Ms. Singhal had in the year 2010 also cleared civil services examination but was not able to get a posting because of her disability.
Story of Civil Services exam topper Ira Singhal, who hails from Delhi, is truly an inspiring one. The 31-year-old woman who topped the exam in her fourth attempt has become the first physically challenged woman to top the civil services exam in the general category.
Ms. Singhal had in the year 2010 also cleared civil services examination but was not able to get a posting because of her disability. She suffers from Scoliosis, a spine-related disorder, which disrupts her arm movement.
After being unable to get a posting the first time, she fought and won her case in the Central Administrative Service and was finally given a posting in December 2014.
“This is a great moment for me and my family. I think after this people will respect women more and specially disabled women,” Ms. Singhal said.
After not being able to get posting in the year 2010, she gave the test twice afterwards because she wanted to improve her rank. This is her fourth attempt in which she has topped the examination.
The Delhi girl is currently posted as Assistant Commissioner in the Customs & Excise department of the Indian Revenue Services, but will likely move to an IAS posting soon.
Ms. Singhal has earlier worked as a Spanish teacher for a year, as well as a manager in Cadbury India, and a marketing intern in beverage giant The Coca Cola Company.
She holds an MBA in Marketing from Delhi University's Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), and a BE in Computer Engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT).
Keywords: Ira Singhal, IAS exam topper, UPSC exam, Renu Raj, Nidhi Gupta
