3 tricity girls shine in civil services exam

Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 22

Three girls from the tricity have cracked the Civil Services Examination 2024, the results of which were declared on Tuesday afternoon.

Aastha Singh (21), a resident of Peermuchhala, Zirakpur, has secured the 61st rank and Riya Kaur Sethi (27) of Sector 72, Mohali, the 89th place in the order of merit. Tanvi Gupta (28), a resident of Sector 2, Panchkula, has achieved the 187th rank.

While the brilliance of Aastha shone in her first attempt, it took Riya four years to crack the exam. Tanvi also cleared the exam in her fifth attempt.

At present posted as AETO in Panchkula, Aastha is an Economics (Honours) graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. She believed in self-study and hard work. She also credited her parents, who guided her to become an IAS officer, for her success in the very first attempt.

Daughter of Brijesh Singh, a pharmaceutical firm employee in Baddi; and Shalini Singh, a house maker, Aastha is the younger of the two siblings. Her elder sister is an IT professional.

“It is indeed a very satisfying moment for the whole family. I wanted to be a civil servant from my school days. My grandfather was a big motivation for me. I want to prove myself as a good civil servant and work in the field of education and woman empowerment.”

A former student of CL DAV School, Sector 11, Panchkula, she has been brilliant in academics and emerged the district topper (2020) in Class XII exam with 99 per cent marks.

“I started preparing in July 2023 and relied on self-study and hard work. I took help for my optional subject (economics) through online coaching,” said Aastha, who hails from Jaunpur, UP. Her family has been living in Peermuchhala for a couple of years.

Riya bagged the 89th rank in her fourth attempt, the first one made in 2020. The daughter of Sumeet Sethi (mother), Riya did her matriculation from St Kabir School, Chandigarh; and Class XII from Bhavan Vidyalaya. She did her graduation in Economics (Honours) from Khalsa College in Delhi and Masters from JNU in Economics and Development Studies. However, she chose sociology as her optional subject in the UPSC examination.

The success didn’t come easy for Tanvi Gupta, 28, from Sector 2, Panchkula, who secured the 187th rank. It took five years of relentless effort, unwavering determination, and the courage to bounce back after narrowly missing success in her previous attempt by just one point.

A graduate with honours in economics and a master’s degree in the same field, Tanvi had also cleared the UGC NET exam in economics. Her dream of becoming an IAS officer took root during her final year at Panjab University.

Chandigarh