Pune's Archit Parag Dongre Secures AIR 3 In UPSC CSE 2024, Tops From Maharashtra

Archit Parag Dongre from Pune has secured All India Rank (AIR) 3 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024, making him the highest-ranked candidate from Maharashtra this year. Dongre, who had previously cleared the CSE in 2023 with AIR 153, has done his schooling from Mumbai, before moving back to Pune for his junior college education.

The final results, declared on Tuesday, revealed that Shakti Dubey from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh has topped the examination, followed by Harshita Goyal from Haryana at AIR 2 and Dongre at AIR 3. The UPSC has recommended a total of 1,009 candidates for appointments to various central civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Group A and B services. 

Among the top ten candidates, four are women and six are men. This year, 1,129 vacancies were reported by the Centre, including 50 reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities. Of the selected candidates, 335 belong to the General category, 109 to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), 318 to Other Backward Classes (OBC), 160 to Scheduled Castes (SC), and 87 to Scheduled Tribes (ST). The candidature of 241 candidates remains provisional, while one result has been withheld.

The 2024 examination cycle comprised the written examination held in September 2024, followed by personality tests and interviews conducted between January and April 2025. Successful candidates will now undergo training at designated academies, such as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie for IAS officers, and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad for IPS probationers.

Dongre, an engineering graduate from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, holds a B.Tech degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He opted for Philosophy as his optional subject—a less common but increasingly favoured choice among recent toppers. After working in the information technology sector for a year, Dongre made the decisive move to quit his job and prepare full-time for the civil services exam.