NAGPUR MAN IS UPSC TOPPER FROM MAHA
Chem engineer Sameer Prakash Khode bags AIR 42 in fifth attempt, with only three with full sincerity
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declared the Civil Services Examination result on April 17. As per a statement released by the Maharashtra government, about 8.6% of the total candidates were from the state.
The Maharashtra topper of this year is Nagpur candidate Sameer Prakash Khode who secured AIR 42. Close on the heels are Neha Uddhav Singh Rajput with AIR 51 and Aniket Dnyaneshwar Hirde at AIR 81.
Khode, who achieved this success in his fifth attempt, is currently employed with the
Indian Railways in Raipur. He is a chemical engineer from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Prior to joining the Ministry of Railways, in the IRTS Cadre, Khode worked in the corporate sector for around seven years.
Speaking to Free Press Journal, Khode said, “When I started preparing for civil services, becoming an IAS officer was my first aspiration, simply because of the broader impact that it can create. This is also the reason why I started preparing again even after working for the Ministry of Railways.” Khode also added that this is his fifth attempt because he did not appear in every attempt with full preparation. “I took three attempts with full sincerity,” he said.
“My younger brother guided me throughout this journey. I would also like to give credit to my close friend, Shubham Bhaisare, who is also an IAS officer. His success has also been a motivation to me,” Khode added.
Khode also shared some insights about his preparation this year and said, “I put in consistent efforts and remained focused on my goal throughout. I also followed the syllabus religiously and focused on current issues.”
This year, Aditya Srivastava
bagged the position of AIR 1, followed by Animesh Pradhan who secured AIR 2 and Donuru Ananya Reddy who secured AIR 3.
There were 1,143 open positions that the UPSC had announced. 347 of these fall under the general category. In contrast, 303 are from OBC, 165 are from SC, 86 are from ST, and 115 are from EWS. Furthermore, the commission stated in its official notice that the candidatures of 355 suggested individuals had been maintained provisional.