UPSC toppers Kanishak Kataria and Srushti Jayant Deshmukh thank 'girlfriend', family

Kanishak Kataria, a B.Tech from IIT Bombay, has topped the civil services final examination 2018, results of which were announced by the UPSC on Friday, while Srushti Jayant Deshmukh is the topper among women candidates securing an overall fifth rank. Kanishk topped the UPSC examination with Mathematics as his optional subject. He and second-ranked Akshat Jain are both from Rajasthan.

"It's a very surprising moment. I never expected to get the 1st rank. I thank my parents, sister and my girlfriend for the help and moral support," Kanishk told news agency ANI. "People will expect me to be a good administrator and that's exactly my intention."

Kanishak Kataria, AIR 1 in #UPSC final exam: It's a very surprising moment. I never expected to get the 1st rank. I thank my parents, sister & my girlfriend for the help & moral support. People will expect me to be a good administrator & that's exactly my intention. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/IBwhW8TJUs

— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2019

Soon after the results were announced, his family members started celebrating and distributed sweets among them and those in the neighbourhood.

In a statement, the UPSC said a total of 759 candidates (577 men and 182 women) have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various services like IAS, IPS, IFS etc.

Kataria belongs to SC category and qualified the examination with mathematics as his optional subject. He is a B.Tech (Computer Science and Engineering).

Deshmukh, a B.E.(Chemical Engineering) from Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, is the topper among the women candidates securing an overall fifth rank, the statement said.

“The UPSC exam is a long journey where you are committed for 1-1.5 years. My parents, family, friends and teachers supported me, so the credit goes to them. I had decided that my first attempt is my last attempt and I was determined to clear it in one attempt,” she told ANI.

Srushti Jayant Deshmukh: UPSC exam is a long journey where you are committed for 1-1.5 years. My parents, family, friends & teachers supported me, so the credit goes to them. I had decided that my first attempt is my last attempt & I was determined to clear it in one attempt. pic.twitter.com/AwgxbphTZh

— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2019

The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2018 was conducted on June 3, 2018. A total of 10,65,552 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 4,93,972 candidates actually appeared.

A total of 10,468 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (main) examination which was held in September-October, 2018. A total of 1994 candidates qualified for the personality test conducted in February-March, 2019.

The top 25 candidates comprise 15 men and 10 women. The recommended candidates also include 36 persons with benchmark disability (11 orthopedically handicapped; 12 visually challenged, 11 hearing impaired and two multiple disability).

The second rank holder Akshat Jain, an engineering graduate from IIT Guwahati, told PTI he was elated and one of the reasons why he appeared in the civil services examination was to serve the society.

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Hailing from Jaipur, Akshit's father is an IPS officer while mother is an Indian Revenue Service officer, who also motivated him to join the civil services.

"I would like to serve as an IAS officer in my home state Rajasthan," he said.

Deshmukh, who will be the first civil servant in her family, is an M.Phil in chemical engineering. She said she had faith in herself and that helped her clear the prestigious examination in her first attempt.

Daughter of an engineer father and a pre-school teacher mother, Srushti hails from Bhopal.

"I think it is the consistency and the faith in yourself that make one achieve all goals," she told PTI.

Appointment to the various services will be made according to the number of vacancies available with due consideration to the provisions contained in the rules for the examination, the UPSC said.

The number of vacancies reported by the government to be filled is as under: IAS-180 (including reserved category), IFS-30, IPS-150, Central Services Group 'A'-384, Group 'B' services-68.

Educational qualification-wise the top 25 candidates belong to subjects like Engineering; Sciences; Economics; Law; Mathematics; History; Political Science; Public administration and Commerce graduating from premier Institutions of the country such as IITs, NIT, NLU, BITS Pilani, DU, Mumbai University, Anna University, Pune University, etc.

Optional subjects of the top 25 candidates in the examination ranged from Anthropology, Chemistry, Commerce & Accountancy, Geography, Law, Maths, History, Political Science & International Relations, Public Administration, Psychology, Sociology, and English Literature.