Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Vikas Singh Panwar Wins UPSC First Attempt After KBC
Vikas Singh Panwar is a 22-year-old student from a village in Himachal Pradesh.
He passed the UPSC exam in his first try and ranked 159th across India.
He studied Political Science at Hindu College in Delhi.
He also appeared on the television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati.
On the show, he won ₹50 lakh and decided not to risk it on the next question.
He later guessed the ₹1 crore answer correctly, even though he had already left the game.
Vikas said he wanted to use the money to repay his father’s education loan.
A full scholarship helped him attend coaching while preparing for the UPSC exam.
Vikas Singh Panwar, 22, secured All India Rank 159 in UPSC CSE 2025 on his first attempt.
He scored 988 out of 2,025 marks, including 787 in the written exam and 201 in the personality test.
Months earlier, he won ₹50 lakh on Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 17 and quit before the ₹1 crore question.
Panwar said he planned to use the prize money to repay his father’s education loan.
Originally from Jubli village in Himachal Pradesh, he studied at Hindu College and received a full NEXT IAS scholarship.
- Who
- Vikas Singh Panwar, a 22-year-old from Jubli village in Himachal Pradesh.
- What
- He secured All India Rank 159 in UPSC CSE 2025 on his first attempt and had earlier won ₹50 lakh on Kaun Banega Crorepati.
- When
- The UPSC result was reported in 2025; his Kaun Banega Crorepati appearance aired in November 2025.
- Where
- He is from Jubli village in Kupvi, Shimla district, and studied in Delhi.
- Why
- He prepared with Political Science as his academic and UPSC focus, supported by a full NEXT IAS scholarship; he also wanted to repay his father’s education loan.
- UPSC rank
- All India Rank 159
- UPSC score
- 988 out of 2,025 marks
- Written exam score
- 787 marks
- Personality test score
- 201 marks
- Kaun Banega Crorepati winnings
- ₹50 lakh
- Optional subject
- Political Science and International Relations
- Coaching support
- Full scholarship through NEXT IAS’s National Scholarship Test