Raghav Jhunjhunwala IAS – UPSC 2025 AIR 4, Marksheet, Age, SRCC Economics Optional & Biography

Raghav Jhunjhunwala secured All India Rank 4 in UPSC CSE 2025 — a proud achievement for Muzaffarpur, Bihar, and an inspiration for students from smaller cities across India. A B.A. (Hons) Economics graduate from SRCC, Delhi University who was awarded the prestigious Charat Ram Gold Medal for academic excellence, Raghav achieved AIR 4 in his third attempt — having cleared Prelims in 2023 but not Mains, then reaching the interview stage in 2024 but not being recommended, before securing a top-4 rank in 2025. His choice of Economics as his optional subject — directly aligned with his SRCC degree — and his consistent improvement across attempts define his UPSC story. In this complete Raghav Jhunjhunwala IAS biography, we cover his age, date of birth, education, family, marksheet, optional subject, strategy, and UPSC result.

Raghav Jhunjhunwala IAS Biography — Bio / Wiki

Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC Biography — Early Life & Background

Raghav Jhunjhunwala was born and raised in Muzaffarpur, Bihar — a city known more for its lychees and traders than for producing UPSC top-4 rankers. His father, Late Naveen Jhunjhunwala, played an important role in shaping his early life and academic goals; Raghav’s mother, Anju Devi Jhunjhunwala, provided unwavering support throughout his educational journey. Growing up with a strong emphasis on education and discipline, Raghav completed his schooling in Muzaffarpur — both Class 10 (DPS) and Class 12 (GD Mother International School) — before making his way to Delhi for higher studies.

At Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), he proved himself academically exceptional — not just graduating with a strong record but earning the coveted Charat Ram Gold Medal for outstanding academic performance, which is among SRCC’s highest academic honours. He also authored a research paper on India’s Non-Performing Assets (NPA) crisis — demonstrating a serious interest in economic policy that would later define his UPSC optional choice.

Raghav Jhunjhunwala IAS Education — School to SRCC Gold Medal

• Class 10: D.P.S. I Garhan Hathouri Sanathi, Muzaffarpur (CBSE, 2017)
• Class 12: G.D. Mother International School, Muzaffarpur (CBSE, 2019)
• B.A. (Hons) Economics: SRCC, University of Delhi (2022) — Charat Ram Gold Medal awardee for academic excellence
• Academic Research: Authored research paper on India’s NPA (Non-Performing Assets) crisis

Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC — Attempt-wise Journey to AIR 4

Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC Marksheet

Complete Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC marksheet available at upsc.gov.in under CSE 2025 Marks Information.

Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC Optional Subject — Economics

Raghav chose Economics as his UPSC optional subject — a direct extension of his B.A. (Hons) Economics degree from SRCC. His academic background in development economics, monetary policy, international trade, and fiscal policy — along with his research interest in NPA crisis — gave him both the conceptual depth and the analytical framework to write high-scoring Economics optional answers.

• Economics optional has strong overlap with GS Paper III (Economic Development, Budget, Agriculture)
• SRCC B.A. Economics provides comprehensive coverage of optional syllabus areas
• His research on India’s NPA crisis demonstrates applied economics knowledge valuable in optional answers
• His Charat Ram Gold Medal reflects the academic mastery that underpins his optional preparation

Raghav Jhunjhunwala UPSC Strategy

1. Academic Foundation — SRCC Gold Medal StandardBuilt on his Charat Ram Gold Medal standard of Economics knowledge from SRCC — the same rigour that earned him the medal served as his optional preparation foundation.
2. Systematic Attempt-by-Attempt Improvement2023: improved Mains quality. 2024: reached interview, identified gap in final stage. 2025: sealed it with AIR 4. Each attempt cycle addressed the previous cycle’s specific failure point.
3. Economics Optional — Align with Academic BackgroundChose the optional that directly matched his academic degree — leveraging three years of SRCC Economics coursework rather than starting a new subject from scratch.
4. Interview Preparation — Multiple Expert SourcesPrepared for the personality test with both Vajiram & Ravi IGP and Vision IAS Interview Development Programme — reflecting the seriousness with which he approached the final stage after nearly qualifying in 2024.
5. Bihar to Delhi — Inspiration for Small-City AspirantsHis story — Muzaffarpur roots, DPS and GD Mother International School schooling, SRCC degree, UPSC top 4 — is a direct message to aspirants from smaller cities that geography is not destiny in UPSC.

Lesser Known Facts About Raghav Jhunjhunwala

• He is a Charat Ram Gold Medal winner at SRCC — one of the college’s highest academic honours — a distinction that reflects exceptional Economics scholarship.
• He authored a research paper on India’s NPA (Non-Performing Assets) crisis during his SRCC years — reflecting genuine academic engagement with economic policy.
• He was not recommended in 2024 despite reaching the interview stage — making his AIR 4 in 2025 especially impressive as a comeback performance.
• He comes from Muzaffarpur, Bihar — a Tier-2 city — making his AIR 4 an inspiration for UPSC aspirants across Bihar and small-town India.
• He cleared UPSC at approximately 25 years of age — securing a top-4 rank in just his third attempt.
• His father, Late Naveen Jhunjhunwala, is a deeply meaningful figure in his background — a reminder that drive and purpose can flourish even in loss.

FAQs — Raghav Jhunjhunwala IAS Officer