For the third consecutive year, a woman has topped the prestigious Civil Services Examination 2012.
Haritha V Kumar, a probationer of Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) 2011 batch, has made it to the top slot of the coveted exam, according to the results declared today by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The top position in General, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) have also been secured by women candidates.
Kumar, who is undergoing training at National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics (NACEN), holds a Bachelor of Technology (Electronics and Communication) degree from Kerala University. This was her fourth attempt.
V Sriram and Stuti Charan have bagged second and third positions respectively in the examination.
Sriram, who has earned Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Kerala University, has achieved the distinction in his second attempt.
Charan has done Bachelor of Science from Jodhpur University and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel and Marketing Management from the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), Delhi. It was her third attempt.
Shena Aggarwal, an MBBS from the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), had bagged the top slot in the civil services examination 2011. While Chennai-based law graduate S Divyadharshini topped the list in the 2010 exams.
As many as 998 candidates -- 753 male and 245 female -- have been selected for appointments to various central services like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others, according to a release by the Department of Personnel and Training.
Of these 998 successful candidates, 457 are in General (including 23 physically challenged) category, 295 Other Backward Classes (including nine Physically challenged), 169 Scheduled Castes (including two physically challenged) and 77 Scheduled Tribes.
There were 1,091 advertised vacancies -- 550 General, 295 Other Backward Classes, 169 Scheduled Castes and 77 Scheduled Tribes-- for Civil Service Examination 2012.
The result also showcases the pan-India distribution of successful candidates of this examination.
"Among the top 25 candidates, there are candidates claiming domicile from as many as 12 states or Union territories i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh," it said.
The family background of top 25 candidates shows diverse representation from all walks of life with their parents being farmer, teacher, businessman, government servant, doctor, advocate, professor and civil servant.
Among the top 25 candidates, six have made it to the merit list in their first attempt; nine in second attempt; eight in third; and one each in their 4th & 6th attempts.
As many as four have already been recommended to services other than IAS on the basis of Civil Services Examinations of previous years, it said.
Of the top 25 candidates, 12 appeared from Delhi; four from Thiruvanathapuram, two each from Chennai and Hyderabad; and one each from Jammu, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Allahabad centres.
The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2012 was conducted on May 20, 2012. A record number of 5,36,506 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 2,71,422 candidates have actually appeared.
A total of 13,092 of these candidates were declared qualified for the main written examination held in October, 2012 out of which 2,674 candidates were selected for the personality test conducted in March-April, 2013.
UPSC, which conducts the examination, has opened a 'Facilitation Counter' near the Examination Hall Building in its campus.
Candidates can obtain any information or clarification regarding their examinations on the working days between 10 am -5 pm in person or over telephone nos 011- 23385271, 23381125, 23098543.
Results will also be available on the UPSC's Website (http//www.upsc.gov.in.). "However, marks are likely to be available on the website within 15 days from the date of declaration of results", the release said.