Anand Orikalapat from Valanchery in Malappuram district has secured the 33rd rank and came first among the candidates from Kerala in the Civil Services Examination (CSE), the results of which were announced on Tuesday.
Though he did not clear the preliminary round in his maiden attempt last year, he gave his everything in the second attempt. Having passed out from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2014 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, he did not sit for the campus placements and chose to begin his civil service preparations right away.
“By the time I was about to finish my engineering degree, I was sure that I would take a shot at the civil services. Initially, there was some apprehension from the parents as I was not appearing for the campus placements. But, after that, they have been a source of constant support all through these year-and-a-half I spent preparing for this,” Mr. Orikalapat told The Hindu . “I have opted for the Karnataka cadre. Compared to Kerala, which is a fairly developed State, there is a shortage of basic amenities in several other States. I thought of working in some regions like that where I could make a difference,” he said.
Civil service academy
Mr. Orikalapat and some of his other friends, who qualified, studied at the Kerala State Civil Service Academy, under the Centre for Continuing Education Kerala.
“Since the institute started in 2005, we have been having excellent results in all these past 11 years. This year, we have 24 candidates on the final rank list, from 72 who qualified for the interview,” said G.S.Gireesh Kumar, Director of the Centre for Continuing Education.
The others figuring on the rank list from the institute include Jeeva Maria Joy from Vanchiyoor, Thiruvananthapuram, who got the 147th rank, R.Viswanadh from Aluva, 181, Asif K.Yusuf from Edapally, Kochi, 215, Arun K.Vijayan from Thrissur, 264, I.V. Bhavya from Vembayam, Thiruvananthapuram, 296, and A.S. Sreya from Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram, 299.
The NSS Academy of Civil Service (NACS) in Kesavadasapuram, in a statement, said that eleven of its students got selected for the civil services.
