Prayagraj excels in UPSC 2024 civil services results
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Prayagraj: In UPSC
Civil Services Examination
2024 results announced on Tuesday, not only the all-India topper
Shakti Dubey
made the Sangam city proud, but several other candidates from
Prayagraj
and surrounding regions have brought pride to their families and the district with their remarkable performances. Among the standout achievers is Abhi Jain, who secured an impressive 34th All India Rank. Originally from Bhopal, Jain is currently serving as Senior Superintendent of Posts (SSP) in Prayagraj. A dedicated and persistent candidate, Abhi previously cleared UPSC exams in 2021 and 2022, though with lower ranks. In 2021, he ranked 324th and underwent two years of training in Ghaziabad. Later, he was appointed SSP at the Prayagraj Head Post Office in 2024. Despite qualifying for the Defence department in 2022, he chose not to join, focusing instead on aiming higher.
25-yr-old, Abhi comes from a modest family. His father, Mahendra Jain, is a farmer, and his mother, Sunita Jain is a homemaker. Abhi credits his success primarily to his brother Vipul Jain, who works in the IT sector in Australia, and sister-in-law Sanjoli. With their support, he completed a BA (Hons) in Political Science from Delhi University. Several other aspirants from the region have also made their mark in the 2024 UPSC results. Abhishek Kumar Singh, currently posted as SDM Sadar in Prayagraj, secured the 287th rank. Originally from Mau district, Abhishek still has another attempt left and plans to aim even higher next year. He encourages aspiring candidates to continuously evaluate their preparation and work with utmost dedication. Devansh Mohan Dwivedi, a resident of Naini, bagged the 228th rank in his third attempt. Previously ranked 333 in 2023, he was selected for the IRS. A bright student, Devansh scored over 95% in both high school and intermediate, and graduated with 88% in B.Tech from an AKTU-affiliated private college. Devansh's family, including his father (a language instructor), his homemaker mother, and retired army veteran grandfather, have been a great source of support.
Likewise, Prateek Mishra, son of a retired Chief Development Officer from Dalapur, Prayagraj, achieved the 234th rank in his second attempt. A B.Tech graduate from IIT-Delhi, he prepared for UPSC through self-study while living in Delhi. Saket Singh from Koripur village, Kaushambi, secured the 665th rank in his second attempt. Currently undergoing training as a Lekhpal, Saket reached the interview stage in 2023 but missed the final cut. He holds a BA from Allahabad University and comes from a humble background with parents involved in farming and homemaking.
Alok Singh, an alumnus of Rani Revati Devi Saraswati Vidya Niketan Inter College, Rajapur, Prayagraj, affiliated to Vidya Bharati, has secured All India Rank 207 in the Civil Services (IAS) exam. Music teacher Manoj Gupta shared that Alok completed Class 12 in 2011, graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT-Gandhinagar (2012–16), worked at BPCL (2016–2020), then began UPSC preparation. He cleared PCS in 2022 as SDM. Alok credits his teachers, parents, and family for his success.
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Main Examination: • General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations • General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said Tuesday that India will plan more water storage for hydro projects in J&K that are still in the initial stages, but no changes will be made for projects already in the pipeline. Key Points to Ponder: • Know the significance of the Indus Waters Treaty in the context of India-Pakistan relations. • What does keeping the Indus Waters treaty 'in abeyance' mean? • What are the legal and technical implications of India increasing storage capacity on projects in the early stages under the Indus Waters Treaty? • What are the limitations imposed by the IWT on India's development of hydropower infrastructure on Western rivers? • How does the provision of early-stage storage align with India's energy and water needs without violating the IWT? Key Takeaways: • At a media briefing, the Minister said, 'Where Indus Waters Treaty is concerned, no changes will be made for projects that are in the pipeline, because the technical details have been finalised. 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'The issue is lack of choice, not desire, with major consequences for individuals and societies. That is the real fertility crisis, and the answer lies in responding to what people say they need: paid family leave, affordable fertility care, and supportive partners,' Kanem said. • This year's report, 'The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world' has called for a shift from panic over falling fertility to addressing unmet reproductive goals. SOWP 2025 underlines that millions of individuals are unable to realise their real fertility goals. This is the real crisis, not underpopulation or overpopulation. And, the answer lies in greater reproductive agency – a person's ability to make free and informed choices about sex, contraception, and starting a family. • The report draws on academic research and new data from a UNFPA–YouGov survey spanning 14 countries, including India. The report finds that one in five people globally expect not to have the number of children they desire. Key drivers include the prohibitive cost of parenthood, job insecurity, housing, concerns over the state of the world, and the lack of a suitable partner. A toxic blend of economic precarity and sexism plays a role in many of these issues, the report shows. Do You Know: • Key findings from the UNFPA–YouGov Survey 2025, an online poll with 14,000 respondents, reveal multiple barriers to reproductive autonomy in India. Financial limitations are one of the biggest barriers to reproductive freedom. Nearly four in 10 people say financial limitations are stopping them from having the families they want. Job insecurity (21%), housing constraints (22%), and the lack of reliable childcare (18%) are making parenthood feel out of reach. • Health barriers like poor general well-being (15%), infertility (13%), and limited access to pregnancy-related care (14%) add further strain. Many are also holding back due to growing anxiety about the future—from climate change to political and social instability. Nineteen per cent faced partner or family pressure to have fewer children than they personally wanted. • The report challenges global narratives around 'population explosion' versus 'population collapse'. Replacement-level fertility, commonly defined as 2.1 births per woman, is the rate at which a population size remains the same from one generation to the next. • While India may have reached replacement-level fertility of 2.0, many people, especially women, still face significant barriers to making free and informed decisions about their reproductive lives and significant disparities persist across regions and states. These barriers create what the report identifies as India's 'high fertility and low fertility duality. • According to Professor T V Sekher from the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, the real worry is the decline in population size instead of concern over population explosion. 'The possibility of population extinction is getting attention now. • Low fertility is inevitable, and India is no exception. A large number of urban Indian couples prefer only one child, irrespective of boy or girl. Fertility will go down further. Efforts taken by many countries to boost their fertility levels did not succeed. China is a classic example in recent times,' he said. • In the 1970s, women on average had nearly five children. Now, they have close to two. This milestone reflects progress in health and education, but masks regional diversity in the Total Fertility Rate, which is the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime. • Infertility remains under-prioritised in India and needs to be considered for inclusion under the government's health insurance schemes. An estimated 27.5 million Indian couples face infertility, yet public sector services are limited, while private care remains expensive and largely confined to urban centres. Social stigma is particularly harsh on women, though fertility challenges affect both sexes as per the report. • UNFPA's vision for India calls for 'demographic resilience'—societies' ability to adapt to population change without sacrificing human rights. • The report outlines five key pillars for India's rights-based approach. These include expanding sexual reproductive health services with universal access to contraception, safe abortion, maternal health, and infertility care, removing structural barriers by investing in childcare, education, housing, and workplace flexibility, promoting inclusive policies, extending services to unmarried individuals, LGBTQIA+ persons, and other marginalised groups, improving data and accountability beyond fertility rates to measure unmet family planning needs and bodily autonomy, and fostering social change through community initiatives challenging stigma and building health literacy. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍1.29 by 2050: impact of India's falling fertility rate THE WORLD LA on boil, Trump sends Marines, more National Guard, intensifies migrant raids Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. 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The Los Angeles police arrested 29 people Saturday night 'for failure to disperse' and made 21 more arrests on Sunday on charges ranging from attempted murder with a Molotov cocktail and assault on a police officer to looting, AP report noted. • The police department also confirmed in a news release that it used tear gas and more than 600 rubber bullets and other less-than-lethal munitions over the weekend. The department says five officers sustained minor injuries, according to the report. • Demonstrations stretched till late Monday as LA Police officers, who used flash bangs and shot projectiles into the gathering as they pushed the protesters through a crowded, popular commercial area where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way, AP report described. 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The GDP is seen growing 6.7 per cent in FY28, with economic activity 'partly supported by robust services activity that contributes to a pickup in exports'. • In its report, the World Bank made wide-ranging reductions to growth forecasts for nearly 70 per cent of economies due to 'heightened trade tensions and policy uncertainty' that is seen driving down global growth in 2025 to 2.3 per cent – the slowest pace since 2008 outside of outright global recessions. • It had in January 2025 forecast global growth for 2025 at 2.7 per cent. Growth in 2026 is expected to pick up only slightly to 2.4 per cent – as against 2.7 per cent predicted in January 2025 – and somewhat further to 2.6 per cent in 2027. • The Trump administration enforced reciprocal tariffs on its trade partners on April 2, 2025 before suspending them for 90 days a week later as it sought favourable agreements to help reduce its trade deficit. This week, officials from the US and China are meeting in London amid the imposition of export controls despite preliminary talks last month in Switzerland. Do You Know: • According to the World Bank, if major economies are able to find a way around the trade tensions and thereby reduce policy uncertainty and financial volatility, then global growth could rebound faster than expected. 'The analysis finds that if today's trade disputes were resolved with agreements that halve tariffs relative to their levels in late May, global growth would be 0.2 percentage point stronger on average over the course of 2025 and 2026,' the Bank said. • Data released last month showed GDP growth declined to 6.5 per cent in FY25 – the slowest pace in four years – from 9.2 per cent the previous year, with the World Bank saying in its report that the moderation was largely reflective of a 'slowdown in industrial production, offsetting steady services activity and the recovery in agricultural output.' • The Indian government will move to targeting the debt-to-GDP ratio from the next fiscal year that begins in April 2026. It aims to reduce the ratio to 50 per cent – in a range of 49-51 per cent – by FY31. As per Budget documents, the Centre's debt-to-GDP ratio is estimated at 56.1 per cent in FY26. 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Key Points to Ponder: • What is the process by which astronauts are launched and transported to the International Space Station? • What is the International Space Station (ISS)? • What will journey to the ISS look like? • How much time will it take to reach the space station? • How will the Dragon capsule dock with the ISS? • Discuss the role of international cooperation in enabling human spaceflight to the ISS? • What are the stages involved in rendezvous and docking of a crewed spacecraft with the ISS? • What is the significance of launch windows for missions to the ISS? Key Takeaways: • The mission will take a crew of four astronauts — American Peggy Whitson, Indian Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungarian Tibor Kapu — to the ISS aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft which will be launched by the company's Falcon 9 rocket. Shukla is set to become only the second Indian to venture into space. • Before launching any mission to space, scientists first have to first select a launch window, that is, a time slot in which the spacecraft must be launched so it can reach its intended destination, be it a space station like the ISS or a celestial body like the Moon or Mars. • Since everything in space — including the ISS — is in constant motion, it is not viable for a mission to be launched at just any time. Celestial alignment is essential for any mission to be viable. Scientists make complex calculations to ensure that the trajectory of the spacecraft aligns with the trajectory of the intended destination. • In case of missions to the ISS, spacecraft orbit around Earth multiple times to align with the orbit of the space station. Such a trajectory also makes any mission viable in terms of the fuel needed. • If a spacecraft were to travel to its destination in a straight trajectory, it would have to continuously accelerate to counteract gravitational forces, which would be inefficient in terms of the fuel needed. • Spacecraft usually travel in a curved trajectory upon reaching a certain altitude and velocity, which minimises the energy they need to expend to counteract the force of gravity. • Falcon 9 is a partially reusable rocket designed and manufactured by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. It is used to transport satellites, cargo and the Dragon spacecraft to low Earth orbit (an altitude of 2,000 km or less) and beyond. • The rocket has two stages. The first stage or booster stage comprises nine Merlin engines (a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX), and aluminium-lithium alloy tanks containing liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellant. The second stage consists of a single Merlin engine. Do You Know: • When the Dragon capsule gets close enough to the ISS, it establishes communication with the space station and performs its final phase manoeuvre. Then, the spacecraft enters an imaginary 200 metres bubble around the ISS known as the 'keep-out sphere', and aligns with the space station's docking port. At this point, the Dragon capsule initiates its autonomous docking system and slowly moves towards the ISS to finally dock with it. This happens while both are moving at great speeds but are almost at rest relative to each other. • The spacecraft carries out autonomous docking with the help of GPS sensors, cameras and imaging sensors such as Lidar (laser ranging) on its nosecone. All these sensors feed data back to the flight computer which then uses algorithms that determine — based on this information — how to fire the thrusters to most effectively get to the docking target. If needed, the astronauts on board can also take over manual control of the spacecraft. • After the docking is done, it takes between one and two hours for the spacecraft to stabilise and carry out safety checks. Subsequently, transfer gates are opened, and astronauts enter the ISS. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Expert Explains: Why Axiom-4 matters For any queries and feedback, contact Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Priya Kumari Shukla is a Senior Copy Editor in the Indian Express (digital). She contributes to the UPSC Section of Indian Express (digital) and started niche initiatives such as UPSC Key, UPSC Ethics Simplified, and The 360° UPSC Debate. The UPSC Key aims to assist students and aspirants in their preparation for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations. It provides valuable guidance on effective strategies for reading and comprehending newspaper content. The 360° UPSC Debate tackles a topic from all perspectives after sorting through various publications. The chosen framework for the discussion is structured in a manner that encompasses both the arguments in favour and against the topic, ensuring comprehensive coverage of many perspectives. Prior to her involvement with the Indian Express, she had affiliations with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as well as several coaching and edutech enterprises. In her prior professional experience, she was responsible for creating and refining material in various domains, including article composition and voiceover video production. She has written in-house books on many subjects, including modern India, ancient Indian history, internal security, international relations, and the Indian economy. She has more than eight years of expertise in the field of content writing. Priya holds a Master's degree in Electronic Science from the University of Pune as well as an Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from the esteemed Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, widely recognised as one of the most prestigious business schools in India. She is also an alumni of Jamia Milia Islamia University Residential Coaching Academy (RCA). Priya has made diligent efforts to engage in research endeavours, acquiring the necessary skills to effectively examine and synthesise facts and empirical evidence prior to presenting their perspective. Priya demonstrates a strong passion for reading, particularly in the genres of classical Hindi, English, Maithili, and Marathi novels and novellas. Additionally, she possessed the distinction of being a cricket player at the national level. Qualification, Degrees / other achievements: Master's degree in Electronic Science from University of Pune and Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management (EPPPM) from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta ... Read More
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
T.N. Health Minister takes up super speciality medical seats issue with Union Health Minister
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian has written to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda, expressing concerns about surrendering unfilled super speciality medical seats meant for in-service candidates to the All India Quota (AIQ) without conducting the mandatory second round of counselling at the State-level as it would deprive the candidates of their rightful opportunity to upgrade or participate in further counselling. This comes in the light of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) asking the State to revert the vacant in-service seats to the Medical Counselling Committee for the All India counselling, in a communication dated June 3. In a letter dated June 11, Mr. Subramanian told the Union Minister that this was a critical issue concerning super speciality seats reserved for in-service candidates from Tamil Nadu under NEET Super Specialty State quota. As per a Supreme Court order, 50% of seats in super specialty courses in government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu are reserved exclusively for in-service candidates from the State. The NEET SS counselling for the State quota in-service candidates was completed on May 27. On May 29, the Tamil Nadu Selection Committee formally requested the DGHS to indicate to the State round two counselling schedule, to allow upgradation for the in-service candidates. Mr. Subramanian said that they have received numerous representations from in-service candidates seeking upgradation in the second round of State quota counselling. 'However, it has come to our notice that the process of surrendering the unfilled in-service seats to the AIQ is being considered, without conducting the mandatory second round of counselling at the State level. Such a move would effectively deprive our in-service candidates of their rightful opportunity to upgrade or participate in further counselling,' he said, adding that this would be contrary to the spirit and intent of the Supreme Court order. He sought the Union Minister's intervention to ensure that all 50% seats earmarked for in-service candidates under the State quota are retained and made available in round two of State-level NEET Super Speciality counselling.
