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Civil Services Examinations: Ludhiana’s Umesh Goyal bags AIR 388
Ludhiana’s Umesh Goyal, 32, who is currently posted as a block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) in Jalandhar, bagged all India rank (AIR) of 388 in the Civil Services Exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), results of which were released on Monday
Jagraon-based Umesh Goyal, 32, who is currently posted as a block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) in Jalandhar, bagged all India rank (AIR) of 388 in the Civil Services Exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), results of which were released on Monday.
The Civil Services Examination is conducted annually in three stages – preliminary, main and interview – to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
It was Umesh’s sixth and final attempt at the exam under the economically weaker section (EWS) category. Goyal said his aim is to work for the rights of the financially-backward sections of the state. “Since I am already posted as a BDPO with the Punjab government, I meet many poor people who are not aware of their rights. I always wanted to work for them if I became an IAS officer,” he said.
Goyal’s journey, however, was not without its challenges. He lost his father when he was just six years old. His mother is a retired private school teacher and younger brother is a patwari (revenue official) in Ludhiana.
“My mother faced all odds and raised us well. I am also grateful to my younger brother, who supported me in every possible manner. He even paid my medical bills and accompanied me each time I appeared for the UPSC exams,” Umesh said.
Talking about his past failures, Goyal said that he was disappointed after he reached the interview round twice earlier, but couldn’t get through. But, he did not lose hope.
He had completed his masters in electronics engineering from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) in Chandigarh in 2013. Talking about his shift from engineering to civil services, he said, “Since there was no guidance, I thought engineering was the best stream for me. Fortunately, while pursuing masters in PEC, I met two students who were also preparing for civil services and they were both able to crack the exam. I also got motivated and started my preparations in 2014 and finally succeeded after eight years. I used to study for around 13 hours a day”.
Goyal, who cracked the PCS exam in 2020, has filled in Punjab as his preferred place of posting. He credited his success to his teachers, family and friends who, according to him, never let him give up or lose hope.
His Punjabi literature IAS optional teacher Sarabjit Singh, said, “Despite being a PCS officer, Umesh was a very humble student. He is intelligent and laborious too. He had a clear goal and worked hard for it till his last attempt.”
AIR 582 Navkiran Kaur wants to serve women and kids
Navkiran Kaur, 27, from Ludhiana’s SBS Nagar area, secured AIR of 582. She had cleared her PCS exam last year and is currently undertaking sub-divisional magistrate training in Chandigarh.
She cleared the exam in her second attempt and wants to serve women and children in the country.
“They can post me anywhere in India because it was my dream to clear Civil Services exam. I am happy that I made my family proud,” said Kaur.
Navkiran had completed her graduation from Delhi University and post graduation from JNU.
Her father is a zonal manager with Central Bank of India in Bhopal, while her mother is a lecturer at a government school in Dakha. “I studied for at least 8-9 hours daily. Nothing is impossible in life, but one needs to stay focused,” she added.
