UPSC civil services exam 2021: Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla secure top three positions

UPSC Civil Services Final Result 2021: It is after six years that women have bagged the top three slots. In 2015, the top four positions were achieved by women.

Shruti Sharma, who topped the Civil Services 2021 Exam and secured AIR 1, with her family members (PTI photo)

UPSC Civil Services Final Result 2021: Shruti Sharma, a student of history, has topped the civil services examination 2021, with the first three rank holders being women in results announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday. Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla have secured the second and third rank respectively.

A total of 685 candidates - 508 men and 177 women - have qualified and they have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various central services, the UPSC said.

It is after six years that women have bagged the top three slots. In 2015, the top four positions were achieved by women.

UPSC Civil Services Final Result 2021: Self-study helped me a lot, says Shruti Sharma

All three women achievers said they would like to work for women empowerment and other important areas such as education and healthcare. They said self-study helped them a lot in preparing for the examination and finally clearing it.

Sharma, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor, did her post-graduation from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was preparing for the civils for the last four years. She was a student of Jamia Millia Islamia's Residential Coaching Academy and qualified in the sought-after examination in her second attempt.

"It is a great feeling. I owe gratitude to everyone who supported me in this journey to success. I used to prepare my own notes. Self-study helped me a lot besides patience and consistency," she said.

Sharma, who has opted for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), said she would like to work for women empowerment and in the education sector.

"I will try to do my best in whatever role I am put into. Education and women empowerment would remain two important areas of my focus," she said.

UPSC CSE Final Result 2021: Would like to work for women empowerment, says Ankita Agarwal

Second-rank holder Ankita Agarwal is an Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) officer of the 2020 batch. She is currently under probation at the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) in Haryana's Faridabad.

"I am very happy to have got the second rank. I have opted for the IAS and would like to work for women empowerment, primary health care and school education sectors after joining the service," she told PTI over the phone from the academy.

Agarwal, a graduate in economics (Hons.) from the University of Delhi, secured the second rank with political science and international relations as her optional subject.

UPSC result 2022: Clearing exam like a dream come true, says Gamini Singla

Third-rank achiever Gamini Singla said clearing the examination was like a dream come true for her and she has opted for the IAS.

"I am really happy. It is like a dream come true. I have opted for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and would like to work for the development of the country and the welfare of people, especially women empowerment," she told PTI over the phone from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.

Singla, who cleared the examination in her second attempt, said she mainly did "self-study" and credited her father for her success.

She holds a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in computer science and stood third in the rank with sociology as her optional subject.

Aishwarya Verma secured the fourth position and Utkarsh Dwivedi achieved the fifth rank, the UPSC said.

Of the total of 685 successful candidates, 244 are from the General category, 73 from Economically Weaker Sections, 203 from Other Backward Classes, 105 from Scheduled Castes and 60 from the Scheduled Tribes.

The Centre had notified 749 vacancies - 180 of IAS, 37 of Indian Foreign Service (IFS), 200 of IPS and remaining central Group 'A' and 'B' services - to be filled through the 2021 examination.

The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2021 was conducted on October 10th, 2021. A total of 10,93,984 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,08,619 candidates appeared, the UPSC said.

The candidature of 80 candidates is provisional, while the result of one candidate has been withheld.

Results are also available on the UPSC's website -- www.upsc.gov.in.