BSF officer to an IAS: Inspiring story of a 27-year-old
What's the story
Famous American author Oliver Napoleon Hill once said, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." 27-year-old Harpreet Singh has proved it. After attempting it five times, he could finally clear the prestigious Civil Services Examination (CSE) with AIR 19, qualifying for IAS. Interestingly, when he had started his preparations for the exam, Harpreet was already serving the BSF.
Beginning
Harpreet joined BSF in 2016 as an Assistant Commandant
In a conversation with ANI, Harpreet said, "In 2016, I joined the BSF as an Assistant Commandant through the UPSC. After joining the force, I was posted at the India-Bangladesh border." While he was still in BSF, he took out time from his hectic work schedule to prepare for the rigorous and tough CSE, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Preparations
Utilized all my time for studying my notes, says Harpreet
"I utilized my time for studying my notes. Since I had a clear target in mind, nothing deterred me," Harpreet said. In his initial attempts, he could either only clear the prelims or go till the interview round. So he again took the exam in 2017 while serving BSF. "I was placed at 454th rank and selected to the Indian Trade Service," he said.
Training
His next stop: Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
"I left BSF and joined the Indian Trade Service. Again in 2018, I sat for the Civil Services and got 19th rank," he said, who had Public Administration as his optional subject. He will soon leave for the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie (Uttarakhand). LBSNAA is a premier training institution for the civil services in India.
About
Keep trying, Harpreet's suggestion to all the civil services aspirants
Harpreet, who hails from Ludhiana, Punjab, has a BE degree in Electronics. While his mother is a teacher, his father is a businessman. He also has a younger sister. When asked about his suggestion to all the civil services aspirants out there, he said that one should not stop chasing his/her dream no matter what the situations are.