UPSC 2022: Odisha topper Anup Das eyes IFS, Cambridge student Pranita Dash wants IAS

Bureau,Odishabarta

Bhubaneswar: Anup Das is the topper from Odisha with 38th rank in Civil Services Exam 2022 followed by Pranita Dash and Kasturi Panda, who secured 42nd and 67th ranks respectively.

Anup is currently an IRS officer posted in Delhi. Zoology was his optional subject. “My department supported me by allowing me leave whenever I needed. I would opt for Indian Foreign Service,” he said. There is no substitute for hard work but one also has to do smart work to crack the exam, he added.

Pranita, who cracked the exam in her first attempt after 3 years of hard work, is currently doing her MPhil in Economics at University of Cambridge. “Revision, practice and mock tests before the exam helped me,” she said adding that her uncle Justice Debabrata Dash, a judge of Orissa High Court, had inspired her to appear for the exam. Economics was also her optional subject in the UPSC exam.

Pranati said that she had done pretty well in the interview where she was asked about world, political and development economics and some questions related to Bhubaneswar being a smart city and migration problem in Odisha. She also expressed her gratitude to her parents and siblings for their support in this journey and for motivating her whenever she felt low.

“I was drawn towards civil services because of the impact it has on the society. I want to join the Indian Administrative Service as it would provide me with an opportunity to serve at the grassroots and impact the lives of the vulnerable,” she said. Pranati said she would prefer Odisha cadre.

Kasturi cracked the UPSC exam in her second attempt without any coaching. “I studied on my own. I opted for sociology even though I did not have it as a subject in my graduation and prepared on my own. Proper dedication and diligence is required to crack the exam,” said this engineering graduate from NIT-Rourkela who happy with her rank.

She would like to opt for Indian Administrative Service and work in the field of technology, education and for women. It was also a second attempt for Tejaswini. “I am hoping to get Indian Revenue Service,” said this JNU alumnus and a native of Cuttack.

At least 18 candidates from the state cracked the examination and Anup Das topped the list with 38th rank followed by Pranati (42) and Kasturi Panda (67). Tejaswini Behera, who had secured the top rank in Odisha Civil Services Examination (OCSE), featured at 516 position on the list.

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