Who is Kanishak Kataria -- topper of UPSC civil services exam 2018?

Kanishak Kataria, a B Tech from IIT Bombay, has topped the civil services final examination, 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. 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.

Of the top 25 candidates, 15 are men and 10 are women.

759 candidates, comprising 577 men and 182 women, have been recommended for appointment to Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and Central Services, Group 'A' and Group 'B'.

The top 25 candidates have graduated in subjects like Engineering; Sciences; Economics; Law; Mathematics; History; Political Science; Public administration and Commerce from premier institutions of the country such as IITs, NIT, NLU, BITS Pilani, DU, Mumbai University, Anna University, Pune University.

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.

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.

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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.

(With PTI inputs)