Women sweep top 3 UPSC ranks , Latest National News Update

Women sweep top 3 UPSC ranks New Delhi: Forget about breaching the glass ceiling, this comes close to smashing it. The top three ranks in the prestigious Civil Services (Main) Exam this year have all been bagged by women. In all, there are as many as 10 women in the top 25.

Shubhra Saxena of Indirapuram (Ghaziabad) topped the exam while Sharandeep Kaur Brar from Chandigarh and Kiran Kaushal from Raipur came second and third respectively, according to results announced by the Union Public Services Commission on Monday.

Varinder Kumar Sharma, a physically challenged candidate from Chandigarh, ranked first among males and secured the fourth position overall. Sharma, an electrical engineer, was the only candidate in the top 25 to take the exam in Punjabi.

There were nine engineers in the top 25. Interestingly, the 30-year-old Shubra Saxena is herself a graduate of IIT Roorkee but took psychology and public administration as optional subjects for her second shot at the UPSC. ‘‘I have been preparing since 2006. Prior to that, I worked in the IT industry for four and-a-half years in three different companies. I am successful today because of my family’s support,’’ she said as sweets were distributed and cameras flashed in her home.

More than excited, she seemed relieved. ‘‘I thank God for making me so fortunate,’’ said Shubhra.

It was also the second attempt for 26-year-old Sharan deep, who has a masters in psychology from Panjab University. She was ranked 443rd last year, but decided to for a better service. It’s a decision that has been vindicated, and Sharandeep is understandably elated. ‘‘I am very excited and surprised. I expected a good rank but not the second position even in my dreams. It’s the most cherished moment of my life,’’ she exulted. At present, she is undergoing training in Shimla for the Indian Audit and Account Services. Her subjects in the mains were psychology and sociology.

Nearly 3.19 lakh candidates had applied for the exam, of which almost half took the prelims. Almost 12,000 qualified for the main exam in October-November, of which 2,140 were chosen for the personality test. A total of 791 candidates have finally been selected, of which 625 are men and 166 women. They will now be recommended for appointment to the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services.

Of the 791 selected candidates, 364 are general category candidates, 236 candidates belong to Other Backward Classes, 130 are from Scheduled Castes and 61 from Scheduled Tribes.

Aditi Singh, an alumnus of Lady Shriram College, Delhi University, who secured the 12th rank in the mains, says, ‘‘It’s really nice that so many women made it to the top of civil services this time.’’ After doing her graduation, post-graduation and MPhil in political science, Aditi was successful in the mains in the third attempt. She says that strategy mattered a lot in clearing the civil services exam,’’ she says.

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