Always wanted to be an IAS officer, says civil services women topper

IRS officer Pratibha Verma, who topped among the women candidates in the prestigious civil services exam, on Tuesday attributed her success to her hardwork and determination to stick to a schedule despite being unwell for some time.

IRS officer Pratibha Verma, who topped among the women candidates in the prestigious civil services exam, on Tuesday attributed her success to her hardwork and determination to stick to a schedule despite being unwell for some time. Youngest among three siblings, Verma ranked third in the exam. She had got 489th rank in the civil services exam last year.

Verma, who did her B.tech from IIT-Delhi and is an officer of Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax), said she wanted to become an IAS officer since her childhood. "I was inspired by the way IAS officers act as the first responder at the time of any crisis. They are always on the frontline at the time of difficult situations. That is why I decided to prepare again for the exam (after getting selected in the IRS)," she said.

"I would like to work for women empowerment and children-related issues, especially in my home state Uttar Pradesh," she said. Verma, who is from Sultanpur in UP, said her parents played an important role in motivating her.

Her father Shivansh Verma is principal of Babu Bhagwandas Adarsh Inter College of Sultanpur while her mother Usha Verma is the headmistress of a primary school there. She worked for two years in Pune after which she started preparing for the civil services.

Talking to PTI, Verma said that even in difficult conditions, she kept her eyes fixed on her goal and continued her preparations with dedication. "Since the very beginning I had set my target and worked as per a definite schedule with full dedication. Last year I continued with the preparations despite falling ill and it is because of that effort I could get the third rank," she said.

"This success was made possible with the cooperation and encouragement of the family," she said. Verma's sister is a doctor and her brother is an engineer who has pursued MBA from IIM, Bangalore.

For those aspiring to take the exam in future, she said they need to imbibe two key elements -- setting a target and working with dedication to achieve it. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the successful candidates, especially Pratibha Verma.

District Magistrate Jaunpur Dinesh Kumar Singh also greeted the young achiever saying that it was a proud moment for the people of the district and the state. A total of 829 candidates have been recommended for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among other civil services, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) said in a statement on Tuesday, announcing the results of the civil services examination 2019.

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