10 from J-K crack civil services exam this year

Ten candidates from Jammu and Kashmir, including three women, have cracked the prestigious UPSC Civil Services examination, results of which were declared yesterday, with Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan (23) from Anantnag securing the second rank in the country.
The three women who have made the cut are Sheema Nabi Qasba, Deeba Farhat and Ruveda Salam, all from Kashmir Valley.
While, Deeba and Ruveda had cracked the examination before as well, Sheema tasted success this year in her second attempt and secured 209th rank.
"It was my second attempt. In 2014 too I had appeared in the IAS exams but could not crack it then," said Sheema, daughter of ex-Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, G N Qasba.

"It is a moment of great happiness for me," she said.
Sheema completed her schooling from Presentation Convent School here and her higher secondary from Mallinson School Srinagar. She then did herBA LLB (Hons) from National Law University, Jodpur and worked with a leading law firm in New Delhi.

Crediting her success to hard work and support from her parents, she said, "When we work hard, luck also favours. There is no short cut to hard work."
Deeba, from Bijbehara town of south Kashmir, who had secured 553rd rank last year, improved her performance this time and moved up to 281st rank.

Working as Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) officer in the state Rural Development Department, she is not entirely satisfied with her ranking, but said she will join the services now.
"I have been preparing for competitive exams for quite a while now. I think I will settle down with what I am being offered right now," she said.
Ruveda, a resident of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, made history when she became the first woman from the Valley to qualify the UPSC examination in 2013.
She had passed the UPSC exam twice and currently serves as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai. This year she secured 764th rank.

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The six others who passed the examination are Bilal Shafiq Chodhary, Vinay Kumar Langeh, Basharat Qayoom, Syed Junaid Safvi, Safdar Ali and Shakeel Ahmad Ganie.
Shakeel and Basharat hail from central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
A resident of Baroosa in Ganderbal, Shakeel secured 273rd place, while Basharat from Satrina village of Kangan managed 578th rank.
"By the grace of Allah I have made it to civil services. My parents and family members were pillars of strength during my preparation. My brother constantly encouraged me to appear in the exam. My friends also supported me," he said.
Shakeel's father is a retired government employee while his brother is a veterinarian. His both sisters are government school teachers.

He has done MBA and was working as Assistant Manager in Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank, but left the job few years ago. He was selected for a post in the High Court but it was stayed.
"I passed CET (medical entrance exam) in 2005 and then in 2010 got selected for post graduation. After that I started preparing for civil services as I had an urge right from my childhood to do something big in life," he said.
Basharat, who hails from Gujjar community, said, "My dream has come true. The civil services examinations are all about clear understanding of the methods and patterns. I did not join any formal coaching classes for the preparations."

Cracking civil services examination is not a difficult task, he said, adding, "What one needs is perseverance and hard work. It pays off.