Realizing His Dream, UPSC Topper Explains His Plans to Become an IAS Officer

Lucknow native Aditya Srivastava has won first place in the Union Public Service Commission’s 2023 Civil Services Exam (UPSC). The 26-year-old gave up his corporate career and spent more than three years studying for India’s most difficult exam in order to fulfill his dream of working for the government. Despite being first chosen for the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 2022, Mr. Srivastava persisted and became the highest ranked candidate in the most current UPSC ranking.

“In the initial years, I would like to implement schemes for the people,” Mr. Srivastava said in an interview with NDTV, “and later, when I can make policies, I aim to focus on health and education, especially for children.”

Mr. Srivastava is an electrical engineering graduate of IIT Kanpur. Colleagues at the IPS academy congratulated him on his accomplishment and shared a video of the event on Instagram.

Mr. Srivastava reflected on his excitement upon seeing his name was at the top of the UPSC list, saying, “It took a bit of time to sink in, but when it did, I was ecstatic.”

In his advise to aspiring aspirants, he stressed the value of self-motivation, consistency, and adherence to a clear plan. Mr. Srivastava started his career in 2019 at Goldman Sachs in Bengaluru. However, he left the company to focus solely on preparing for the UPSC because of his love for the civil services.

Given that his mother is a homemaker and his father works as an audit officer in the Central Audit Department, Mr. Srivastava’s outstanding accomplishment is evidence of his commitment and tenacity.