Aditya Srivastava, a Lucknow native, clinched the prestigious civil services examination for 2023, with Animesh Pradhan and Donuru Ananya Reddy securing the second and third positions, respectively.
Srivastava pursued his education at the CMS Lucknow Aliganj branch before furthering his studies at IIT Kanpur. Subsequently, he landed a position at Goldman Sachs.
Despite having numerous opportunities to advance in the corporate world, Srivastava opted for a career in the civil services. In a recent YouTube video, he elucidated on why he decided to leave his lucrative career to become a public servant.
Two main reasons motivated Srivastava to stay in India. Firstly, he was inspired after learning about brain drain at school and felt compelled to contribute to India’s development. Secondly, he expressed a desire to care for his elderly parents.
Regarding his decision to forgo the job at Goldman Sachs, Srivastava revealed during the interview that despite the substantial salary of ₹2.5 lakhs per month, he felt a calling towards civil service. He stated, “Coming from the area that I come from, even the blessings are of the form that you become a collector, so there was some kind of knowledge about civil services I had from the beginning. But the final change where I took it seriously was during my job days. I had a volunteering experience where I realized that just going and feeding the children is not enough to have a meaningful impact on their lives. Thirdly, I would say that there is also an element of social prestige associated with it.”
