Rakesh Balwal, an IPS officer, was part of the NIA team that presented the court with the 13,800-page charge sheet in the Pulwama terror attack, which resulted in a slew of arrests. Balwal is a Manipur cadre 2012 batch IPS officer who was appointed as Superintendent of Police to NIA in 2018 for a four-year term.
Balwal, an IPS officer from the 2012 batch, was transferred from the Manipur cadre to the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre for a three-year period in November this year as part of a policy relaxation.
Read the entire article to know about his biography, UPSC marks, strategy and much more.
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IPS Rakesh Balwal Biography
Rakesh Balwal has always wanted to be a civil servant since he was a kid. However, he did mechanical engineering, but he never found himself doing justice with it. His job as a Sr. Section Engineer on the railways sparked immediate preparations. He was doing a good job at my job.
However, there was something missing in his life. Which he soon discovered was his desire to make a direct contribution to society, which civil service allows me to do. He believes that one should choose a career based on one’s personality and nature, whether it is in the civil service, engineering, working for multinational corporations, banking, or entrepreneurship.
For India’s growth, motivated youths are required in all of these fields. He made the decision to go all-in on civil services. He began in January of 2009.
IPS Rakesh Balwal Journey
Rakesh Balwal is from Udhampur, a small town in Rajasthan (J&K). He is the first and only person from his district to make it to IAS/ IPS. But his commitment to the cause and goal is more important than anything else.
Despite his initial failures, it was his dedication and unwavering commitment to a dream that kept him going. Even though he had failed numerous times, he had always believed that he would succeed one day, which he did.
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IPS Rakesh Balwal Rank and Success Mantra
He secured a 282 rank in UPSC 2011. Rakesh Balwal believed that the circumstances in life do not determine success. But it’s one’s determination and decision that counts. In the end, half-hearted efforts lead nowhere.
One can only succeed if one is passionate about their goal. Make a schedule and stick to it no matter what happens, as well as a revision schedule to ensure that all that we read is retained.
IPS Rakesh Balwal Strategy
Rakesh Balwal says that preparation all comes down to your motivation and focus. You should be highly motivated to achieve your objective. There will be times when you are depressed and feel that your dreams are too big to achieve. But, in the end, only those who stand up and keep moving to succeed.
He used to watch motivational videos of IAS/IPS toppers on YouTube whenever he was down, and he also used to read Shiv Khera’s ‘You Can Win,’ which helped him a lot. It is critical to maintaining consistent motivation throughout one’s preparation.
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How to Choose Optional Subjects?
The optional made him feel more at ease than Mech Engg would have made him feel. He was interested in both the Indian and global political scenes, so political science was an obvious choice. Furthermore, political science aids greatly in G.S. and essay writing.
He finished anthropology, sociology, and geography for the second optional. He started with all three, but after two weeks, he decided on Anthropology as his major. Throughout his ordeal’s three years, he was at ease with these two.
Optional Subject Strategy
He had chosen Political science and Anthropology as two of his optional subjects. In civils, this is a very uncommon combination. The most important thing to him was that one is interested in the subject rather than choosing subjects that are popular and thought to be high-scoring. Preparing for the civil service is a long process. It is the aspirants’ enthusiasm for a subject that allows us to persevere in their studies.
Graduation subjects, past performance and the availability of good study materials are all important considerations. Rakesh stated that: “However, for all recent candidates, 2013 may be the last year of civil exam optional. So, in 2013, choose optionals that will be relevant in the new pattern without being optional, such as political science, public administration, sociology, economics, and so on.” Before deciding on an optional, he believes it is necessary to review the syllabus of the options that have been shortlisted.
View on CSAT Exam Pattern
In his opinion, put all aspirants on an equal footing. They now have two 200-point papers to complete. The focus of Paper 1(GS) has shifted to current events. Paper 2 (CSAT) is also a helpful shift, and serious aspirants will find it to be very suitable to the civil service aptitudes.
In the CSAT, the decision-making section is a very interesting and high-scoring section. For G.S, one must be aware of everything that is going on in India and around the world, as well as have a firm grasp on the fundamentals. Also, especially in the 20-25 days leading up to the prelims exam, one should solve a lot of objective type problems.
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Time Management
Rakesh Balwal had a full-time job in a railway workshop, where he worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. He used to study from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a one-hour dinner break in the middle. So about six to seven hours of intense study time.
This increased to 10-12 hours per day a month before the mains exam. He began in January of 2009. He was prepared with the basics of optionals and the G.S conventional part after 6 months. He believed that 7-8 months is sufficient time to be ready for the kill.
Internet is a Good Way to Study
Rakesh kept himself up to date by using the internet. He used to go to the websites of various government ministries, such as Gktoday, Jagranjosh, and Upscportal. The research is supplemented by the internet. However, this cannot come at the expense of studying from newspapers, books, and other sources, as the internet can be a distraction as well.
The majority of people, for example, will simultaneously log into their Facebook accounts and waste valuable time chatting, etc. This happened to him as well. But this is where one’s focus and self-control are put to the test; resisting the temptation of such deviations is crucial.
Interview
For his interview, he was assigned to Alka Sirohi Mam’s panel. It lasted around 30 minutes. Despite the fact that he was interrogated extensively about mechanical engineering, a subject in which he was weak at and could not provide many answers.
Despite this, his calmness and coolness earned him a 168/300 grade and IPS as a service award. As a result, one’s overall impact is more important than one’s responses.
Conclusion
Clearing civils and getting into IAS/IPS, for example, should be taken seriously. Everything is possible in this world if you are dedicated to your goal. Rakesh grew up in a village, was an average student who received grades in the 60s and 70s in school and college, didn’t attend top-tier universities, didn’t speak convent-accent English, and worked full-time in the worst factory conditions. As a result, if he can do it, so can anyone else.
The Civil Service Examination (CSE) is a test of our determination and hard work, not of one’s cramming ability, intelligence, or academic records, among other things. His message is simple: get up and keep moving forward in a positive manner until you achieve your goal.
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