Bengaluru: Coaching support from the Zakat Foundation of India enabled 16 Muslim candidates, including four women, to clear the civil services examination, addressing concerns over low Muslim representation in the services.
Among the successful candidates, six belong to Jammu and Kashmir. Three candidates come from Jharkhand. Two each hail from Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. The remaining three are from Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Bihar. The results reflect a wide regional spread and highlight access to structured preparation across states.
The Zakat Foundation supports selected candidates by enrolling them in civil services coaching institutes in Delhi with a strong track record. The selection process involves an all India test set at the UPSC level. The foundation also conducts outreach visits to regions such as Kashmir and Kerala to identify capable students.
Syed Zafar Mahmood, president of the Zakat Foundation of India, said the organisation selects candidates every year through a rigorous process. He noted regular engagement with regions producing promising aspirants. Mahmood, a former IRS officer and former officer on special duty to the Sachar Committee, established the initiative in response to poor Muslim representation in civil services.
The foundation focuses on financial and academic support to remove barriers faced by deserving students. The latest results add to its record of assisting Muslim youth in competitive examinations.
The names of the 16 successful candidates were released by the foundation following the declaration of results. The outcome underscores the role of targeted coaching and structured guidance in improving access to national level examinations.
