Jagrati Awasthi, UPSC civil services 2020 woman topper, left job at BHEL to focus on studies after first attempt

Awasthi, a Bhopal resident, completed her BTech from MANIT, and said that since childhood, she had a dream of becoming a district collector and work in social areas.

Bhopal: Hard work and self-confidence are key ingredients for achieving success in life, said Madhya Pradesh's Jagrati Awasthi, the topper among women candidates in the civil services examination 2020, and expressed her wish to work for the development of rural areas when she joins the country's bureaucracy.

Bihar's Shubham Kumar and Bhopal resident Awasthi, both engineering graduates, have achieved the first and second ranks, respectively, in the coveted civil services examination (CSE), results of which were announced on Friday by the UPSC.

Awasthi is the topper among women candidates, according to a statement issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Besides her, Arth Jain, also a Bhopal resident, secured the 16th rank in the prestigious exam conducted annually to select IAS, IFS and IPS officers, among other civil servants. An elated Awasthi said her childhood dream has come true.

"After completing my B.Tech from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) in Bhopal, I joined Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). I worked there from 2017-2019. But since childhood I had a dream of becoming a district collector and work in social areas," she told PTI. 

Awasthi said after even getting a job in her chosen field of engineering, she continued to pursue her dream of becoming a civil servant and started preparations for the CSE.

"When I was not selected for civil services in the first attempt, I decided to leave the job (at BHEL) and focused on my preparations for the CSE," she said.

"I left my job in 2019 and started working hard. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck (in early 2020), but it gave me some more time for preparations (due to lockdown most public activities came to a halt). I finally got success in my second attempt," Awasthi said.

In a message to civil services aspirants, she said, "They should work hard, have confidence in themselves and this will help them achieve success." 

Awasthi said her dream of working in the social sector has been fulfilled. 

Overjoyed with his success in the second attempt, Arth Jain, an IIT Delhi graduate, said, "I will try to give my best for the development of the country."

Arth Jain's father Mukesh Jain is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and is currently posted as the state's Transport Commissioner. Besides them, Jabalpur's Ahinsa Jain secured the 53rd rank, while Abhishek Khandelwal of Hoshangabad got the 167th position.

A total of 761 candidates -- 545 men and 216 women -- have cleared the civil services examination 2020.