IRS officer Ira Singhal tops UPSC despite scoliosis, a spine-related disorder
New Delhi: Women scooped the top four ranks in the civil services exam results declared by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) on Saturday, officials said.
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Left to right: Ira Singhal, Renu Raj, Nidhi Gupta and Vandana Rao. Pic/upsc.gov.in
A total number of 1,236 candidates have been recommended for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and Central Services Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’, the UPSC said.
Of the top five candidates, four are women Ira Singhal (1), Renu Raj (2), Nishi Gupta (3) and Vandana Rao (4). Singhal is from Delhi. It was for the first time that the final results were declared within four days of the closing date of the interviews.
Suffering from scoliosis, a spine-related disorder, 31-year-old Singhal, an IRS officer, bagged the top position in her sixth attempt. “I am really very happy. I can’t believe this. I just prepared for the examination. I want to be an IAS officer. I want to do something for the benefit of physically-handicapped people. It is the result of hard work,” she said.
Raj, a doctor from Kerala, bagged the second rank in her first attempt. “I am extremely happy. I have been preparing for the exam for the last one year. Perseverance pays,” she said over the phone from Thiruvananthapuram. Raj works in a hospital in Kollam, Kerala and hails from Kottayam.
Third rank holder Gupta said, “It is really a proud moment. I put in lot of hard work and finally it paid off.” Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, she is presently undergoing training at Faridabad. Rao, who got the fourth rank, is the topper in the Other Backward Class category.
“I called up people twice to cross-check whether I have made it. It is a pleasant surprise. It is really the result of hardwork,” she said, adding that she wants to be an IAS officer since it gives her “ample scope to do something worthwhile for the country”.
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