Bhubaneswar: Bubun Sahoo of Keonjhar has topped the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Examination-2024, with four women ranking in the top-10. The 30-year-old, son of a farmer, studied geology at Ravenshaw University before pursuing an MSc from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. This was his second attempt at the OCS exam.
"In my first attempt at OCS-2023, I was selected for the Odisha Police Service (OPS). I was undergoing training for the DSP rank when this result was announced," said Sahoo after the results were declared by the Odisha Public Service Commission on Tuesday.
After completing his MSc, he worked as a geologist at ONGC while simultaneously preparing for the OCS exam. "I prepared for nearly 2.5 years before appearing for the OCS for the first time. After joining ONGC, I used to study for four hours daily and extended it to seven hours on weekends," he said. Sahoo, who prepared on his own using study materials and online tutorials, credited his success to consistency and perseverance.
Improved Representation of Women
The OCS-2024 results also saw improved representation of women candidates. While last year only one woman secured a rank in the top-10, this time four women — Sovna Mohanty (rank 2), Kanak Jain (4th), Sheetal Patra (9th), and Itishree Jena (10th) — made the list. The top-10 also includes Jitamitra Sahu (3rd), Sangram Pradhan (5th), Aman Goyal (6th), Santanu Kumar Satpathy (7th), and Nitesh Kumar Barik (8th).
According to OPSC reports, close to 30,000 aspirants appeared for the OCS Prelims for 200 posts on October 12 last year. Of them, 2,405 qualified and appeared for the Mains this year.
Chief Minister Congratulates Rank Holders
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated all the rank holders. "Administrative service is not merely a position, but rather a sacred vow of public service. Let it be your primary resolve to embrace it as such, to build a transparent, accountable, and people-centric administrative system, and to serve as representatives of the government in ensuring that every welfare scheme reaches the beneficiaries in the farthest corners of society with success," he wrote on X.
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About the Author
Diana Sahu is an Assistant Editor with the Times of India. With a professional career spanning nearly two decades, she has been writing extensively on education, livelihood, child rights, gender, heritage and culture, tourism, and disability rights. She is also known for her data-driven investigative reports and compelling human interest stories. Her in-depth story on 'Women in Higher Education' won her the Best Feature Award at the Laadli Media Awards and a Laadli National Fellowship on 'Gender and Disability'. She also received the WNCB Fellowship on Child Rights. Apart from her core reporting interests, she loves documenting the many aspects of Odisha's culture and heritage. She tweets at @DiannaSahu.
