The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declared the Civil Services Examination result on April 17, 2024.
The Maharashtra topper of this year is Sameer Prakash Khode, who secured AIR 42, as said in the statement released by the government of Maharashtra. He is followed by Neha Uddhav Singh Rajput with AIR 51 and Aniket Dnyaneshwar Hirde with AIR 81.
Even though Maharashtra did not secure a position in the top ten rank holders, more than 87 candidates from the state have been successful.
Khode while speaking to FPJ credited his success to his younger brother and IAS friend, Shubham Bhaisare who guided him throughout his journey.
IPS Officer Aniket Dnyaneshwar Hirde who achieved AIR 81 told FPJ, “My parents are my motivation, they work in the state government and I always wanted to get into this field.” Hirde has done his graduation from IIT Bombay. He is from Tikuji Ni Wadi in Thane city.
Talking about his preparation, Hirde said that he tried to limit his resources and revise as religiously as he can. “The whole interview was more discussion oriented and opinion based. It was very good,” he said.
Smit Patel, who secured AIR 256 said, “I will still be giving the exam next year again but it is still a good feeling to clear the exams.” Explaining his background Patel said, “I come from a farming background. However,I wanted to do something for society and have some authoritative power to bring change.” Patel also said that this was his first interview and he really enjoyed it. “I prepared for my interview in Delhi and understood my weaknesses better and worked on it and then gave it a shot,” Patel added.
Vrushali Balpande, AIR 546 from Nashik said, “I graduated in 2020 from St.Xavier’s College and have been preparing for UPSC ever since.” Talking about why she cleared the exams in third attempt, she said, “I think in my first two attempts, I was very under confident and did not truly understand the depth of the exam. However, this year I understood the exam structure and prepared for the exams in Delhi.”
Apoorv Balpande, AIR 546 said that this was his fifth attempt, “My mains paper went really well. I added examples also in my copy, which I think gave it an edge as well.” He also further said, “my family stood by me throughout this journey of five years. There was happiness and relief on their faces today after seeing me finally fulfilling my dream.”
“My father is a superintendent in the police but is retired now. He is my inspiration because he stood by me and did not let my dream die,” said Suraj Nikam from Nashik, Maharashtra who cleared the exams with AIR 706. Nikam achieved this success without taking any coaching either. He said, “The journey was hard, it took me some time to understand and rectify my mistake but I eventually got there in my fifth attempt.”
