The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year to recruit candidates for some of India’s most prestigious government services, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Foreign Service.
The UPSC CSE 2025 cycle drew thousands of aspirants from across India competing for top administrative roles in the government.
The examination is conducted in three stages Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and the Personality Test (Interview). Candidates must clear each stage to progress further in the selection process. The preliminary exam serves as a screening test, while the mains examination assesses candidates through multiple descriptive papers on subjects such as governance, economy, ethics, and optional disciplines. Candidates who qualify in the mains are then called for the personality test, where a panel evaluates their leadership qualities, decision-making ability, and suitability for civil services.
The UPSC CSE 2025 final results have now been declared, with 958 candidates recommended for appointment against 1,087 reported vacancies across various services. The vacancies include positions in the IAS, IPS, IFS, and other Group A and Group B central services. The final merit list is prepared based on candidates’ combined performance in the mains examination and the personality test.
The Civil Services Examination remains one of the most competitive exams in India, known for its rigorous selection process and extremely low success rate. Every year, successful candidates come from diverse academic and regional backgrounds, reflecting the national character of the examination and the importance of civil services in shaping governance and public administration in the country.
Following the building collapse in Satya Niketan, the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have initiated an extensive demolition drive targeting illegal and dilapidated structures across the national capital. Enforcement actions are underway in areas including Pandav Nagar, Lakshmi Nagar, Geeta Colony, and Mukherjee Nagar, with authorities razing unauthorised floors erected beyond permitted limits. Alongside structural demolitions, the Delhi government has announced stricter guidelines for paying guest (PG) accommodations, making CCTV installation, registration, security provisions, and rent caps mandatory, especially across major student hubs. The report raises questions over administrative accountability, questioning why civic agencies and enforcement officials failed to act against illegal constructions before fatal mishaps occurred.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi authorities have initiated the manual demolition of a tilted residential building in Indira Vihar, Mukherjee Nagar. The action comes after cracks emerged between structures, posing collapse risks in the area populated by students. Although civic notices were pasted earlier identifying the structure as dangerous, formal demolition commenced following ground reports on the site. Ground visuals showed first and second floors undergoing demolition alongside disconnection of power supplies by the electricity department. Local residents reported that the building had remained tilted for several years without prior intervention despite repeated representations to municipal representatives. Furthermore, neighbouring property owners highlighted land subsidence and structural damage linked to continuous water pipe leakage and sewer line issues, alleging that multiple complaints submitted to the Delhi Jal Board regarding water supply seepages and sludge accumulation had remained unaddressed.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi authorities have initiated the demolition of a tilted five-floor residential building in the Indra Vihar area of Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar. The action comes two days after India Today reported on the dangerous structure, which had developed visible cracks and posed a severe collapse risk to the surrounding student-dense locality. Although civic authorities had previously pasted a notice classifying the residential complex as a dangerous building and directed occupants to vacate the premises, no structural demolition action had been taken for years. Following the broadcast detailing the imminent threat to residents and the large population of Civil Services examination aspirants residing in nearby accommodations, civic authorities initiated the demolition process by removing railings and beginning the teardown of the unsafe five-storey structure.
A ground reality check from Delhi's coaching hubs, including Mukherjee Nagar and Nehru Vihar, highlights severe safety hazards and living challenges faced by UPSC aspirants. In Indira Vihar, a residential building has visibly tilted and developed cracks between adjacent structures. Despite the Municipal Corporation of Delhi issuing a notice declaring the premises dangerous and instructing occupants to vacate, no demolition or corrective action has been executed. Aspirants residing in the vicinity express serious concern over structural instability, blocked drainage, and weakened ground foundations. The report also highlights the difficult living conditions in nearby Nehru Vihar, where students pay steep monthly rents of sixteen thousand rupees for damp, poorly maintained rooms with peeling plaster and rusted rods. Aspirants report facing high brokerage demands, lack of rent agreements, and arbitrary eviction threats from landlords who reside in safer, affluent neighbourhoods.
Rahul Gandhi's Chhatro Ki Goonj initiative has reached Pune after Kota, Dehradun, and Prayagraj. The Pune Police granted permission for the event while laying down thirty strict conditions, including background checks and screening criteria for attendees. The latest edition of the program focuses exclusively on young women, providing them a platform to voice their thoughts on societal issues, education, and competitive exams like NEET. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party released a video claiming a Congress worker offered an influencer twenty-five thousand rupees to promote the event, alleging that Congress is using paid crowds. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis questioned whether Rahul Gandhi is seeking a platform for himself and alleged that only female students from Congress-affiliated institutions are permitted to attend, making it a controlled conversation. Students present at the venue shared their concerns regarding exam paper leaks, rising education fees, and job opportunities.
After the NEET controversy, the CBSE online evaluation row, now questions are being raised over the UPSC prelim examination. Nearly five-and-a -half-lakh aspirants appeared for the exam on May 24. But as soon as the paper ended, social media was flooded with complaints that papers were unpredictable and lengthy paper format. Many said questions were harder to decode, with mechanical language and poorly framed questions.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, marking his first official visit to the national capital.
We picked a few questions from the 2026 UPSC prelims question paper.
We break down how Rahul Meena allegedly raped and murdered a 22-year-old UPSC aspirant in Kailash Hills
This edition of News Today focusses on record voter turnout in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
An IRS officer's twenty-two-year-old daughter was murdered in the Amar Colony area of Southeast Delhi.
Shikha Gautam claimed she had secured AIR 113 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 after results were declared on March 6, 2026, sparking celebrations in her village
The confusion around UPSC Rank 301 appears to have been clarified.
Confusion has erupted after the results of the Union Public Service Commission exam, with two women named Akanksha Singh appearing to claim Rank 301.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma condemned the racist attack on three women from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi's Malviya Nagar.
The big talking point of this episode of To The Point is the political fallout from a shirtless protest by Youth Congress members at the India AI Summit, which led to multiple arrests.
TVK chief Vijay held a high-voltage rally in Vellore, launching a sharp attack on Chief Minister MK Stalin and the ruling DMK.
During a Parliament Winter Session debate on electoral reforms, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi labeled 'vote chori' (vote theft) an anti-national act. He alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has captured national institutions, including universities and the Election Commission (EC). Gandhi demanded machine-readable voter lists, access to EVM architecture, and questioned the removal of the Chief Justice of India from the election commissioner selection panel. He cited alleged irregularities in the Haryana election as evidence. In a rebuttal, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey defended the Election Commission and accused the Congress party of historically compromising for votes and undermining institutions like the UPSC and CBI during its own tenure. Dubey also highlighted demographic changes in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana. The exchange underscored the political conflict over the integrity of India's electoral process.
This special report examines the core reasons behind New Delhi's chronic and severe air pollution crisis, with insights from Abhijit Yadav, co-founder of UPSC Prep.com. 'It exacerbates problems which exist because of geography,' Yadav states, explaining that while factors like vehicular and industrial emissions are contributors, the capital's unique geographical and meteorological conditions are the primary reason pollutants get trapped. The report delves into how Delhi's bowl-like topography, bounded by the Himalayas and Aravallis, combined with winter temperature inversions and specific wind patterns, creates a natural chamber for smog. This phenomenon traps polluted air, preventing its dispersal and leading to dangerously high AQI levels that choke the city for extended periods, making it a complex environmental challenge.
This special report covers the chilling murder of UPSC aspirant Ramkesh Meena in Delhi, allegedly plotted by his live-in partner, 21-year-old forensic sciences student Amrita Chauhan. According to the Delhi police, 'She used her knowledge of science to conceal a murder'. The investigation revealed that Chauhan, with her ex-boyfriend Sumit Kashyap and another friend, allegedly strangled Meena and set his body on fire, staging it as a gas cylinder explosion. The motive for the murder was reportedly the victim's refusal to delete obscene images and videos of Chauhan that he had on his phone. All three accused were arrested after CCTV footage captured them leaving the apartment moments before the fire broke out on October 6.
