Who Is Adiba Anam? Auto Driver's Daughter Set To Become Maharashtra's First Muslim Woman IAS Officer
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Adiba Anam secure AIR 142 in UPSC Exam 2024 and became the first Muslim woman from Maharashtra to crack the civil services exam.
With her fourth attempt, Adiba Anam, the daughter of an autorickshaw driver from Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, has created history—becoming the first Muslim woman from the state to clear the UPSC Civil Services Exam. Ranked 142nd in the All India list for 2024, her journey from a modest background to the country's top bureaucracy is a powerful reminder that determination can break any barrier.
Adiba's roots lie in a family that struggled financially but never compromised on the value of education. Her father, Ashfaq Ahmed, couldn't pursue studies and turned to driving an autorickshaw to support the family. Still, the belief in education ran deep in their household.
Adiba began her academic journey at Zafarnagar Zilla Parishad Urdu Primary School and completed her schooling through local government institutions in Yavatmal. Later, she pursued a BSc in Mathematics from Inamdar Senior College in Pune, where she also began her civil services preparation.
Success After Setbacks
Adiba's UPSC journey wasn't without setbacks. She faced three initial failures, reaching the interview round once but falling short of the final selection. Yet, she didn't lose heart. With a focused mindset, she prepared harder for her fourth attempt—and this time, it paid off.
Her success was also shaped by guidance from Haj House IAS Training Institute and Jamia Residential Coaching Academy, where she honed her preparation and strategy.
As congratulations poured in, former Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Thakre, also from Yavatmal, praised her on social media, calling her selection a proud moment for the district and the state.
Adiba's story is one of grit, persistence, and belief—proof that no dream is too distant when backed by relentless effort and the right support.
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Growth persisted due to potential stocking-up before enforcement, longer timelines for small (January 2025) and micro (April 2025) units, exemptions for certain tubes and export-use products, and timely grant of BIS certification to some foreign manufacturers. • Domestic copper cathode production rose 12.6 per cent to 5.73 lakh tonnes in FY25, driven primarily by Hindalco Industries Ltd, which holds a 70 per cent market share and has a capacity of 5 lakh tonnes. Production last year surpassed the previous peak of 5.55 lakh tonnes recorded in FY23. • Vedanta's Sterlite Copper, with a smaller capacity of 2.16 lakh tonnes, contributed 26 per cent of cathode in FY25. Notably, India remained self-sufficient in copper cathode until 2018, when Vedanta's Tuticorin plant was shut down over environmental violations. 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For CPI, 2024 has been identified as the revised base year as the item basket and the weightage of the items would be decided based on the NSO's Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) conducted in 2023-24. The new CPI series is expected to be published from the first quarter of 2026. • Initially, the Ministry decided to use 2022-23 HCES data for deriving weights and item basket for CPI base updation. Now since data for HCES 2023-24 is released and available for use, the Ministry has decided to use the latest data that is HCES 2023-24 data for deriving weights and item basket for the new series. • In GDP calculation, in addition to the use of data from Controller General of Accounts, MCA-21, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), etc. as was done in the previous base revision exercise, use of GST data, E-Vahan portal, UPI transaction data from NPCI, etc. (will be done) by NSO. MoSPI has tapped the GSTN database for conducting Annual Survey of Service Sector Enterprises (ASSSE), which is new in the NSS ecosystem. Do You Know: • A base year is the first of a series of years in an economic or financial index. In this context, it is typically set to an arbitrary level of 100. New, up-to-date base years are periodically introduced to keep data current in a particular index. Base years are also used to measure the growth of a company. Any year can serve as a base year, but analysts typically choose recent years. • A base year is used for comparison in the measure of business activity or economic or financial index. For example, to find the rate of inflation between 2016 and 2024, 2016 is the base year or the first year in the time set. The base year can also describe the starting point from a point of growth or a baseline for calculating same-store sales. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Amid economic slowdown, govt to decide new base year for GDP in few months Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme: 📍Explain the difference between computing methodology of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year 2015. (2021) EXPLAINED Stepping up Naxal fight, carrying on welfare push Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Linkages between development and spread of extremism and Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. What's the ongoing story: The first year of Modi 3.0 has seen the government step up its efforts to root out the decades-long Naxal insurgency, while building on flagship welfare policies introduced in its previous two terms. Key Points to Ponder: • Naxalism in India-Know the background • What is red corridor or red zone? • Map Work-Red Corridor • How many states are affected by Naxalism in India? • Maoism and Naxalism-Compare and Contrast • What are Naxals fighting for in India? • What are the socio-economic conditions the districts that make up the red corridor? • 'Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat'-discuss • What steps being taken by the Government of India to eradicate Naxal and LWE forces from the country? • How the Government of India has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States with Special reference to expansion of road network, improving Telecommunication connectivity, skill development and financial inclusion? • What do you know about the 'Integrated Action Plan in Naxal-affected Districts'? Key Takeaways: • Union Home Minister Amit Shah last August announced that Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) would be eliminated from the country by March 31, 2026. This was a statement of the government's intent to bring an end to the insurgency that has cast a shadow over the very heart of the country. • To this end, security forces have registered significant gains against Naxals over the past year, especially in Chhattisgarh and parts of Jharkhand and Odisha, considered to be the last bastions of the Maoists. Major inroads have been made in Maoist strongholds in the Bijapur-Sukma-Dantewada tri-junction in Chhattisgarh, supported by intensified operations, the construction of forward operating bases, and better road connectivity. • In Chhattisgarh alone, security forces have killed 209 Maoists in the first five months of 2025, compared to 219 in all of 2024. In 2023, forces had killed 53 Maoists across states. Those killed in encounters include top Maoist commanders: the biggest success came on May 21when security forces killed CPI Maoist general secretary Basavaraju in the forests of Abujhmad. • Key to these recent successes, sources said, has been the political will of the government, intelligence-driven operations, improved coordination between state and central agencies, and state forces such as the District Reserve Guards of Chhattisgarh taking the lead in operations. • However, there have also been some setbacks. Maoist ambushes in places such as Kolhan, Jharkhand, and Abujhmad, Chhattisgarh, have resulted in casualties among security forces, and indicated that Naxals retain the ability to hit back in their strongholds. The road ahead involves not only sustaining pressure on residual Maoist zones but also ensuring that governance and infrastructure reach these regions. Do You Know: • In what might be the most significant decision yet under Modi 3.0, the Centre last September approved the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) to include all Indians above the age of 70 years, irrespective of their income or social status. • Launched in 2018, PM-JAY is the Modi government's flagship programme in the health sector. Even prior to its expansion, it was the world's largest health insurance scheme, providing free cover of upto Rs 5 lakh per family per year to 40% of the most economically backward households in India. • By extending universal coverage to the elderly, the Centre has anticipated what might be one of India's biggest challenges in the coming decades. • According to the government's Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, the number of senior citizens (60 years and above) will increase from 103 million in 2011 to 319 million in 2050, going up from 8.6% of the total population to 19.5%. According to the India Ageing Report 2023, just over 20% of this population was covered by any government, employer-provided, or personal insurance scheme. • Last year, the government approved the extension of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) till 2029, paving the way for the construction of two crore more houses under the programme. The Centre has already released Rs 34,000 crore to states under the PMAY-G, and cleared the allocations of 84.45 lakh houses. The Centre has also approved Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-IV (PMGSY-IV) to connect 25,000 villages with all-weather roads by 2028-29. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍HEALING TOUCH ON REBELS Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme: 📍The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements. With Malkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) doctrine that affected citizens back into the mainstream of social and economic growth. (2015) 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
