Bold claim: UPSC success isn’t luck—it’s a disciplined, hardly-glamorous grind that reshapes lives. And this is where it gets controversial: many aspiring officers still underestimate the daily, methodical work required to turn a dream into a rank that truly changes a career. Here’s a refreshed, beginner-friendly rewrite of the key details from the original report, expanded with clearer context and accessible explanations.
UPSC CSE 2024: AIR 1 Shakti Dubey Secures UP Cadre; IAS Allocation List Released by the Ministry
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions has published the cadre allocation list for candidates who selected the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) during the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 cycle. The top-scoring candidate, Shakti Dubey, has been allocated her home state, Uttar Pradesh, as her cadre. The second-ranked candidate, Harshita Goyal from Haryana, has Gujarat as her assigned cadre.
Top 20 UPSC CSE 2024 rankers and their allocated cadres are listed below, with the home state and whether the cadre is an insider (in the same state) or outsider (outside the home state).
- Shakti Dubey, Rank 1, General, Home State: Uttar Pradesh, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Insider
- Harshita Goyal, Rank 2, General, Home State: Haryana, Cadre: Gujarat, Outsider
- Archit Parag Dongre, Rank 3, General, Home State: Maharashtra, Cadre: Karnataka, Outsider
- Margi Chirag Shah, Rank 4, General, Home State: Gujarat, Cadre: Gujarat, Insider
- Aakash Garg, Rank 5, General, Home State: Delhi (AGMUT), Cadre: I (All-India/Extraterritorial grouping), Insider
- Komal Punia, Rank 6, General, Home State: Uttarakhand, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Outsider
- Aayuushi Bansal, Rank 7, General, Home State: Madhya Pradesh, Cadre: Madhya Pradesh, Insider
- Raj Krishna Jha, Rank 8, General, Home State: Bihar, Cadre: Bihar, Insider
- Aditya Vikram Agarwal, Rank 9, General, Home State: Haryana, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Outsider
- Mayank Tripathi, Rank 10, General, Home State: Uttar Pradesh, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Insider
- Ettaboyina Sai Shivani, Rank 11, OBC (GM), Home State: Telangana, Cadre: Telangana, Insider
- Ashi Sharma, Rank 12, General, Home State: Uttar Pradesh, Cadre: Madhya Pradesh, Outsider
- Hemant, Rank 13, General, Home State: Bihar, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Outsider
- Abhishek Vashishtha, Rank 14, General, Home State: Delhi, Cadre: AGMUT, Insider
- Banna Venkatesh, Rank 15, OBC (GM), Home State: Andhra Pradesh, Cadre: Andhra Pradesh, Insider
- Madhav Agarwal, Rank 16, General, Home State: Maharashtra, Cadre: Madhya Pradesh, Outsider
- Sanskriti Trivedy, Rank 17, General, Home State: Bihar, Cadre: Uttar Pradesh, Outsider
- Saumya Mishra, Rank 18, General, Home State: Uttar Pradesh, Cadre: Madhya Pradesh, Outsider
- Vibhor Bhardwaj, Rank 19, General, Home State: Uttar Pradesh, Cadre: Rajasthan, Outsider
- Trilok Singh, Rank 20, General, Home State: Rajasthan, Cadre: Gujarat, Outsider
Overview of UPSC CSE 2024 results and significance
The Union Public Service Commission announced the final results for the Civil Services Examination 2024 on April 22. The UPSC CSE is widely regarded as one of the country’s most competitive exams, drawing hundreds of thousands of aspirants each year. The examination serves as a gateway to prestigious central services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Revenue Service, Indian Trade Service, and other Group A and B services.
In the 2024 cycle, three of the top five rankers are women—Dubey at Rank 1, Harshita Goyal at Rank 2, and Shah Margi Chirag at Rank 4. The third top-five finisher is Archit Parag Dongre at Rank 3, followed by Akash Garg at Rank 5. Among the top 25, there are 14 men and 11 women. Of the 1,009 candidates recommended by UPSC for various services, 725 are men and 284 are women.
AIR 1 Shakti Dubey: the UPSC journey that defined perseverance
Dubey hails from Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh and began her UPSC journey in 2018. A biochemistry graduate from Banaras Hindu University, she originally aspired to study medicine. She explains, “I was a PCB student in school, but I was allotted a dental seat based on my rank, so I chose to pursue a BSc instead.”
Her path was far from easy, with five previous attempts. She recalls, “In my first three attempts, I didn’t clear the prelims. In the fourth attempt, I reached the interview but couldn’t clear it. Last year, I missed the cutoff by just 12 marks.” Those moments were emotionally challenging, at one point making her doubt whether to continue. Yet she persevered.
Dubey’s approach to studying became a carefully planned routine. She created a chart, treated each day as a small, manageable step, and committed to 8–10 hours of study per day, with deliberate breaks to maintain balance. She explains, “That disciplined cadence is what carried me through the long journey.”
AIR 2 Harshita Goyal: a resilient rebound
Harshita Goyal, aged 24, secured All-India Rank 2 in the UPSC CSE. She describes the result as almost unbelievable. A commerce graduate from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and a Chartered Accountant (CA) by training, Goyal faced UPSC challenges across multiple attempts, including two earlier failures to clear prelims. This time, she succeeded in both the mains and the interview on her third attempt.
Her reaction was a mix of disbelief and relief, tempered by gratitude. Goyal told The Indian Express that she believed success was possible, even amid uncertainty in the results, and that making her family proud—especially her mother, who passed away a decade ago—made the achievement even more meaningful.
Why these stories matter for aspiring civil servants
- The path to top ranks often involves repeated attempts and sustained motivation. Persistence, structured study strategies, and daily accountability can transform setbacks into eventual breakthroughs.
- Cadre allocations matter because they shape the early experiences and postings for officers. While some candidates receive an insider cadre (same state as their home), many are assigned outsider cadres, which can influence initial postings and regional exposure.
- The UPSC journey blends academic rigor with personal resilience. Individuals with diverse educational backgrounds—science, commerce, humanities—can succeed with a tailored preparation plan, consistent effort, and robust support networks.
Controversial note and audience invitation
Some observers argue that the cadre system creates regional biases or limits early career mobility, while others contend it helps distribute talent across states. What’s your view on cadre allocation? Does it promote regional representation, or should officers have more flexibility to choose assignments beyond their home states? Share your thoughts in the comments: do you think the current system strikes the right balance between local roots and national service, or should reforms tilt toward different allocation criteria?
