Beating the odds: The inspiring story of Ms. Pooja Jha, AIR 82, who cracked UPSC CSE 2021 in first attempt

 What do you think is the motivation of a civil services aspirant when he/she embarks on the journey of one of the toughest examinations in the world? The answers could vary from social status, stable career, charm of civil services with respect to variety of roles one gets to play, etc. But these were not the quest of Ms. Pooja Jha, who has cracked the Civil Services Exam 2021 in her very first attempt and become an IFS officer.  

Her motivation was very different as she was fighting a battle to assert her existence – to achieve gender equality at home. She wanted to give a better future to herself and showcase to her family that even a girl child could be the strength of a family. 

The son meta-preference: In Indian society, there is a preference for a male child as a son is seen as support of the old age and girl child is considered as part of someone else’s family. Unfortunately, Pooja’s family also had this deeply engrained in their minds and she was born into this family due to the desire to have a son. So, she is the fifth girl child of the family and all of us can imagine what kind of love was showered on her when she was born. It won’t be wrong to say that she was part of a family which was desperately looking for a boy child. Thankfully their quest ended soon, and the family had a boy the very next time.

She wanted equality: Pooja realized that her brother’s birthday was celebrated with lots of fun and zest but her and her sisters’ birthday was not celebrated. She found a way to solve this inequality. She observed that every year when she performed well in her school’s annual exams, she was loved and respected by everyone. So, she started to celebrate her success every year and started to believe that the day of result is her birthday which everyone is celebrating and making her feel special. This approach of hers paved the foundation of life she was going to pursue and standing first in the class became her habit.

She challenged the norm: Pooja is the only girl in the family who has studied beyond intermediate, and all her sisters were married off by the age of 18-19 only. Her father works as a peon and the family income is meagre at best. She studied in the schools run by the MCD and completed her intermediate with flying colours. She worked very hard and cleared a seat in Dentistry for the prestigious Maulana Azad Institute of Medical Sciences of Delhi. She knew that she had the potential to clear the seat for MBBS as well but driven by the need to pursue education at the earliest, she put her heart and soul in the course and stood first in all the four years of the course. 

She dared to dream: When Pooja was growing up, she read about the civil services exam and how this exam can be a tool of social mobility that she wanted for herself and her family. However, her father and mother had no idea what civil services exam is and how to prepare for that. After completing her course in dentistry, when she revealed her desire to take the civil services exam then the family was not supportive. She was expected to take up work as a dentist and start contributing financially towards the family. This was a very tough situation, but she is no stranger to troubles. She started to prepare for the exam in 2019 and everyone in her social group started to point at her that why she is not working and contributing to family income.

She overcame fear of failure: Pooja wanted to become a civil servant, but she had very little idea about how to prepare for the exam. She explored it further and she understood that this exam is tough and may require more than one attempt to clear which she may not afford to take. She qualified Rau’s IAS Scholarship program for Main Revision, Test Series and Mentorship Program and reached out to the mentor. Mr. Mangal Singh, who is a Senior faculty, was there to guide her. The first question that she had was, “Can this exam be cleared in one attempt?” Mr. Singh helped her by assuring that she can do it and connected her to Ms. Divya Mishra (AIR-28 in UPSC CSE-2020) for helping her in essay and with other subject matter experts in Rau’s ecosystem to help her in every single aspect of examination.

She wrote her destiny: Working harder than what she has ever done in the past and being systematic in her approach, she conquered all odds to become an IFS officer that she always wanted to become. This dream of becoming a civil servant is almost a decade old but it took her just one honest and sincere attempt to crack the UPSC exam in first attempt. She now feels most loved one in the family and her family is getting loads of attention and respect which they have not witnessed in the past. She shared that her father is a peon in an organization and has never met the company’s owner in last 38 years of his service. But when she achieved the top rank, the owner of the company called his father to congratulate him for the grand success of his daughter. He also promised that he will visit their house and felicitate the girl.

She has overcome all odds: There are many who want to prepare for the UPSC exam and become civil servants and they all face different kind of challenges. What we can learn from Pooja’s journey is that nothing is impossible if you put your heart and soul into it. One more thing that we would like to highlight that Pooja always surpassed the expectations by a big margin. On one occasion when she was given a task to write one essay, she wrote two. This shows the greatness of her effort. We are fortunate that she will be part of the Steel Frame of India and she will be part of policies and decision making which will make India more equal, more accommodative, and more respecting towards women. She is actually the face of confident women of new India, and she will soon be representing India at all the major international platforms. 

Source: Indian Express, 9/06/22

UPSC ethics simplified: From ‘babus’ to ‘civil servants’

 

The General Studies Paper IV, "Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude," is an essential component of the UPSC Mains Examination. The Indian Express UPSC Ethics Simplified series to help and enable aspirants in decoding, deconstructing, and analysing the "Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude" paper. UPSC Ethics Simplified will assist candidates in developing attitudes and approaches to solve matters relating to integrity and probity in public life, as well as evolving problem-solving perspectives on various issues and situations.

The term “babu” was frequently used derisively to refer to civil servants and other government officials, and the Indian bureaucracy was earlier labelled “babudom” due to its elitism and sense of entitlement. The recent episode of high-handedness of an IAS couple at Delhi’s Thyagraj Stadium once again brings up the question, “Is the steel frame of India rusting and losing its shine?”

Who are civil servants and what is their expected role?

In a modern democracy, a civil servant is an official in the service of the people and is recruited based on predetermined qualifications. Civil servants are bureaucrats who need to be familiar with the laws and regulations of the country and are expected to act in the best interests of the country and its citizens. They are responsible for managing the resources given to them by the government and making use of them efficiently and effectively. A sound parliamentary system of government requires civil servants to maintain their integrity, fearlessness, and independence. One of the most important functions of the civil service, as stated by the head of the Canadian Public Service, is to “speak truth to power.” The crisis of ethics and accountability in civil servants exposes many issues related to the structure of the code of conduct, constitutional protection, the politician-bureaucratic nexus, and their political victimisation. To address these issues and maintain integrity and discipline amongst civil servants, various reform committees such as the Santhanam Committee (1964), Hota Committee (2004), and the most recent Second Administrative Reform Committee Report (2005) have been formed.

Code of conduct for civil servants

In the 1930s, a collection of instructions containing “do’s and don’ts” was published under the title “Conduct Rules.” The All India Services Rules, 1955, separated the compendium into separate rules. The Santhanam Committee (1964) recommended significantly broadening such rules, which resulted in the 1964 version. These rules were later revised to incorporate additional behavioural norms.

According to the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, every member of the service shall maintain:
· Integrity and honesty;
· Political neutrality;
· Promoting of the principles of merit, fairness and impartiality in the discharge of duties;
· Accountability and transparency;
· Responsiveness to the public, particularly to the weaker section;
· Courtesy and good behaviour with the public.

Code of ethics vs code of conduct rules

In India, there is no code of ethics for civil servants, though such codes exist in other countries. We have a number of conduct rules that prohibit a variety of common activities. These conduct guidelines serve a purpose, but they are not a code of ethics. While the Conduct Rules contain some general norms such as “maintaining integrity and absolute devotion to duty” and not engaging in “conduct unbecoming of a government servant,” the code of conduct is generally aimed at cataloguing specific activities deemed undesirable for government servants. There has recently been a concern that more “generic norms” should be added to the list of acceptable conduct.

A draft “Public Service Bill” proposed by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions in 2007 seeks to establish a set of generic expectations of civil servants known as “values.” The following are the key “values” envisioned in the Bill:

· Allegiance to the various ideals enshrined in the preamble to the Constitution
· Apolitical functioning
· Good governance for the betterment of the people to be the primary goal of civil service
· Duty to act objectively and impartially
· Accountability and transparency in decision-making
· Maintenance of the highest ethical standards
· Merit to be the criteria in the selection of civil servants consistent, however, with the cultural, ethnic and other diversities of the nation
· Ensuring economy and avoidance of wastage in expenditure
· Provision of a healthy and congenial work environment
· Communication, consultation and cooperation in the performance of functions that is the participation of all levels of personnel in management.

The draft Bill also includes provisions for a public service code and a public service management code, which define more specific duties and responsibilities. Violations of the code would result in penalties similar to the current major and minor penalties imposed by the heads of institutions and organisations. A ‘Public Service Authority’ is also envisaged to oversee the implementation of the code and the values mentioned above, as well as to provide advice on the values and the code.

Written by Priya Kumari Shukla

Source: Indian Express, 31/05/22

UPSC 2016 results declared: Have realised my dream, says topper Nandini KR

Nandini KR of Karnataka’s Kolar who topped the Union Public Service Commission’s civil services examination for 2016, is a civil engineering graduate from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore.

Nandini KR of Karnataka’s Kolar who topped the Union Public Service Commission’s civil services examination for 2016, is a civil engineering graduate from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore.

“This is a very happy moment for me, I have realised my dream,” Nandini told news agency ANI.

In her last attempt, she had made the grade for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

“It is like a dream come true. I always wanted to be an IAS officer,” she told PTI from the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics in Faridabad, where she is undergoing probation.

“I put in a lot of effort. After getting selected in the IRS in 2014, I had taken the exam again in 2015 but could not crack it. I took the test again and topped it. It is a wonderful experience,” she said.Nandini is from the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. In the 2015, Delhi girl and scheduled castes category candidate Tina Dabi had topped the exam.

The government in a statement said Nandini had qualified with Kannada literature as her optional subject.

Nandini is currently undergoing training at the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics in Faridabad.

Anmol Sher Singh Bedi bagged the 2nd position and following him on the list are Gopalkrishna Ronanki, Saumya Pandey, Abhilash Mishra and Kothamasu Dinesh Kumar.

Kashmir’s Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat secured 10th position in the exam. In his last attempt he was selected for the Indian Forest Service.

“Words can hardly describe my feelings. I feel on top of the world today. I believed in this quote -- Try, try, try again. I have been trying from 2010,” Bhat told PTI.

This was his last chance to get into the civil services as he would have crossed the cut-off age of 32 years in November. Bhat, who is from Handwara in the Valley, completed his schooling and college from Srinagar before studying veterinary sciences in Jammu.

The UPSC has recommended a total of 1,099 candidates for appointment to civil services.

As many as 180 successful candidates will be appointed in the IAS, 45 in the IFS, 150 in the IPS and 834 in other central group A and B services.

Source: Hindustan Times, 1-06-2017

Expert panel mulls separate UPSC test for each service

Bharti Jain

New Delhi:





The expert committee set up by the government to review the scheme, syllabus and pattern of UPSC's civil services examination will examine if there is a case for prescribing different papers for selection to different participating services like IAS and IPS, and study the option of expediting selection process through IT solutions including an online examination.As per terms of reference of the panel headed by former IAS officer B S Baswan, it will suggest suitable changes to both the Civil Services (Prelims) exam and Civil Services (Mains) exam considering that different sets of skills are required for different services. The panel will also review the time-frame within which the examination is conducted and suggest changes to reduce the time taken for selection of candidates by utilizing information and communication technologies and revisiting procedures mandated by the examination rules.
“The purpose is to overhaul the entire examination scheme and suit the selection process to the skills required for each set of services,“ a senior officer of the department of personnel and training (DoPT) told TOI.
The panel will evaluate the effectiveness of the current examination scheme in selecting suitable candidates keeping in mind the need for inclusiveness in the selection process; fair mix of candidates from different disciplines; skill-sets required for a modern, effective and efficient civil service; and trainability of selected candidates, after reviewing recommendations of previous expert committees, and will submit its report in six months.
Source: Times of India, 29-09-2015