Phagwara’s Sidaq Singh, Jalandhar’ Arushi, Ludhiana’s Jaskaran Singh and Hohiarpur’s Larson Singla on Tuesday cracked UPSC exam by securing 157, 184, 240 and 936 AIR, respectively.
A total of 9,92,599 candidates had applied for the UPSC examination, of whom 5,83,213 actually appeared in the test. A total of 14,627 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (main) examination, which was held in September 2024. Of them, 2,845 candidates qualified for the personality test or interview, which was held between January 7 and April 17 this year. As many as 1,009 candidates — 725 men and 284 women — have been recommended by the UPSC for appointment to various services on the basis of Tuesday’s results.
Success came to Sidaq, a resident of Phagwara in Kapurthala district, in his sixth attempt. He said that he had reached the interview stage three times but missed making it to the final list. This time, however, he remained highly positive and focused throughout the process. He completed his schooling at St Joseph’s Convent School in Phagwara and went on to graduate from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Initially, he moved to Delhi for civil services coaching, but after the pandemic, he continued his preparations from home.
Highlighting a key issue, Sidaq pointed out the lack of awareness about civil services among Punjab’s youth and emphasised the importance of proper guidance to help them pursue such career paths.
Sharing insights into his study routine, Sidaq said that he studied for up to 12 hours a day in the final months leading to the exam. Arushi got coaching from the classes run by the district administration, said her family members.
Jaskaran Singh (25), a resident of Bhammadi village near Khanna constituency of Ludhiana district, had achieved rank 595 in his last attempt and was currently undergoing probation in Indian Revenue Service (IRS). However, driven by the desire to improve his rank, Jaskaran took the exam once again — and this time, he qualified for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Speaking to The Indian Express, Jaskaran said, “My father is an ASI in the Punjab Police, and my grandfather is an Army veteran. The men in uniform at home were enough to inspire me to appear for the civil services exam.”
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Jaskaran admitted that he was initially drawn towards the Indian Police Service (IPS). “But I’m more than happy now with my selection for IAS,” he said.
His mother, Amritpal Kaur, is a schoolteacher. Jaskaran completed his engineering in Production and Industrial Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, in 2021. He first appeared for the UPSC exam that same year but couldn’t clear the prelims.
“This time, I took a year’s leave to focus on self-study. I stayed in my village for most of the year and also took online coaching. After that, I joined the IRS probation period,” he said, adding that his hard work has paid off.
Larson Singla (32), currently serving as a tehsildar in Hoshiarpur district, hails from Patran town in Patiala district, Punjab. He cracked UPSC in his sixth attempt and secured AIR 936.
Larson said, “The credit goes to hard work and the constant support, motivation, and blessings of my parents , teachers and grandparents.” After completing Class 12, Larson pursued his BCom and MBA through distance education. “My mother was diagnosed with cancer, and my father met with an accident just after I completed my Class 12. Due to the family’s circumstances, I couldn’t attend regular college,” he said.
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Despite these challenges, Larson cleared PCS exam in 2015. Based on his ranking, he was appointed as an Excise and Taxation Officer in 2018. He later cleared PCS again the same year to improve his rank and has been serving as tehsildar since 2020.