Shruti Sharma tops civil services exam, women bag top ranks

NEW DELHI: Shruti Sharma, a student of history, has topped the civil services examination 2021, with the first three rank holders being women in results announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday.

Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla have secured the second and third rank respectively. A total of 685 candidates - 508 men and 177 women - have qualified and their names were recommended by the Commission for appointment to various central services, the UPSC said.

Among the finally qualified candidates, top three are women candidates, the Commission said.

Sharma, who has graduated in History (Hons.) from the University of Delhi, topped the examination with history as her optional subject.

Agarwal, a graduate in economics (Hons.) from the University of Delhi, secured the second rank with political science and international relations as her optional subject.

Singla, a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in computer science, stood third in the rank with sociology as her optional subject, the UPSC said.

Aishwarya Verma secured the fourth position and Utkarsh Dwivedi achieved the fifth rank, it said.

The top 25 candidates comprise 15 men and 10 women.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the successful candidates and had words of encouragement for those who could not clear the exam.

"Congratulations to all those who have cleared the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2021. My best wishes to these youngsters who are embarking on their administrative careers at an important time of India's development journey, when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

"I fully understand the disappointment of those who couldn't clear the Civil Services Exam but I also know that these are outstanding youngsters who will make a mark in any field they pursue and make India proud. My best wishes to them," the prime minister tweeted.

Educational qualifications of the top 25 successful candidates range from graduation in engineering; humanities; commerce and medical science from premier institutions of the country such as IIT, AIIMS, VIT, PEC, University of Mumbai, University of Delhi, GB Pant University, etc., the UPSC said.

Top 25 successful candidates have opted for subjects like anthropology, economics, geography, Hindi literature, history, mathematics, medical science, political science & international relations, public administration, sociology and zoology as their optional choice in the written (main) examination, it said.

The recommended candidates also include 25 persons with benchmark disability (seven orthopedically handicapped; five visually challenged, eight hearing impaired & five with multiple disabilities), the Commission said.

Of the successful candidates, 244 are from the General category, 73 from Economically Weaker Sections, 203 of Other Backward Classes, 105 from Scheduled Castes and 60 from the Scheduled Tribes.

The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages preliminary, main and interview to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2021 was conducted on October 10th, 2021.

A total of 10,93,984 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,08,619 candidates appeared in the examination, the UPSC said.

As many as 9,214 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (main) examination which was held in January 2022.

A total of 1,824 candidates qualified for the personality test of the examination, it added.

The candidature of 80 candidates is provisional, while the result of one candidate has been withheld.

"UPSC has a 'facilitation counter' near the examination hall on its campus. Candidates can obtain any information/clarification regarding their examinations/recruitment on the working days between 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours in person or over telephone nos. 23385271/23381125 /23098543," the Commission said.

Results are also available on the UPSC's website -- www.upsc.gov.in.

"Marks will be available on the website within 15 days from the date of declaration of result," it said.

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