IAS Ritika Jindal: Topped Class 12, Cracked UPSC at 22 Without Coaching, Lost Parents During Training

UP News: Some individuals face immense challenges at a very young age but instead of giving up, they come back stronger and achieve something remarkable. One such motivational story is that of IAS Ritika Jindal.

Ritika Jindal hails from the city of Moga in Punjab. She has been an exceptional student since her school days. Ritika topped the CBSE board exams in Class 12 across northern India with the highest marks. Following this, she graduated from Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi. Ritika started preparing for the UPSC exams during her third year of graduation.

However, during her UPSC preparation, Ritika’s father was diagnosed with mouth and lung cancer. Despite this, she continued her studies while taking care of her father in the hospital.

In her first attempt, Ritika did not pass the UPSC exam. But she did not give up. In 2019, at the age of just 22, Ritika cleared the UPSC exam on her second attempt, securing the 88th rank. She became one of the youngest IAS officers in India. Unfortunately, during her IAS training, both her parents passed away.

In an interview about her UPSC preparation, Ritika said, "Watching my father fight for his life gave me immense strength and motivated me to work even harder for the exam."

Currently, she is posted as the Resident Commissioner in Pangi, Himachal Pradesh. Pangi is known as the ‘Kalapani’ of Himachal Pradesh due to its extremely poor roads and remote villages.