UPSC Results 2022: History made, highest number of women set to enter Indian civil services

Moreover, the top four ranks this year have been claimed by women. This is the second consecutive year women candidates have secured the top three positions.

Ishita Kishore, a Delhi University (DU) graduate from Gautam Buddha Nagar, topped the examination in her third attempt with political science and international relations as her optional subjects. She graduated with an Economics (Honours) degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce at DU.

While the all-India second position holder, Garima Lohia from Buxar in Bihar, is also a DU graduate with a Commerce degree from Kirorimal College, Uma Harathi N from Telangana, who holds a BTech degree from IIT Hyderabad, came third. Smriti Mishra, a BSc graduate from DU’s Miranda House College, secured the fourth rank.

Traditionally a male bastion, the civil services have witnessed a gradual increase in women’s representation over the past two decades. Till 2006, their share in the total candidates selected by the UPSC was around 20%. It touched 29% in 2020, before hitting an all-time high of 34% this year. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was below 20%.

But the surge in their absolute numbers and share of the total pie this year is the most remarkable increase to date.

Last year, 685 candidates were recommended for appointment, of which 508 were men and 177 were women. This year, about 320 of the 933 selected candidates are women. Women’s representation witnessed a jump of almost 9 percentage points compared to last year.

Number of women selected over the years (2012-17)

In 2019, a total of 922 candidates, a number comparable to this year’s results, were recommended for appointment. Even then, women comprised 24% of the total pool, as opposed to 34% this year.

Growing up in an Indian Air Force (IAF) family, Ishita Kishore, this year’s topper, said her family instilled a sense of duty and service from an early age. She intends to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and has indicated the Uttar Pradesh cadre as her preference.

Kishore’s mother is a retired teacher, her father an IAF officer, and her brother a lawyer. Her sole motivation to pursue civil services was the platform it would give her to effect change and help people, said Kishore, who cleared the prelims in her third attempt.

“After my failed attempts, I reminded myself why I started in the first place. I wanted to serve my country, and my family played a huge role during my low points. Both my immediate and extended family constantly expressed their belief in me and encouraged me to keep going,” she said.

For Garima Lohia, the second-rank holder, returning home – in Bihar’s Buxar – during the first Covid-19 wave after graduating from DU’s Kirori Mal College proved a turning point. She had set her sights on studying chartered accountancy, her “first love”. But given that most coaching institutes had closed down “and online courses were the only option available”, she began preparing for the civil services examination instead.

Appearing for the interview this March, Garima had a “gut feeling” that she would make it. “But I never imagined I would be the second topper in the country… and four girls making it to the top four positions make it extra special,” she said.

Uma Harathi N, who came third, said her interest in joining the civil services was kindled by her father, who is with the Telangana Police.

“Since childhood, my father motivated me to prepare for administrative services. In our city and nearby areas, students are typically guided to pursue either medicine or engineering after Class 12. Influenced by my friends and peers, I chose to prepare for the engineering entrance exams and successfully cracked the JEE. However, during my graduation years, I realised that my dream of joining the administrative service had never wavered. By my fourth year, I made the decision to prepare for the civil services full-time and opted out of the final placements at IIT,” she said.

However, success didn’t come easy as she failed in her first four attempts. “The UPSC exam is unpredictable, and I am a living example of that. While I couldn’t clear the prelims exam in my first two attempts, I managed to reach the interview stage in the third attempt only to fail due to a lower score in the mains’ optional subjects. In the fourth attempt, I couldn’t clear the preliminary stage. This failure became a turning point in my preparation, as I wasn’t comfortable with my optional subject (Geography). It gave me enough time for introspection, and I decided to change my optional subject to Anthropology in my fifth attempt, which turned out to be the right decision,” Uma said.