New Delhi, 16 April

Aditya Srivastava has topped the prestigious civil services examination 2023, with Animesh Pradhan and Donuru Ananya Reddy getting the second and third ranks respectively, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Tuesday.

Srivastava qualified the examination with electrical engineering as his optional subject. He has done his graduation (Bachelor of Technology) in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, according to the results of the civil services examination 2023 announced by the UPSC on Tuesday.

Animesh Pradhan, a graduate (BTech) in computer science from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, secured the second rank with sociology as his optional subject, it said. Donuru Ananya Reddy, who possesses Bachelor of Arts (Hons) geography, from Miranda House, Delhi University, stood third in the rank with anthropology as her optional subject.

A total of 1,016 candidates (664 men and 352 women) have qualified the examination and have been recommended by the Commission for appointment to various services. Among the finally qualified candidates, the top five comprises three men and two women candidates, it said.

PK Sidharth Ramkumar and Ruhani have got fourth and fifth rank respectively in the civil services examination. Ramkumar, a Bachelor of Architecture from College of Architecture in Trivandrum, secured fourth rank with anthropology as his optional subject.

Ruhani, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in economics from St Stephens College, Delhi University, secured the fifth rank with economics as her optional subject, according to the results of the civil services examination 2023.

The top 25 candidates comprise 10 women and 15 men. The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- by the UPSC to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

Educational qualifications of top 25 successful candidates range from graduation in engineering, humanities, science, commerce, business administration, architecture and law from premier institutions of the country such as IIT, IIM, NIT, University of Delhi and National Law University among others.

Top 25 successful candidates have opted for subjects like anthropology, chemistry, geography, economics, electrical engineering, law, history, mathematics, physics, political science and international relations and sociology as their optional choice in the written (main) examination, the UPSC said.

The recommended candidates also include 30 persons with benchmark disability (16 orthopedically handicapped, six visually challenged, five hearing impaired and three with multiple disabilities).

The civil services (preliminary) examination, 2023 was conducted on May 28 last year. A total of 10,16,850 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,92,141 candidates actually appeared in the examination.

As many as 14,624 candidates qualified for appearance in the written (main) examination, which was held in September, 2023. "A total of 2,855 candidates qualified for the personality test of the examination," the Commission said.

Of the total 1,016 recommended candidates, 347 are from general category, 115 are from economically weaker sections, 303 from other backward classes, 165 from Scheduled Castes and 86 from Scheduled Tribes, it said.

The government has reported 1,143 vacancies -- 180 in IAS, 37 in IPS, 200 in IPS, 613 posts in different central Group A services and 113 in Group B services -- to be filled through the civil services examination 2023, the UPSC said.

As many as 240 candidates have been put in a reserved list, it said, adding that the candidature of 355 recommended candidates has been kept provisional.

UPSC has a "Facilitation counter" near the examination hall in its campus. "Candidates can obtain any information/clarification regarding their examinations/recruitments on the working days between 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours in person or over telephone nos. 23385271/23381125/23098543," it said.

Result will also be available on the UPSC website, http:// www.upsc.gov.in. Marks will be available on the website within 15 days from the date of declaration of result, the Commission said.

Delhi University graduate Ishita Kishore had topped the civil services examination 2022, with women candidates bagging the first four ranks. Garima Lohia, Uma Harathi N and Smriti Mishra had secured the second, third and fourth ranks respectively in the 2022 examination.