UPSC Civil Service Exam: Highest number of IAS officers from Rajasthan

JAIPUR: With 24 of the 180 students selected in the IAS in the Civil Service Examination (CSE-21) hailing from Rajasthan, the state has now edged out Uttar Pradesh to churn out the highest number of civil servants. Experts attribute the state's good performance to the excellent coaching resources and rising awareness among the youth to appear for the examination.

According to the figures of the Department of Personnel and Training, in the past four years, Rajasthan has given 84 IAS officers and the year-on-year graph is on a continuous rise in the last three years.

A total of 16 candidates having domicile in Rajasthan state were selected in the civil service examination, 2019 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). In the CSE-2020, 22 candidates were selected and this figure increased to 24 in the CSE-2021. In the CSE-2020, Uttar Pradesh had churned 30 IAS followed by 22 from Rajasthan.

AIR-13 rank holder in the CSE-2020 and presently assistant collector in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, Gaurav Budania attributed it to inspiration, changed UPSC pattern, awareness in SC/ST community, and Rajasthan's proximity to Delhi for coaching.

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"As more and more students get selected for the CSE, students have started taking inspiration from them to crack the exam. UPSC has started giving more weightage to current affairs, which has given a level playing field to all candidates," Budania told PTI.

The 2020-batch IAS officer said Rajasthan has about 25 percent SC/ST population who have much more awareness than community members in other states so they also appear in the exam in larger numbers.

A coaching expert said there is a growing awareness among youth about civil service examination and the coaching facility has improved within the state and is available through offline and online modes.

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"Undoubtedly, there is a huge talent pool in Rajasthan.With students from Rajasthan getting good rank in CSE, awareness among peer groups has increased to appear and crack the exam. Moreover, coaching facilities, which were limited to Delhi, are now available in the state. It is available through online and offline mode. So, anyone sitting anywhere can study and prepare," coaching expert Dheer Singh said.

In the CSE-2021, 24 students who made to the IAS grade were from Rajasthan followed by 19 from Uttar Pradesh, 16 from Delhi, 14 from Bihar, 13 from Maharashtra, 12 from Madhya Pradesh besides candidates from other states.