Students rise beyond glass ceiling, shine in UPSC results in record numbers

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Of the 20 successful candidates who made the cut included two women, 5 candidates from SC (Scheduled Caste) and one from ST (Scheduled Tribe) category. As per SPIPA officials, this is a record tally for the state and the institute that came up in 1962 armed with the objective of aiding youth from the state into the civil services. The year 2013 saw around 48 students appearing for Mains examinations with 16 clearing it.

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“SPIPA alumnus Anil Dhameliya who has secured 23rd rank hails from a Gadiyadhar Taluka in Bhavnagar and has completed his studies from Vyara in Tapi district, so clearing the civil services examinations is no longer an ‘urban centric phenomenon’. It is a myth that has been broken in the recent years and we are getting more students clearing UPSC coming hailing from different backgrounds. Another interesting trend to note was that rather than opt for Gujarati literature as an optional subject for Mains which is the norm, candidates took to subjects like public administration, sociology, history, geography and philosophy, accountancy while only 10 took up Gujarati literature as optional subject,” said Sanjay Amrani, IAS , Deputy Director General at SPIPA in Ahmedabad.

Many mid level professionals including a few from the medical profession like pharmacy, dentistry and BHMS (homeopathy) were also among successful candidates. “For training the candidates for their interviews we had faculty flown in from Delhi and even JNU(Jawaharlal University) to coach them, including eminent faculty like Purushottam Agrawal, a former member of the UPSC. With around 52,000 books in library, hostel facilities, a full time study center and flexible study timings,our efforts paid off with record number of students clearing the exams, while our future roadmap involves more faculty upgradation,” added Amrani.

29-year-old Anil Dhameliya, an BHMF(Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery) who made it Top 100 ranks in his fourth attempt since 2010 said, “I saw that the exam pattern had been changing every year, so I had to quit my homeopathy practice to focus on civil services exams. While I did not get desired rank in 2013, my previous attempts led me to believe that I will become an IAS officer. I also took classes at SPIPA and other IAS coaching centers since 2 years alongwith my studies.”