Gujarat Hikes UPSC Incentives, Girls to Get Up to Rs.2.05 Lakh

GANDHINAGAR : In a major boost for civil services aspirants, the Gujarat government has significantly enhanced financial assistance for students preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination through the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) and its recognised training centres. The revised incentive scheme, announced on July 1, aims to ease the financial burden on aspirants while encouraging greater representation from Gujarat in India’s premier civil services.

Under the new policy, candidates preparing for the UPSC Preliminary Examination will receive assistance of up to ₹4,000 per month. In addition, candidates clearing different stages of the examination—Prelims, Mains and Interview—will receive enhanced incentive payments, with women candidates receiving higher assistance to promote greater participation.

As per the revised structure, male candidates who clear the Preliminary Examination will receive ₹35,000, while female candidates will receive ₹50,000. For clearing the Mains Examination, the incentive has been fixed at ₹45,000 for men and ₹55,000 for women. Candidates securing final selection in the UPSC will receive ₹75,000 for men and ₹1 lakh for women.

Overall, eligible male candidates can receive financial assistance of up to ₹1.55 lakh, while female candidates can avail incentives of up to ₹2.05 lakh during their UPSC journey.

“The objective of this decision is to ensure that talented youth are not deprived of quality UPSC preparation due to financial constraints and that more candidates from Gujarat make it to the country’s top administrative services,” government officials said.

The announcement has generated optimism among aspirants studying at SPIPA, one of Gujarat’s premier institutes for civil services coaching, with many viewing the enhanced support as a significant relief amid rising education and living costs.

Clarifying the implementation of the revised scheme, SPIPA Deputy Director General Chandresh Kotak said the incentive for each stage will generally be available only once. “If a candidate reaches the interview stage again after failing to secure final selection in an earlier attempt, only the interview-stage incentive will be admissible again. The assistance received earlier for the Preliminary and Mains stages will not be repeated,” he explained.

The revised incentive package reflects the Gujarat government’s continued focus on strengthening competitive examination support and is expected to encourage more young graduates—especially women—to pursue careers in the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and other prestigious central civil services.