IAS Topper 2020 [AIR 4] - Yash Jaluka

Yash Jaluka, a resident of Jharia, Jharkhand bagged an All Indian Rank 4 in the UPSC exam 2020. The IAS Topper cracked the exam in his very first attempt. Discussed further below is Yash Jaluka’s biography, educational background, UPSC preparation strategy, optional subject and more. 

Read about 2015-2020 IAS Toppers (AIR 1) from the links below:

Yash Jaluka IAS Topper Background

Born in 1995 in Jharia, Jharkhand, Yash Jaluka at the age of 26 years cracked the civil services exam in the first attempt. He had started his preparation for the IAS Exam right after completing his post-graduation and relied entirely upon self-study. 

Educational Qualification & Family Background

He completed his initial schooling until class 8th from Jharia, and then shifted to Odisha, where he studied until the completion of class 10th. Yash did his 11th and 12th from Delhi Public School, Bokaro, Jharkhand. He then moved to Delhi and completed his bachelor’s in Economics from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and got his Master’s degree from the Delhi School of Economics. 

Yash started his UPSC preparation right after completing his Masters’ course in 2019 and did not join any coaching. He took Economics optional for the UPSC CSE Mains. 

Manoj Jaluka, father of Yash Jaluka works in iron and steel business. After cracking the exam, the IAS topper wishes to work in Jharkhand and contribute to the development of the state and bring in policies for the same. 

UPSC Preparation Strategy – Yash Jaluka

The preparation strategy followed by Yash allowed him to indulge in a minimum of 8 hours of preparation every day. As a part of his strategy, he spent approximately 3-4 hours reading the newspaper diligently and ensuring that every single part of daily news was covered and notes based on the same were made instantly. 

He also maintained proper notes on each topic, along with its historical background, and referred to one book for each subject. Given below is a list of a few important UPSC books and sources that Yash referred to for prelims and mains preparation:

1. R.S Sharma’s Old NCERT for Ancient History
2. Class XI & XII NCERT 
3. History of Medival India by Satish Chandra
4. A.L Basham – The Wonder that was India (for Buddhism and Jainism)
5. Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
6. How India sees the World by Shyam Saran (for static International Relations information)

Apart from this, the journals and monthly editorial in newspapers and current affairs magazines are the key sources that he considered during the course of his preparation. 

Following are the UPSC AIR 4 of previous years’ civil services examinations:

• Himanshu Jain – AIR 4 (2019)
• Shreyans Kumat – AIR 4 (2018)