"Was not expecting first rank but...": UPSC 2023 topper Aditya Srivastava

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 17 (ANI): Aditya Srivastava, who secured the first position in the Civil Services Examination, said on Wednesday that it was a bit difficult, and he was not expecting Rank 1 but praying to God to get into the top 70.
Srivastava told ANI that consistent hard work and smart work are the key to achieving whatever you want.
"It was a bit difficult to sink in but after that I was ecstatic. I was not expecting Rank 1, I was praying to God to get into the top 70, so that I can get into Indian Administrative Services. It was difficult because you consistently have to acknowledge your mistakes and then try to rectify them despite not knowing how to. But with the help of my mentors and seniors, I was able to achieve that," he said.
Aditya Srivastava believes the key to success in the civil service exam is to be constitent with the preparation.
"I would just say that being consistent and hard work along with smart work is the key to doing whatever you want to achieve and the same holds well for this field as well," he said.
Earlier, family members of Aditya were overjoyed with his performance and expressed their happiness.
Aabha Srivastava, mother of Aditya, said, "We are very happy. It is all because of the blessings of the people and God and because of his hard work. His father also encouraged him the most to qualify for the exam."
Shivram Srivastava, grandfather of Aditya, said that his grandson was always a topper.
"We are very happy and proud. He was always a topper," he said.
Aditya Srivastava's father, Ajay, said, "I had no idea that he would get the number one rank in the country."
Meanwhile, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on April 16 declared the results for the Civil Services Exam 2023.
Animesh Pradhan and Donuru Ananya Reddy secured the second and third ranks, respectively.
A total of 1,016 candidates cleared the examination and have been recommended for different central government services, the UPSC said.
The Civil Services Exam is conducted annually in three stages--preliminary, main and interview--by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. (ANI)