CHENNAI: Candidates from Tamil Nadu appearing for the Civil Service Examination have done notably better this year as demonstrated by the 2024 results released by the Union Public Service Commission on Tuesday, with at least 57 from the state clearing the exam, compared to the 45 last year.
Significantly, 50 out of the 57 availed of the state government’s scholarship under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme. Of the 50, 18—including the state topper— prepared through the government’s free residential coaching facility under the scheme.
The All India Rank one (AIR 1) was secured by Shakti Dubey from Uttar Pradesh, one among the three women in the top five. Haryana’s Harshita Goyal and Maharashtra’s Dongre Archit Parag placed second and third respectively.
This time, five candidates from TN placed in the top 50, with B Sivachandran securing 23rd AIR. Gee Gee A S secured 25th rank in the country and came second in Tamil Nadu, while Subash Karthik, R Monika and Pavitra P from the state secured 29th, 39th and 42nd AIR respectively.
‘TN should aspire to repeat its 2014 performance in future UPSC exams’
Last year, the state topper had secured 41st AIR and only five from TN placed in the top 100. Although accurate state-wise numbers are still awaited, data compiled by retired IAS officers and coaching centres show that, of the 1,009 successful candidates, at least 57 are from Tamil Nadu. They said the numbers could rise further as some TN candidates have opted to appear for the exam from centres outside the state too.
Many who cleared the examination and those from coaching centres attributed the assistance provided by the government’s Naan Mudhalvan scheme as a key contributor to the improved results. “We have the best results in terms of quality and quantity this year, compared to the past three years,” said S Chandru, academic head of the Shankar IAS Academy.
Under the scheme, eligible candidates appearing for preliminary Civil Services Examination can avail a scholarship of `7,500 per month for a period of 10 months, and those preparing for the main examination, a scholarship of Rs 25,000.
In this year’s budget, the government announced an additional incentive of Rs 50,000 to those advancing to the interview stage. Naan Mudhalvan officials said the state’s initiative has started yielding desired results in just one year’s time. “It is a proud moment for us that out of the 200 students who underwent coaching at our (residential) facility in Chennai, 18 have qualified,” said Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer C Sudhagaran, who is presently the Mission Director of Competitive Exams under the scheme.
He said the 200 candidates were selected through an examination. Thereafter, a team worked dedicatedly to help the students to prepare strategically. “Besides retired bureaucrats, officers currently in service also provided insights to the students, which played a crucial role in their success,” said Sudhagaran.
R Monika, who attended the state-provided coaching classes, seconded the opinion. “We got guidance from the present batch of IAS, IPS officials with whom we could connect and relate with. Their guidance is the USP of the coaching facility,” she said. Chandru noted that many students, after one or two failed attempts in the main exam, were forced to quit due to financial constraints.
However, the scholarship and residential facility provided under Naan Mudhalvan has helped many from downtrodden sections of society to continue with their preparation. He recalled that in 2014, 119 of the 1,126 selected candidates were from TN and said the state should aspire to repeat such a performance.