Women scooped the top four ranks of the Civil Services Examination-2022 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Results announced on Tuesday showed that among the top 20 ranks, 12 were secured by women.
Ishita Kishore, 26, who graduated from Delhi University’s Sri Ram College of Commerce secured the the All India Rank (AIR) 1. A resident of Greater Noida, Ms. Kishore said she was overjoyed with her performance, as in her first two attempts, she could not clear the preliminary round.
The daughter of a former Air Force Officer, Ms. Kishore credited her success to the unconditional support her family gave her. She worked as an adviser at a multi-national firm for two years before she decided to prepare for the exam. “The corporate sector had many opportunities but, ultimately, I realised that my passion lies in public service. I am looking forward to working with my team and contributing to the greater development of the nation,” she said.
Talking of her preparation strategy, Ms. Kishore, who took political science and international relations as her optional subjects, said, “Though there is a lot of information available on the Internet, you should follow only one website for current affairs. I trusted my writing skills and did a lot of writing practice for the Mains because the exam pattern is so draining; it’s important that you have the stamina.”
India’s AIR 2 holder Garima Lohia, 24, who cleared the exam in her second attempt is from Buxar, Bihar and graduated from Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College. “Initially, my interest was not directed towards the Civil Services but during the pandemic, I was convinced that I want to join it and made up my mind to clear the UPSC exam,” Ms. Lohia said.
Uma Harathi, 28, from Telangana and Smriti Mishra, 24, from Uttar Pradesh secured the third and fourth ranks, respectively.
Among the top 20 is Anoushka Sharma, 25, who did her graduation from the City University of New York in 2015 and moved back to Indore to prepare for the examination. “I put in 14 to 15 hours a day. I now desire to work for the Indian Administrative Service in order to contribute to India’s success story,” Ms. Sharma said.
The UPSC conduct the annual Civil Cervices Examination for appointment to Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Services — Group A and Group B.
A total of 933 candidates were recommended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Services – Group A and Group B.
The successful candidates include 99 from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, 263 belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), 154 are from the Scheduled Caste (SC), 72 from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) and 345 candidates are from the General Category. According to a press statement by the UPSC, there are 180 vacancies in the IAS, 38 in the IFS, 200 in the IPS and 604 vacancies in the Central Services.
