RCA, JMI hosts felicitation ceremony to honour its successful UPSC Civil Services, Forest Services, and State Service Examinations Candidates
Nai Dilli : The Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organized an impressive and grand felicitation ceremony to honor the 32 successful candidates who cleared the UPSC Civil Services, 07 Forest Services, and 06 State and other Central Service Examinations on June 21, 2025, at the Conference Hall of FTK-CIT, JMI.
The program was presided over by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, JMI Prof. Mazhar Asif. The other notable dignitaries on the dais were the Registrar, JMI, Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi; the Chief Guest on the occasion, Shri Madhup Kumar Tiwari, IPS (Spl. Commissioner of Police, Law & Order – Delhi); Special Guest, Shri Sagar Preet Hooda, IPS (Spl. Commissioner of Police, Intelligence – Delhi); and the Professor In-charge, RCA, Prof. Samina Bano.
Prof. Bano outlined a brief history of the RCA since it was established by the UGC in 2010 under the aegis of the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning (CC&CP), JMI, to provide free coaching and residential facilities to the students of SC, ST, women, and minorities for civil services and other competitive examinations. She thanked the patron, the Vice Chancellor, and the Registrar, JMI for their continuous support and guidance, which played a big role in this year’s success.
Worth noting that 32 candidates from RCA have been selected in UPSC’s Civil Services Exam 2024 out of 78 students who appeared in the interview. 12 out of 32 selected candidates are women. Alfred Thomas, ranked at 33, is a topper from Kerala while Adiba Anam Ashfaque Ahemad ranked at 142, is set to become an IAS from Maharashtra. From the 07 out of 15 selected in the Indian Forest Services, Anusha Rizvi, a female candidate from RCA, scored 22 All India rank in the Indian Forest Services.
The panelists, former civil servants who had helped the candidates with mock interviews, were also thanked by the dignitaries and the chief guest for the tremendous role that they played in mentoring the candidates and in their grand success.
The Chief Guest, Shri Madhup Kumar Tiwari, IPS (Spl. Commissioner of Police, Law & Order – Delhi), in his address commended the persistence and hard work of the selected candidates, given that the Civil Services Examination was getting more difficult each year. Sharing the practical experiences from the field, he reminded the selected candidates about their role and responsibilities in their public offices. He reflected on how the life of a civil servant is very challenging and emphasized the need to be empathetic towards the needs of the public.
The Special Guest, Shri Sagar Preet Hooda, IPS (Spl. Commissioner of Police, Intelligence – Delhi) lauded RCA, JMI on its remarkable success in producing civil servants over the years and praised it for becoming a coveted and well-sought-after academy for civil services exam preparation. In order to be a competent civil servant, Shri Hooda cautioned the successful candidates against falling prey to corruption in any way and underlined the need for perseverance, dedication, and commitment to public service. Stating that “integrity is non-negotiable,” he advised the candidates to embrace the power of empathy by listening to the public. He urged the future officers to be adaptable to new developments and resilient to difficulties and praised the Vice-Chancellor of JMI for his humility, dedication to achieving academic excellence, and efforts to make RCA the success story that it is today.
Registrar, JMI, Prof Rizvi after congratulating the successful candidates, emphasized the importance of continuous hard work. He informed the audience about the visits made by him and the Hon’ble VC to the RCA to ensure that not only was the teaching in order but that the physical facilities like the library, the hostels, and the mess were also in place. He also threw light on their efforts, including recent visits to different ministries of the Central Government to procure funds for setting up a fully air-conditioned library and a separate hostel for girls.
In the presidential address, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Asif extended his gratitude to the experts and panelists who trained the candidates at the university’s RCA and played a significant role in producing such outstanding results. Prof. Asif appreciated the efforts made by Professor Bano and congratulated all the candidates who had cleared this year’s exam and expressed hope that JMI will surpass its own previous records and see even more successful results next year. He urged the successful applicants to coach, mentor, and train the future aspirants enrolled at RCA so as to give back to the institution that has been instrumental in their success. This, Prof. Asif said, is the most valuable and effective way by which they could support RCA and JMI.
Both the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and the Registrar, JMI, offered encouragement to students who narrowly missed the final selection, acknowledging their tireless efforts and pledging comprehensive support to help them achieve better results in the upcoming examination cycle.
Following their felicitation, a few selected candidates addressed the gathering and spoke about their experiences, difficulties faced, and how RCA contributed to their final success in what they described as a very tough and challenging journey. The successful candidates expressed their gratitude towards RCA, Prof. Asif, and Prof. Rizvi for ensuring an optimal academic environment, reading rooms, hostels, and the right infrastructure that helped them realize their full potential and turn their dreams into reality.
The function ended with a vote of thanks by Mr. Muddasir Azmi, the Assistant Coordinator, RCA, followed by a group photograph.
