What happens after UPSC? Civil servants share about life at LBSNAA

Everybody prepares for India’s most competitive exam, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and expects a high-ranking government job, however, very few people know what happens when a UPSC aspirant clears exam and gets selected. Three civil servants who cleared UPSC exams in different years share what happens after UPSC and their own experience.  

These government officers shared on information sharing website Quora that the UPSC candidate heads to Mussoorie to undergo training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Administrative Academy (LBSNAA) for the Foundation Course (FC). The academy provides high level learning and ice-breaking sessions for civil servants.  

IAS Naveen Kumar Chandra, a 2017 batch IAS officer explained some facts about LBSNAA. Firstly, he said, that the place is where officers from Bhutan settle, and civil servants from Maldives and Myanmar visit for training programmes.  

IAS officer Manjul Jindal, from the 2017 batch, stated that the trainee officer starts their day on the polo grounds which is 2 km away from the hostel. After this session, the officers have their breakfast at the officer’s mess. Breakfast time allows officers to spend time and get to know each other. 

From 9.30 am to 4.00 pm they have scheduled classes. The classes include lectures by senior professors from reputed institutions like University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Management and Jawaharlal Nehru University. These professors provide lectures on subject specific matters like social marketing and environmental economics. 

“Officers of various services are invited to deliver lectures on their experiences tied with some things we need to know,” Manjul Jindal writes.  

Manjul also talks about the activities that the officer trainees (OTs) must go through. These activities include running to village visits, hiking, trekking and others. Events are organised to allow OTs to show their talents in fields like dance, music, and theatre. The OTs also get time to practice for these activities.  

Another officer, Bhavesh Mishra, from the 2015 batch, explains that the structure of the foundation course transcends traditional boundaries of service, region, or cadre. Not just this, but there are sessions that let the fellow officers interact, build rapport and relax with each other. The seating arrangements are also designed in such a way that each OT gets to know others. 

“No two roommates can belong to the same service. A North Indian OT is paired with a South Indian OT. After three months of training, it’s usually the case that our best friends mostly belong to other services. The final day of the foundation course is heart-wrenching when everyone gets emotional,” he says.