Latest news with #CSE)2024
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Prayagraj woman Shakti Dubey tops UPSC exam, her twin misses out
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 results released on Tuesday were a bittersweet experience for the Prayagraj-based Dubey family. While Shakti Dubey secured the first rank in the exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), her twin. Pragati –– who prepared for the exam along with her sister –– was not among the 1,009 candidates recommended by the commission for appointments to various services. Shakti, a gold medallist BSc graduate from the University of Allahabad, emerged as the topper in her fifth attempt. Her father Devendra Dubey, a sub-inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police, said that Shakti –– who is also a gold medallist for her MSc from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) –– had been preparing for the exam for the past seven year. Shakti, on Tuesday, told reporters that she owed her success to her parents and teachers. 'Since childhood, my parents inspired me to study and teachers always encouraged me.' she stated, adding that they supported her during her failed attempts. Earlier, in a mock interview with an IAS coaching academy, Shakti said that she was inspired by her father's profession to join the civil service. 'I have grown up in a family where my father is already in the police service. I have seen him work in the government service,' she said. 'I saw certain things like, the presence of a police vehicle make a person feel safe even while I was returning late from the campus. This made me wonder, how even small power can bring a change for somebody and how public service at large is benefitting people.' While Shakti topped the exam, her twin sister Pragati did not make the cut. Their father Devendra said that the family is pained by the fact that their other daughter could not succeed. 'Pragati was preparing with full dedication and she will continue doing so to get success,' Devendra said. A total of 1,009 candidates (725 men and 284 women) have been shortlisted by UPSC for appointment to various services. The top five candidates include three women and two men, led by Shakti, who qualified the examination with political science and international relations as her optional subject, the commission said in a statement released on Tuesday. While Harsihta Goyal, a BCom graduate from the MS University of Baroda, came second;, Archit Parag, a BTech graduate of the Vellore Institute of Technology, got the third rank. Goyal and Parag had political science and international relations, and philosophy, as their optional subjects, respectively. Aakash Garg, a BTech graduate from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, came fifth. 'The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2024 was conducted on June 16, 2024. A total of 9,92,599 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,83,213 candidates actually appeared in the examination,' the UPSC said in its statement. 'A total of 14,627 candidates qualified for appearance in the Written (Main) examination which was held in September, 2024. Out of these, 2,845 candidates qualified for the Personality Test of the examination. Eventually, a total of 1,009 candidates (725 men and 284 women) have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various Services,' the commission said Last year, 1,016 candidates were recommended for appointment. According to the commission, the recommended candidates include 45 persons with benchmark disability –– comprising 12 orthopedically handicapped, 8 visually challenged, 16 hearing impaired, and 9 with multiple disabilities.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
UPSC topper Raj Krishna Jha, who got 8th rank, says he twice failed the prelim exam
SITAMARHI: Raj Krishna Jha, 27, who notched up the eighth rank in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday said he had performed disastrously in his first two attempts and believed that he would top the examination this time, his fifth attempt. Jha, who failed to qualify the preliminary examination in the first two attempts, said he had approached the examination this time with a clear intention to top the examination and knew that he would make it. 'After I secured 739 marks in my fourth attempt in the Mains exam and missed the boat (selection) by a meagre two marks, I made it a point to go for the first ten ranks in the examination. But the element of risk was always there,' Jha, who is posted at Kolhapur as assistant manager for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), told HT. He said, 'I was confident about my success as I was doing quite well in mock tests as well.' Raj Krishna completed his early education from a school in Nepal, near the Bhitamore border, and passed his Class 12 examination under the Bihar School Examination Board. He went on to pursue in Mechanical Engineering from the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad. After graduation, he joined Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in 2018 and is currently serving as an assistant manager in HPCL's City Gas Distribution (CGD) wing at Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Raj Krishna said his father Sunil Kumar Jha's experience as a private school teacher helped in shaping his career. 'He is a great source of inspiration and my mentor as well,' said Jha. Crediting his success to his parents, Jha said it was his father who encouraged and mentored him for a bigger role in the society. 'Yes, the first two attempts were eventful. But, then I prepared for the UPSC consistently and devoted 14 to 15 hours on preparation during examination time,' said the UPSC topper, who had opted for geography in the optional subject. His uncle, Anil Jha, who ekes out his living as an astrologer in Muzaffarpur, said Raj Krishna had been a bright student since the beginning,' said Anil Jha. 'The entire village is proud of Raj Krishna's extraordinary success. He has become a role model for the youth of our area,' Tripurari Kumar, the deputy chief of Athari Panchayat, said. Raj Krishna's father, Sunil Jha, is a teacher in a private school in Nepal and his sister is a doctor. In the UPSC examination, Raj Krishna opted Hindi and Geography as his main subjects.
