words per minute
5
neeleshthakur
00:00
Speed
Taking another step towards equity, three women, Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla, secured the first, second and third ranks, respectively in the 2021 Civil Services examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Considered one of the toughest examinations to crack, the girls emerged successfully at the top in their second attempt, and in the case of the second-ranker, in her third try. All three women agreed that it was a long, difficult and challenging journey. With 10 of the top 25 rank-holders being women, there is a lot to celebrate — and ponder over. According to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education Report published by the Ministry of Education for 2019-2020, the gross enrollment ratio in higher education for the female population is 27.3%, compared to 26.9% for males. In this backdrop, women comprised 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, Group A and Group B. This skewed statistics must change because public service offers a unique opportunity to bring about social change, and women can drive this, specially in a country where girls often have to drop out of school for a variety of reasons, from poverty, early marriage to lack of toilets.