Khallikote Unitary University (KKU) in Odisha’s Brahmapur is celebrating a proud academic milestone after four alumni of its erstwhile Khallikote Autonomous College successfully cleared the prestigious Combined Geo-Scientist Examination (CGSE) 2026 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Notably, three of the successful candidates are women.
Congratulating the achievers, the Higher Education Department posted on X, stating: “Heartiest Congratulations. Your success makes your college and Odisha proud.”
Three alumni of Khallikote Autonomous College, Berhampur, have brought glory to their institution with outstanding ranks in the UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2026.
1. Sruti Das — AIR 2 (Geologist)
2. Manoja Swain — AIR 3 (Geophysicist)
3. Monalisa Sahu — AIR 16 (Hydrogeologist)Heartiest congratulations! Your success makes your college and Odisha proud.
@CMO_Odisha @suryabanshibjp @IPR_Odisha
#HigherEducation #UPSC2026— Higher Education Department, Govt. of Odisha 🇮🇳 (@DHE_Odisha) October 21, 2026
Among the top performers, Sruti Das (27) from the 2018-21 Plus III batch secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in the Geologist category. A resident of Brahmapur, she was earlier awarded a gold medal for academic excellence during her undergraduate studies.
Lipsarani Prusty (27), who completed her postgraduate studies in Geology at the institution during 2019-21, secured AIR 5 in the Scientist (Hydrogeology) category. Hailing from Tolkani village in Jajpur district, the daughter of a small businessman had nurtured her dream of becoming a scientist after completing her postgraduate degree.
Another achiever, Monalisha Sahu (26) of Dandimaha near Daringbadi in Kandhamal district, secured AIR 16 in Scientist (Hydrogeology). A former student of the college at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, she had also qualified the examination last year with AIR 32.
“This year, I appeared again to improve my rank,” Monalisha said, adding that she had already received an appointment letter based on last year’s result and would soon join government service. She also spoke about preparing for the examination despite network connectivity challenges in her village.
Manoj Swain (26) from Meikote village in Ganjam district’s Sorada block secured AIR 3 in Geophysics. A former Physics honours student of Khallikote College, he later completed his postgraduate studies at IIT Bombay and is currently working as a Physics tutor in Bhubaneswar.
Retired Geology professor Manoj Kumar Patnaik said the achievement reflected the students’ hard work, perseverance and the institution’s commitment to academic excellence.
The successful candidates are expected to join prestigious government organisations such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) as scientists. The CGSE preliminary examination was held on February 8, followed by the main examination on June 20 and 21. Personality tests were conducted in September before the declaration of results.