Women at Top: The Hindu Editorial on 2021 Civil Services Exam Result

Taking another step towards equity, three womenShruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla secured first, second and third ranks respectively in the 2021 civil services examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Considered to be one of the toughest exams to crack, girls topped in their second attempt and successfully cracked their third attempt in terms of second rank. All three women agreed that It was a long, difficult and challenging journey, 10 of the top 25 rank-holders are women, so there’s plenty to celebrate — and consider. According to the latest All India Higher Education Survey report for 2019-2020 published by the Ministry of Education, the Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education for the female population is 27.3% as compared to 26.9% for males. Against this background, women comprise only 26% – or 177 – of the total 685 candidates recommended by the UPSC for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Services. , groups A and B. This skewed statistic must change because public service offers a unique opportunity to drive social change, and women can drive it, especially in a country where girls often drop out of school for a variety of reasons. Poverty, from early marriage to lack of toilets.

Ms. Sharma is from Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh), Ms. Agarwal is from Kolkata and Ms. Singla is from Sunam (Punjab), and each of their stories is of struggle and perseverance. It has been an uphill battle for women in the IAS to even get here, and sometimes a rough road awaits them once inside the steel structure of the administrative set-up. If three women are on top today, they have much to thank for trailblazers like Anna Rajam Malhotra (née George), the first woman to join the Indian Administrative Service in 1951, or CB Muthamma, the first woman to join the IFS. Something is there. 1948 who fought a landmark case in the Supreme Court of India when she was seen for promotion to ambassador, or even Anita Kaul, who worked tirelessly to champion the Right to Education Act 2009, which Made education a fundamental right for every child. The early part of a civil servant’s career is usually spent in rural or semi-urban India, giving him a vantage point on issues including women’s health, literacy, economic independence, caste and gender inequalities, which may need reforms or policy Interventions are required, but they are often overlooked due to lack of proper understanding. Education is the key to achieve this. Furthermore, if the civil service is to represent all sections of the population, half of whom are women, then their representation in the services must also increase at all levels of the bureaucracy starting from the highest level.