UPSC toppers 2021: Meet Gamini Singla who secured AIR 3 in civil services exam

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Exam 2021 final result was announced on Monday, in which women have secured the top 3 spots.

While Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal secured (All India Rank) AIR 1 and AIR 2, Gamini Singla from Chandigarh has made her mark by securing AIR 3. 

Gamini Singla, who is from Punjab Engineering College, PEC, Chandigarh, said women are capable of achieving anything through their hard work and dedication.

Singla, a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in computer science, had sociology as her optional subject. 

Singla's parents are medical officers working with the Himachal Pradesh government. She cleared the examination in her second attempt. Singla said she mainly did “self-study” and credited her father for her success.

READ | UPSC CSE 2021: Meet Shruti Sharma, DU-JNU alumna who topped civil services exam with AIR 1

“I used to study for 9-10 hours a day. I took coaching from Vinod sir in Patiala. Mostly I did self-study preparing for the examination, and finally I got through. My father played an important role in helping me prepare for the exam,” she said. 

Asked about women bagging top three ranks in the exam, she said, “This shows women are capable of achieving anything through their hard work and dedication”. 

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

UPSC civil services exam

The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages preliminary, main and interview to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) among others. 

The written or main part of the examination was conducted in January 2022, and the interviews were held in April and May this year, it said.