Aditya Srivastava, a trainee Indian Police Service officer, has topped the civil services examination 2023, results of which were announced on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission.
Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy, PK Sidharth Ramkumar and Ruhani have secured second, third, fourth and fifth rank, respectively.
A total of 1,016 candidates -- 664 men and 352 women -- have qualified in the examination and have been recommended by the Union Public Service Commission for appointment to various services.
Congratulating the successful candidates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said their efforts will shape the future of the nation in the times to come.
In his posts on X, the prime minister also reached out to the unsuccessful aspirants for the coveted government services, saying they have chances ahead to success while noting that India is rich with opportunities where their talents can truly shine.
Three of the top five rank holders -- Srivastava, Ramkumar and Ruhani -- are IPS trainees and currently undergoing training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Telangana, officials said.
It is for the first time in over a decade that a trainee IPS trainee has secured the top position in the examination, they said.
The top 25 candidates in the civil services 2023 examination comprise 10 women and 15 men.
Of the total recommended candidates, 30 are persons with benchmark disability -- 16 orthopedically handicapped, six visually challenged, five hearing impaired and three with multiple disabilities.
"I congratulate all those who have successfully cleared the Civil Services Examination, 2023. Their hard work, perseverance and dedication have paid off, marking the start of a promising career in public service. Their efforts will shape the future of our nation in the times to come. My best wishes to them," Prime Minister Modi said in a post on X.
"I want to tell those who didn't achieve the desired success in the Civil Services Examination - setbacks can be tough, but remember, this isn't the end of your journey. There are chances ahead to succeed in Exams, but beyond that, India is rich with opportunities where your talents can truly shine. Keep striving and exploring the vast possibilities ahead. Wishing you all the very best," he added.
Top ranker Srivastava (27), who hails from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, completed his BTech in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and also has an MTec degree. He had electrical engineering as his optional subject in the UPSC exam.
He secured 236th rank in the 2022 exam. According to the UPSC, Srivastava has mentioned "studying about dinosaurs" as his hobby.
Pradhan (24), who lost both his parents in 2015, secured second rank in the exam with sociology as his optional subject. He has a BTech in computer science from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela.
The resident of Talcher town in Odisha's Angul district is currently an employee of the Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) refineries division in Delhi.
Donuru Ananya Reddy, who has a BA (Hons) in geography, from Miranda House, Delhi University, stood third in the UPSC exam with anthropology as her optional subject. Twenty-two-year-old Reddy hails from Mahabubnagar in Telangana.
Fourth-rank Ramkumar (27) has a bachelor's degree in Architecture from the College of Architecture in Trivandrum. He had anthropology as his optional subject. The native of Cochin in Kerala has mentioned "heritage walks" and "hatha yoga" as his hobbies. He got 121st rank in the 2022 exam.
Ruhani, who has a BA (Hons) in economics from St Stephens College, Delhi University, secured the fifth rank with economics as her optional subject. The 28-year-old Gurugram resident 159th rank in the 2022 examination.
Her parents work with the Delhi government as teachers.
"I thank god for the achievement of my daughter," Suresh, her father, told PTI. Eldest of two siblings, Ruhani had also qualified Indian Economic Service examination 2019 and worked in Niti Aayog, her father said.
The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service among others.
The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2023, was conducted on May 28 last year. A total of 10,16,850 candidates applied out of which 5,92,141 candidates appeared in the examination.
As many as 14,624 candidates qualified for the written (main) examination, which was held in September 2023. "A total of 2,855 candidates qualified for the personality test of the examination," the UPSC said.
Of the total 1,016 recommended candidates, 347 are from the general category, 115 are from economically weaker sections, 303 from other backward classes, 165 from Scheduled Castes and 86 from Scheduled Tribes, it said.
The government has reported 1,143 vacancies -- 180 in IAS, 37 in IPS, 200 in IPS, 613 posts in different central Group A services and 113 in Group B services -- to be filled through the civil services examination 2023, the UPSC said.
As many as 240 candidates have been put on a reserved list, it said, adding that the candidature of 355 recommended candidates has been kept provisional.
"Candidates can obtain any information/clarification regarding their examinations/recruitments on the working days between 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours in person or over telephone nos. 23385271/23381125/23098543," it said.
Candidates' marks will be available on the Commission's website within 15 days from the date of declaration of result, the UPSC said.
Women had got top ranks in the 2021 and 2022 civil services examinations. Shruti Sharma and Ishita Kishore topped the civil services examination in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
