State sees improvement in number of successful UPSC CSE candidates
Kolkata: Ankit Agarwal from Odisha moved to Kolkata to continue his preparation for the UPSC Civil Services Examination at Satyendra Nath Tagore Civil Services Study Centre (SNTCSSC) considering the ‘Delhi-level’ facilities and economic accommodation available here. In UPSC CSE 2023, Agarwal ranked 297 in the all-India rank (AIR). Ankit, along with 14 others who cracked one of the toughest competitive examinations were felicitated by the study centre in the presence of Chief Secretary B P Gopalika and SNTCSSC Chairman Surajit Kar Purkayastha, amongst top bureaucrats of the state.
Ankit’s decision to move to Bengal to prepare for the examination was considering the logistics and similar coaching offered compared to New Delhi. This is something that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had envisaged while starting the study centre. “The students here are intelligent but are not getting opportunities. Hence, CM started this centre,” Gopalika said. “I liked the positive vibe of the city as well as the good transportation facility available. But one incident that left a mark in my memory was that while taking the examination in 2021, I was sitting next to a person called Ankita Agarwal from Kolkata, who secured second position in UPSC CSE that year. It was one of the reasons that motivated me to move to Kolkata,” Ankit said.
The number of aspirants cracking the examination from the state has gone up from 9 in 2022 to 15 in 2023. Chairman Surajit Kar Purkayastha hopes that these numbers keep increasing in coming years as the centre branches out to districts across the state. During the felicitation ceremony, he said that 26 district centres are offering courses and making aspirants aware of the exam process and structure.
“Every year, many students score well in Madhyamik and Higher Secondary examination in the state. All of them are competent to join the services. Where are they going? These young talents are not coming for civil services due to a lack of information. This information gap needs to be filled up,” Purkayastha said.
Commissioner of Police (CP), Bidhannagar Gaurav Sharma, during his speech, mentioned the film ‘12th Fail’ to make the successful as well as aspirants aware that struggles are part of each one’s journey. The film was screened here to make people aware of the grueling journey taken by an aspirant and the sense of responsibility that needs to be there. “People whom you are giving instructions to, you need to learn from them,” he told the successful candidates.
The 15 successful candidates, including Jayashree Pradhan (AIR 52), Khan Saima Seraj Ahmed (AIR 165), Anushka Sharma (AIR 426), and Bratati Dutta (AIR 346), amongst others were present for the felicitation and each gave speeches of hope, resilience and determination to the aspirants and their families.
