Her secret mantra for cracking the toughest exam also includes avoiding smartphones and social media for almost three years. As a result, she secured an All India Rank of 569 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2021. While her story was widely praised online, it appears that not everyone is on the same page.
Responding to a tweet on Neha becoming an IAS officer, a social media user called out her isolated study habits, saying that was the reason bureaucrats had zero idea of how India runs.
In a post on X, the user named Shalaka wrote, “This UPSC-prep cult needs to be dismantled & destroyed. Complete sociopaths with zero idea of how India runs outside of their 24*7 rote study room end up governing the public.”
Take a look at the post here:
This UPSC-prep cult needs to be dismantled & destroyed. Complete sociopaths with zero idea of how india runs outside of their 24*7 rote study room end up governing the public. https://t.co/i5bilQ7ogq
— Shalaka (@sharklaka) June 29, 2025
In a follow-up post, she added, “Bureaucracy har cheez ke liye OTP maangti hai..imagine the privilege of not requiring a mobile phone for 3 years in today’s world. People saying I’m targeting the girl coz I’m jealous: No, bro. I’m just a girl standing in front of you, wanting ROI for my tax money.”
As soon as the post was shared online, several social media users flocked to the comments section to express their divided reactions.
“Criticism is well taken, but you are resorting to extremes. Somebody not using a phone to focus on studies is not necessarily any kind of intellectual or common-sense handicap. It’s a tough exam, people take extreme endeavours to nail it,” a user commented.
“The message is good, but you’re wrong here. They are very well aware of how the world functions,” added another.
Many agreed with the post, with one writing, “Agree, with no real time experience of ground, even a rickshaw puller can give a better idea and suggestions than these bookworms.”
“So true. They get power and authority, it’s good for them, but what about the country?” read another comment.
IAS officer Neha Byadwal was born on July 23, 1999, in Jaipur but was raised in Chhattisgarh, according to reports. Due to her father’s transferable job as a senior Income Tax officer, she had to change schools several times while growing up.
Neha finished her primary education in Jaipur and went on to study at Kidzee High School in Bhopal, as well as other schools in Chhattisgarh, such as DPS Korba and DPS Bilaspur.
