Integrity, industry & intelligence: Chief Secy shares success mantra with UPSC toppers

Kolkata: At a felicitation ceremony hosted by the Satyendra Nath Tagore Civil Services Study Centre (SNTCSSC) on Friday, Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant urged the next generation of bureaucrats to uphold the values of integrity, industry and intelligence, the “Three I’s” vital for every civil servant to carry throughout life.

Addressing the event as the chief guest, Pant emphasised that of the three, integrity remains paramount. “One of our mentors in Mussoorie used to say there are three I’s every civil servant must always remember in life. Among them, integrity is the most important — integrity of purpose, honesty of purpose and dedication towards life and the service,” he said.

Ten candidates from Bengal who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024 were felicitated at the event. Among them, five were from SNTCSSC — Meghna Chakravorty (AIR 79), Sahars Kumar (AIR 153), Paramita Malakar (AIR 477), Rajdeep Ghosh (AIR 789) and Praveen Kumar (AIR 837). The other qualifiers were Urmi Sinha (AIR 170), Yash Kumar (AIR 227), Prativa Lama (AIR 461), Zojila Dolkar Bhutia (AIR 765) and Rishita Das (AIR 840). Seven are expected to join the IAS or IPS, and one the IFS. Reflecting on his student days, Pant shared a Sanskrit verse that outlines five key qualities of a good student — persistence like a crow, concentration like a heron, sleep like a dog, eating sparingly and detachment from home. He urged aspirants to internalise these timeless principles to overcome life’s hurdles.

SNTCSSC chairman Surajit Kar Purkayastha pointed to the need for higher participation from Bengal. “Nearly 8,000 aspirants from Bengal sit for the UPSC exam out of six lakh nationwide. Ten have qualified this year. Based on our population, at least 50,000 to 60,000 should appear. If 8,000 can get us 10 selections, imagine the result with 60,000,” he said.

Calling for the development of a supportive ecosystem across the state, Purkayastha stressed that the issue isn’t a lack of merit but a lack of confidence. “There should be efforts to develop confidence,” he opined. SNTCSSC academic consultant Jyotirmoy Pal Chaudhuri reminded the toppers of their primary duty. “The Constitution talks about ‘We, the People of India’. You are supposed to serve the people,” he said. Of 54 SNTCSSC students who cleared prelims, 17 reached the interview stage and five made the final list.

“It’s a difficult journey, but not impossible,” Pant concluded. “There is no shortcut to success — only hard work, hard work and hard work. But that hard work must be guided by honesty and honesty of purpose.” Other dignitaries present included Anil Verma, director general of the Netaji Subhash Administrative Training Institute; Jitin Yadav, course director of SNTCSSC; Dhrubajyoti De, additional commissioner of police (Special Branch), Kolkata; and Education secretary Binod Kumar.