)
Perseverance and hard work were the two mantras that helped them get top positions in civil services exam, the elated toppers said today.
Suffering from Scoliosis, a spine-related disorder, 31-year-old Ira Singhal, an IRS officer, bagged the top position in her sixth attempt.
"I am really very happy. I can't believe this. I just prepared for the examination. I want to be an IAS officer. I want to do something for the benefit of physically-handicapped people. It is the result of hard work," she told PTI.
Renu Raj, a doctor from Kerala, and Nidhi Gupta, also an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from Delhi, both 27-year-old, secured second and third positions respectively, according to the results announced by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) here.
Renu, who did her MBBS from Kerala, got the second rank in her first attempt. "I am extremely happy. I have been preparing for the exam for the last one year. Perseverance pays," she said over phone from Thiruvananthapuram. Renu works in a hospital in Kollam in Kerala and hails from Kottayam.
Third rank holder Nidhi said,"It is really a proud moment. I put in lot of hard work and finally it paid." Nidhi, Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, is presently undergoing training at Faridabad.
Vandana, who got the fourth rank, is the topper in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. "I called up people twice to cross check whether or not I have made it in the exam. It is a pleasant surprise. It is really a result of hard work," she said
Vandana, who graduated in 2012 from Kurukshetra University, wants to be an IAS officer. "I want to be an IAS officer as it gives you ample scope to do something worthwhile for the country," she said. It was her third attempt.
Fifth ranker Suharsha Bhagat, who hails from Bihar, is a Chemical Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and got through in his fourth attempt.
"Suharsha got selected in Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) in 2011. In 2012, he took the exam again and got Indian Information Service. In 2013 exam, he got IRS (Income Tax). He is posted in Nagpur," his father Phulendra Bhagat, who is a doctor, told PTI from Bihar's Samastipur.
