Meet IAS officer Ritika Jindal, who secured AIR 88 in UPSC exam while looking after ailing father

Ritika wanted to become an IAS from an early age. She says she is from Punjab where children grow up listening to the stories of Lala Lajpat Rai and Bhagat Singh. She had grown up listening to the same stories and wanted to do something for the country and for the people of the country. She eventually selected the UPSC CSE exam and stepped in this direction when the right time came.

Ritika Jindal was born in Moga, Punjab and completed her early studies from here. In Class 12, Ritika topped the CBSE Board exams in North India. She then graduated from Sriram College of Commerce in Delhi and secured the third position in the entire college with 95 per cent marks.

Ritika Jindal wanted to become an IAS since childhood, so she started preparing for the UPSC exam right from the time when she was in college. After graduation, Ritika appeared for the UPSC exam for the first time and cleared all three stages, but she trailed by a few points in the final list and decided to appear for the second time.

Ritika Jindal worked hard after failing in the first attempt and fulfilled her childhood dream by securing 88th rank in All India in the civil services examination in the second attempt in 2018. Ritika was only 22 years old at the time.

Ritika Jindal says it was not a cakewalk to become an IAS as her father was diagnosed to Oral Cancer when she was preparing for the UPSC exam for the first time and this also affected Ritika's studies. While Ritika was preparing for the exam for the second time, her father got lung cancer. It was a tough time for Ritika, but despite that, she continued to prepare in the face of difficulties.

While taking care of the ailing father, it was very difficult for Ritika to prepare for the UPSC exam. In an interview, she said, "I come from a small city with very limited infrastructure and resources. Every time my father was unwell, we had to take him to Ludhiana for treatment and I had to go to the hospital with him." She said, "Seeing my father fighting for life gave me a lot of strength and I worked hard for the exam."