Katihar’s Shubham tops UPSC civil services exam

PATNA: Katihar’s Shubham Kumar has topped the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil services examination 2020, the results of which were declared on Friday.
Apart from Shubham, two more students from Bihar – Jamui’s Praveen Kumar and Samastipur’s Satyam Gandhi – have made it to the list of top 10 rank holders. While Praveen has secured seventh rank, Satyam has bagged tenth rank.
Shubham, who hails from Kumheri panchayat in Kadwa block, had cleared the UPSC exam last year as well and secured AIR 290.He is presently undergoing training in Pune.
Born to Devanand Singh, a cashier at Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank, and Punam Singh, a homemaker, Shubham had done engineering from Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay in 2018.
“Proper guidance is necessary to crack the UPSC exam. Some basic books can help students clear the exam. Motivation, self-study and analysis will make anyone successful in the exam. My sources were always limited, but I thoroughly read everything I came across. I always self-analyse myself and identify my weak points,” Shubham told reporters after the declaration of results.
He added, “It is not necessary for the UPSC candidates to go outside the state for preparations. They can do so even at their own place. The students can use internet to seek guidance. Last year, at least 40 students from Bihar had cleared the exam.”
Shubham had done his matriculation from Vidya Vihar in Purnia and Intermediate from Chimaniya Vidyalaya, Bokaro. His mother Punam said, “My son was a meritorious student since he was studying in Class I. Becoming an IAS officer was his goal.”
Head of civil engineering department at IIT-Bombay, Deepankar Choudhury, said Shubham was a good student, very focussed and humble. He graduated from IIT-Bombay’s BTech course in 2018 and bagged a CPI of 8.37 out of 10. After graduation, he started preparing for civil services exam.
Shubham’s father said, “My son did hard work and it is also the blessing of Lord Shiva that a poor man’s son has succeeded in life. We are getting congratulatory messages and good wishes from everywhere.”
Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad, who is also from Katihar, tweeted, “Hearty congratulations to Shubham for making Katihar and Bihar proud. Your success will become a source of inspiration for lakhs of students of Bihar. I wish you a bright future (sic).”
Nitish congratulates Shubham
Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday congratulated Katihar’s Shubham Kumar on topping the UPSC civil services (main) examination 2020. “After securing the top position in the 2020 civil services examination, Shubham Kumar, a native of Katihar district, has not only raised the prestige of Bihar but also made the whole country proud. His achievement will inspire other youths of Bihar to do more good things. I extend my congratulations and best wishes to Shubham,” Nitish said.