Chennai: As many as 723 candidates from Tamil Nadu have cleared the Civil Services Preliminary Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

This year, over 12 lakh aspirants had registered for the examination, of whom about seven lakh appeared for the preliminary test held on May 25.

The results were announced on June 11 night, with 14,156 candidates qualifying for the Main examination scheduled to begin on August 22.

According to Shankar IAS Academy Managing Director Vaishnavi Shankar, 963 candidates from their training centres in Chennai, Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru have cleared the Prelims. Of the 723 successful candidates from Tamil Nadu, 450 were coached at the academy's Chennai centre, she said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated the aspirants, stating that students trained at the state-run Anna Administrative Service College and those supported under the 'Nan Mudhalvan' scheme had produced a record number of successful candidates this year.

“I extend my best wishes for your success in the Main examination and interview. I look forward to seeing you succeed and serve the nation with pride,” Stalin said in his statement.