Meet IAS officer, who failed in class 6, cracked UPSC exam in first attempt without coaching, secured AIR...

Written By Varnika Srivastava | Updated: May 05, 2024, 05:44 PM IST

Rukmani Riar was not an academically gifted student, which makes her story unique. She even didn't pass the sixth-grade exam.

The narrative of IAS Rukmani Riar gives everyone hope that bureaucrats can be appointed even by members of the opposition. Rukmani Riar received a second rank in the UPSC exam after passing it on her first try.  

Rukmani Riar was not an academically gifted student, which makes her story unique. She even didn't pass the sixth-grade exam. After completing her education in Gurdaspur, Rukmani was accepted into class 4 at Dalhousie's Sacred Heary School.

Riar received her social science degree from Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University. She graduated from Mumbai's Tata Institute with a master's degree in social sciences. Rukmani interned with NGOs like Ashoda in Mysore and Annapurna Mahila Mandal in Mumbai following her master's degree. Rukmani chose to take the UPSC exam during her time there after becoming interested in the civil services. 

In 2011, Rukmani Riar achieved an All India Rank (AIR) 2 after passing the UPSC on her first try. Furthermore, Riar passed the UPSC without receiving any coaching.