civil): up from 27 to 42 posts. The new split is UR 14, EWS 4, SC 5, ST 7 and OBC 12.
• Codes 124 to 128, Water Resources: the totals stay the same, but part of each code is now kept for contract workers. In code 124, 170 of the 379 posts (111 open and 59 for women) are now contract-worker seats. In code 128, 11 of 23 are.
• Dates: the new form, correction and exam dates given at the top of this page.

The summary table on pages 15 to 17 was not replaced, so it still shows 27 posts for code 123 and a total of 1,700. Adding the 15 new posts gives 1,715, but that is our arithmetic. ESB has not printed a new total. You can ask ESB on its toll-free number, 18002337899, or send a complaint to complaint.esb@mp.gov.in (page 109).

Tribal Affairs seats and a contract-worker quota: the September letters behind the new Group-3 dates

ESB had first advertised a Group-3 test on 18 August 2026. Its notice of 24 August 2026 cancelled that rulebook and its forms, so that Sub Engineer vacancies sent later by other departments could be added. Those who applied from 18 to 24 August 2026 had to apply again, and ESB took fee refund requests through MP Online from 17 to 27 September 2026. The present rulebook of 27 August 2026 carries the title “2026 (second)”. Its form first ran from 29 August to 12 September 2026. ESB’s notice of 1 October 2026 gives two reasons for reopening it:

• The Tribal Affairs Department’s letter of 17 September 2026 increased the number of posts and sent a revised reservation table.
• A Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) letter dated 28 September 2026 brought in reservation for contract workers (samvida karmi).

The revised pages of 9 October cite a different letter: Water Resources Department (Jal Sansadhan) letter F-1/1/0008/2024/P-1/31, also dated 28 September 2026, which keeps 50% of posts for contract workers. They replace page 90 (Tribal Affairs, code 123) and pages 91 to 93 (Water Resources, codes 124 to 128). The PHED pages for codes 130 and 131 (pages 95 and 96) were not reissued, even though the 1 October notice cites the PHED letter. Check your post code’s page in the rulebook before you apply, and watch the ESB site for a further notice. For questions, page 109 of the rulebook gives ESB’s toll-free number, 18002337899, and its complaint e-mail, complaint.esb@mp.gov.in.

The revised page 110 says that those who applied in August or September can also correct their forms under the rules. The correction window is 13 October to 28 October 2026. Each correction costs Rs 20, plus a Rs 40 portal fee.

Diploma “or higher”, MP employment office registration and other Group-3 entry rules

• Qualification: each post follows its department’s recruitment rules. The general rule on page 5 is a diploma in the required subject “or a higher qualification”. You must hold it on the date you apply.
• Employment office: you need a live registration at an employment office in Madhya Pradesh (page 1, note 11).
• Aadhaar: Aadhaar registration is compulsory. ESB runs Aadhaar-based biometric checks at entry and during the exam, and a candidate who is not verified cannot sit the exam (pages 1 and 111). Keep your Aadhaar biometrics unlocked.
• Candidates from other states: they can apply only for unreserved posts, and get no reservation or age relaxation (page 14).
• Children: a person who has a third child after 26 January 2001 cannot be appointed (page 13).
• Date of birth: only the date on your High School, Higher Secondary or an equivalent certificate is accepted (page 12). ESB will not consider a request to change the date of birth after you enter it in the form.

ESB does not check certificates when you apply. The department checks them before appointment, so your eligibility in the exam is only provisional.

40 for most, 45 for women and MP SC, ST and OBC, up to 55 for contract staff in Group-3

The age limit is counted on 1 January 2026, not on the new form dates (page 5). The upper limit is 40 years. It rises to 45 years for these groups:

• SC, ST and OBC candidates who are permanent residents of Madhya Pradesh.
• Women, both reserved and unreserved.
• Employees of MP government departments, corporations, boards, commissions and autonomous bodies, and Home Guards.
• Persons with disabilities (divyangjan).

EWS candidates get no age relaxation. With all relaxations, the limit cannot go above 45 years. Two groups are exceptions. Contract workers get extra years equal to their contract service, up to 55 years. Groups listed in rule 14 can apply up to 55 years and get 5% extra marks (pages 8 and 9). They include certain ex-servicemen, NCC ‘C’ certificate holders and surplus employees.

Up to 50% of some posts for contract workers with 5 years of service

Pages 10 and 11 explain the contract worker quota. A contract employee of an MP government department qualifies if they have worked at least 5 years without a break on a contract post equal to the regular post. The 5 years must be complete on the date of the application. A certificate from the competent district or state officer is needed.

• The quota is 50% of the eligible contract workers or 50% of the department’s direct recruitment vacancies, whichever is less.
• The benefit can be used only once.
• If not enough contract workers pass, the posts go to other candidates in the order of the reservation roster. They are not carried forward.

Vertical and horizontal reservation in MP Group-3: 35% for women

Vertical reservation splits seats between categories. It is ST 20%, SC 16%, OBC 27% and EWS 10% (page 9). The rulebook notes that the OBC share is under a court’s decision. Within every category, 35% of direct recruitment posts are for women (all departments except Forest). Persons with disabilities get 6% on posts identified for them, and MP ex-servicemen get 10% in Class III posts. A women’s seat that stays empty goes to a man of the same category. It is not carried forward.

One 200-mark online paper with 14 trade sections, probable from 20 January 2027

There is one online paper of 3 hours and 200 marks (pages 5, 110 and 113). Questions are objective, with four options, in Hindi and English:

Part B has 14 versions, chosen by post code (page 114). They include Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunication, and Architecture. There are also papers for Fashion Technology, Modern Office Management, Hotel Management, Agricultural Engineering, Textile Design, Automobile, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and ITI Draftsman (Civil). For post code 88 you may take the Civil or the Architecture paper. For codes 128 and 131 you may take Electrical or Mechanical.

The shifts run from 9 AM to 12 noon and from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Reporting time ends at 8 AM and 1:30 PM, and late candidates are not let in. Your result is a percentile, the share of candidates who scored at or below you. When the exam runs in several shifts, ESB uses a “normalised equi-percentile” method so that easier and harder shifts are compared fairly. To qualify you need 50% if you are unreserved, and 40% if you are SC, ST, OBC, EWS or a person with a disability (page 4). If two candidates have the same percentile, ESB compares their marks, then their age, with the older candidate first.

You choose 4 exam cities in order of preference. The probable cities are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Khandwa, Neemuch, Ratlam, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Sidhi and Ujjain. ESB can give you a different city.

Post preference order: how one Group-3 result decides your post

In the form you mark the posts you want in order of preference. Page 111 explains what happens next. If your percentile gets you a post at, say, your 4th preference, you are placed on the waiting lists of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd preferences. You will not appear on any list below your 4th preference. So put the posts you most want first. ESB also keeps a waiting list of 15% of the posts, valid for one year or until the next result.

Group-3 fee: half for MP reserved classes, none for backlog posts

• Unreserved candidates, and reserved candidates from other states: Rs 500.
• SC, ST, OBC, EWS and disabled candidates who are permanent residents of MP: Rs 250.
• Direct recruitment backlog posts: no fee.
• MP Online portal fee: Rs 60 at a kiosk, or Rs 20 if you log in as a registered citizen user.

If you change your category from reserved to unreserved during correction, you pay the difference. If you change it the other way, the extra fee is not returned (page 108).

70%, 80% and 90% of starting pay during MP probation

Page 14 sets the pay for the first three years. It follows a General Administration Department circular of 12 December 2019. You get 70% of the lowest pay in the scale in year 1, 80% in year 2 and 90% in year 3, as a stipend. Full pay in the scale starts after you complete probation.

Group-3 and the ESB Police Driver form: other Madhya Pradesh openings

The same Board is also running the MP Police Constable (Driver) recruitment, with its form from 15 to 29 October 2026. You can browse more Madhya Pradesh government jobs, jobs for diploma holders, ITI-level jobs and state commission and board recruitments.

Post codes, employment office renewal and the Group-3 correction window

1. Find your post code and its exact qualification in chapter 2 of the rulebook (pages 15 to 97), including the revised pages 90 to 93.
2. Renew your MP employment office registration and check that your Aadhaar biometrics are unlocked.
3. Fill the form on MP Online’s ESB exam page by 27 October 2026, choosing post preferences and four exam cities with care.
4. If you applied before, check your form and make any changes in the correction window, which ends on 28 October 2026. The application number, mobile number and e-mail cannot be changed (page 108).

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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