17 from J&K crack UPSC, leaders hail success

A visually impaired serving officer of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, also an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) hailing from Bandipora along with a Kashmiri pandit girl from Shopian, a serving officer from the Lamberi area of Nowshera, and the son of a labourer from the South Kashmir district of Pulwama, Friday figured in the long list of successful candidates from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir who cracked the prestigious Civil Services Examination 2025.

A total of seventeen candidates, including three female candidates, mostly from remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir, made it to the final list. However, the journey of a visually impaired candidate, Irfan Ahmad Lone of Manzpora in Naidkhai area of Bandipora, is remarkable and stands out as one of the most inspiring case studies.

Since yesterday, their homes have been flooded by family friends, local leaders, close relatives and others who wanted to join the momentous occasion.

Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also congratulated all the successful candidates.

Omar said their accomplishment reflects dedication and perseverance and will inspire countless young aspirants across the region to pursue their dreams with determination and commitment.

Acknowledging the same, former Minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar on Saturday congratulated Irfan Ahmad Lone for successfully clearing the UPSC exam. In a statement, Akhtar said that Irfan Ahmad Lone’s remarkable achievement has brought immense pride and recognition to the entire Bandipora district.

“I feel proud as I belong to Bandipora district, and it is always a moment of great happiness when someone from my district cracks such a prestigious examination at the national level,” he said.

Akhtar said he has known Irfan personally and closely, describing his journey as one of extraordinary resilience. “I have known Irfan intimately. He comes from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background and has battled immense odds to achieve what he has today,” he said.

Highlighting Irfan’s earlier accomplishments, Akhtar said that before clearing the civil services examination, Irfan had also cracked the competitive examination for a senior officer’s position in Life Insurance Corporation of India and is currently serving there.

He further noted that Irfan completed his graduation from the University of Delhi and later pursued his master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, demonstrating consistent academic excellence despite his visual impairment.

The highest-ranking candidate, Suvan Sharma, cracked the exam by securing AIR 148. An alumnus of Government College of Engineering and Technology, Jammu, Suvan, presently serving in the IRMS cadre, had also cracked the JK Public Service Commission exam. Suvan, son of Dr TR Raina, ex-HoD Blood Bank GMC Jammu and Nirmal Sharma (Retd- IAS), is set to get married to an IAS officer of the Telangana cadre next week.

Sugandha Gupta, daughter of a serving bureaucrat, Virender Gupta, cracked the exam in her first attempt, securing (AIR-207).