"Stop doubting yourself, Work hard and be patient," says Tina Dabi after making her way up the ranks of the toughest examination in the country. Delhi based 22-year-old girl, has secured overall first position in the prestigious Union Public Service Commission examination.
Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, hailing from Devipora-Mattan village in Anantnag district, secured second rank, while Delhi based Indian Revenue Service Officer Jasmeet Singh Sandhu was placed third in merit list.
With the result declared on Tuesday (10 May), Tina Dabi, a graduate from Lady Shri Ram College, is the second women in a row to secure first position in UPSC exams. Ira Singhal, a physically challenged woman secured first position in the Civil Service exams, in 2014.
Opting Haryana as her Cadre preference, Tina said, "I chose Indian Administrative Service & Haryana cadre as I found it very challenging. I want to change its patriarchal mindset, which is holding Haryana back."
Currently undergoing civil services training in Lucknow, Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, said that J&K will be his first preference for posting. "I will not leave any stone unturned to work for the betterment of people. I think there is a lot of scope to fulfil the aspirations of the people from my state," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the topper in his twitter post. He tweeted, "Congrats to Delhi girl Tina Dabi, topper of UPSC exam. I wish her a bright career".
Northwest Delhi MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj also tweeted, congratulating Tina Dhabi. He said, "Napoleon said that without opportunity ability can't be cultivated. Dalit girl topped IAS & this could not have been possible 40-50 yrs back."
Every year, students appearing for the prestigious civil services examination get officially segregated into major streams: Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service and Central Services, Group 'A' and Group 'B'.
According to UPSC's press statement, "Appointment to the various services will be made according to the number of vacancies available with due consideration to the provisions contained in the rules for the examination."
A total of 1,078 candidates, including 499 in the general category, 314 belonging to Other Backward Classes, 176 from Scheduled Castes and 89 from Scheduled Tribes, have been recommended for appointment to various Central government services, the UPSC said.
There are 172 other candidates in the waiting list.
The marks will be updated by the authority on UPSC's official website within 15 days of the declaration of the results.
