An Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Nandini, who hails from Kolar (known for gold mining) in Karnataka, cracked the exam in her fourth attempt.
"It is like a dream come true. I always wanted to be an IAS officer," she told PTI from the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics in Faridabad, where she is undergoing probation.
"I put in a lot of effort. After getting selected in the IRS in 2014, I had taken the exam again in 2015 but could not crack it. I took the test again and topped it. It is a wonderful experience," she says.
Holding a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree from M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Nandini had Kannada literature as her optional subject.
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She belongs to the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
Anmol Sher Singh Bedi secured the second rank. He is an engineering graduate in computer science from BITS, Pilani.
The top 25 candidates comprise 18 men and 7 women.
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