Junaid Ahmad of Uttar Pradesh secured the third rank in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, results of which were declared on Friday. A resident of Nagina, Bijnor, Junaid said hard work and perseverance ultimately paid off.
Overwhelmed by his success, Junaid said, “More than achievement, it is a responsibility, which I have to fulfil. I hope to do it with utmost integrity.”
“It took me five long years to come this far. I appeared in the UPSC exam for the first time in 2014 and this year it was my fifth attempt. Last year I cracked the exam with rank 352 and made it as revenue officer. I decided to go for one more attempt to become an IAS officer. The previous experiences helped me a lot,” said this 27-year-old.
“To be a third rank holder means a lot for any candidate. I was unable to digest my good luck. It is still sinking in,” said Junaid who is presently undergoing training in Faridabad as custom officer.
According to Junaid, his family wanted him to become a civil servant. “I seriously thought about it during my graduation days. After finishing graduation, I concentrated on UPSC exam. The initial year of failure did not deter me. The aim was clear and I kept on trying,” he said.
His father, Javed Husain is a lawyer and mother Aisha Raza is a homemaker. His younger brother is in Class 12. Junaid has interest in cricket and reading books is his passion.
A total of 10,468 candidates had qualified for the UPSC main examination, which was held from September 28, 2018. The personality test or interview commenced from February 4, 2019 for which 1994 candidates had qualified.
A total of 759 candidates (577 men and 182 women) have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various services like IAS, IPS, IFS etc.
First Published: Apr 06, 2019 00:18 IST
