Karnataka strikes it rich in UPSC civil services exam

May 11, 2016

Bengaluru, May 11: Candidates from the state have struck it rich in the Union Public Service Commission civil services exams for 2015. Over 30 candidates from the state have made the cut into the list in the results announced on Tuesday.

UPSC
Darshan S?V, a candidate who has secured 48th rank, is the topper from Karnataka. R Srinivas Gowda, a native of Channarayapatna in Hassan district, has secured 105th rank in the UPSC exam.

“The only way to crack the exam is to prepare consistently” said Gowda, who closed down his event management firm to prepare for the UPSC exam. “In 2013, I made my first attempt, but failed in the preliminary round. In 2014, I was called for the interview, but missed the list by 19 marks. I am happy that I cracked the exams this time,” he said.

Mithu Kumar G K, a 28-year-old techie from Tumakuru, gave up a high-paying job in 2012 and began his preparation for IAS exams. His preparations have paid off big time. The former employee of TCS has secured 130th rank in the civil services.

“I am an engineering graduate and used to work for TCS. I quit the job in 2012 and began preparing for the civil services examination,” he said.

Another topper from Tumakuru, Keerthishree S, who scored 380th rank in the exam, said she was inspired by a friend to take up the exam while pursuing postgraduation in Urban Planning from IIT, Kharagpur.

“I prepared for four years. I took coaching at various centres in Delhi, Bengaluru and Tumakuru,” Keerthishree, an engineering graduate in Architecture, said, adding that she would make another attempt hoping to get a better rank.

Coming from an agriculture background, Harikrishna initially thought that he would be able to prepare for the examinations with his job in hand. It was in 2011 that he gave up his full-time job as a junior research fellow in Nimhans. “Then, I also worked part-time for a while and prepared for the exams,” said Harikrishna who secured 408th rank.

It was a dream come true for Srikanth H S, who has secured 56th rank in second attempt. He had worked with a central aerospace organisation. A native of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Alankrita Pandey, an engineer by profession, working in Bengaluru, has secured 85th rank.

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News Network
December 20,2025

train.jpg

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services. 

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi). 

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•    0361-2731621
•    0361-2731622
•    0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30. 

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks. 

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested. 

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