The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the results for civil services exams for 2021. Shruti Sharma secured the first position, while Ankita Agarwal came second and Gamini Singla got the third rank. The results have been made available on UPSC’s official website.
A total of 9,214 candidates qualified for the UPSC in the written (Main) examination which was held in January this year. A total of 1,824 candidates got through for the personality test and interview, out of which 685 (508 men and 177 women) have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various services.
The top 25 candidates comprise 15 men and 10 women. Educational qualifications of 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, to name a few.
Top 25 successful candidates have opted for subjects like anthropology, economics, geography, Hindi literature, history, mathematics, medical science, political science and international relations, public administration, sociology and zoology as their optional choice in the written (Main) examination.
The recommended candidates also include 25 persons with benchmark disability (seven orthopedically handicapped; five visually challenged, eight hearing impaired and five with multiple disabilities).
Shruti Sharma, who has topped the UPSC civil services exam 2021, said her “extremely supportive” parents and friends helped her in her journey, which required a lot of hard work and patience. Delhi-based Sharma, an alumna of Delhi University’s St. Stephen’s College, said she was not expecting such a result and it was a pleasant surprise. Sharma did her post-graduation from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was preparing for the civils for the last four years and was a student of Jamia Milia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy.
Ankita Agarwal, who secured the second position, said she would like to work for women empowerment and primary healthcare after joining the Indian Administrative Service. A 2020 batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) officer, Agarwal is currently under probation at the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) in Faridabad. A native of Kolkata, Agarwal said she cleared the examination in her third attempt. She was selected in the IRS in her first attempt.
Gamini Singla, who bagged the third rank, said women are capable of achieving anything through their hard work and dedication. “It’s like a dream come true. I have opted for Indian Administrative Service and would like to work for the development of the country and welfare of people,” Singla said from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. She cleared the examination in her second attempt, and said she mainly did “self-study” and credited her father for her success. Singla’s parents are medical officers working with the Himachal Pradesh government.
