Bhubaneswar: Subhankar Mohapatra, who secured 46th rank in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations, feels to free the country from corruption one needs to make a beginning with oneself.

A resident of Chandrasekharpur in Bhubaneswar, Mohapatra studied eight hours daily for the civil services examinations.

"We need to clean ourselves first and then take up bigger challenges," he said.

He further said that a strong will was necessary to achieve something in life. "One needs to be focused and determined and then everything will fall into place," Mohapatra said.

Mohapatra holds a MBBS degree from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He decided to prepare by himself. "I did not take any coaching as I felt there is no alternative to self-study," he said.

"I feel more and more youngsters from the state should join the civil services to serve their native places," said the student of DAV Chandrasekharpur here.

He had cleared Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A native of Bhadrak, Mohapatra said: "I would definitely work for my state. Having said that, I would render my duties efficiently and would work for any place I am posted at with enthusiasm."

At present, he is undergoing training as an IRS officer in Gurgaon.

His father Karunakar Mohapatra and mother Sandhyarani Mohapatra were his biggest support throughout the journey.

Only around 2 per cent of the total number of students qualifying the examination belong to the state. Around 15 candidates cracked the examination this year with two of them securing rank in the top 100.