IITian Aditya Srivastava tops civils exam; two women among top 5

NEW DELHI: Aditya Srivastava from Lucknow, who is an IIT Kanpur alumnus and currently undergoing training for the IPS, aced the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2023, even as NIT Rourkela graduate Animesh Pradhan from Talcher cleared the elite exam in his first attempt, barely a month after his mother had succumbed to cancer.

There are two women in the top 5 and 10 among the top 25 candidates. Donuru Ananya Reddy, a BA (Hons) graduate from Miranda House who hails from Mahabubnagar district of Telangana, was the topper among women with an overall third rank. Ruhani, who ranked 5th, had cleared the Civil Services Exam 2022 and was allocated to the IPS and is also undergoing training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), along with all-India topper Aditya and No. 4 rank-holder P K Sidharth Ramkumar, an architecture graduate from Ernakulam and who had also cleared the CSE in 2021.

Aditya quit his cushy and well-paying job at Goldman Sachs to aim for a career in the civil services. He told TOI that his decision was based on the realisation that he would be happier and more content working at the grassroots. “This was my third attempt. I was selected to the IPS last year and am five months into my training. While preparing for CSE, rather than studying long hours, I focused on completing my assigned tasks for the day and setting targets,” he shared, adding that his first choice would clearly be his home cadre, UP.

Congratulating the successful candidates, PM Narendra Modi said on microblogging site X that their efforts will shape the future of the nation in times to come. The PM also reached out to those who couldn’t make the cut, saying they have chances ahead to succeed while noting that India is rich with opportunities where their talents can truly shine.

Aditya, a B Tech in Electrical Engineering who aced CSE with electrical engineering as his optional subject, happens to be passionate about books and articles on dinosaurs. “Even in my CSE interview round, I was asked questions about dinosaurs…like the link between birds and dinosaurs. I promptly replied ‘archaeopteryx’,” he recounted.

The top 20 candidates recommended by UPSC to various civil services like IAS, IPS, IFS etc based on CSE 2023, come from a cross-section of cities and towns across India. While No. 6 rank-holder Srishti Dabas hails from Delhi, No. 5 Ruhani is from Gurugram but a graduate from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College. At the No. 18 and 20 positions are candidates from Noida. Those ranking from seventh to 20th positions belong to Jammu, Jaipur, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Jhansi, Meerut, Jhajjar, Bhopal, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru.

A total 1,016 candidates, including 664 men (65%) and 352 women (35%), were recommended by UPSC for appointment to various Civil Services based on the 2023 exam.

Speaking to TOI, all-India No 2 Animesh Pradhan said he was working with Indian Oil Corporation since 2021, but decided in 2022 to aim for a career in the civil services. He said his preparation for CSE coincided with his mother’s battle with terminal cancer. She was with him right till his interview round, but succumbed a month ago. “She dreamt till her last breath to see me as an IAS officer,” said Animesh, who had lost his father much earlier when he was in Class XI.

“It was an emotionally draining journey through the preparation, but my elder sister was my support system,” he told TOI. Keen to become an IAS officer in his home state, Srivastava said he wants to bring change at the grassroots and work on healthcare and poverty alleviation.

Nausheen from Gorakhpur, who cleared the CSE in her fourth attempt, said she persevered and relied on free residential coaching at Jamia Millia Islamia, to secure an all-India 9th rank.

The 25 successful candidates come from diverse educational backgrounds like engineering, humanities, science, commerce, business administration, architecture and law, having passed out from premier institutions such as IIT, IIM, NIT, University of Delhi, National Law University etc.

Among the optional subjects of the top 25 in the Mains examination were anthropology, chemistry, geography, economics, electrical engineering, law, history, mathematics, physics, political science & international relations and sociology. The recommended candidates also include 30 persons with benchmark disability.

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