UPSC 2024: 21-year-old from Zirakpur bags 61st rank in first attempt

Hindustan Times

23-04-2025

Aastha Singh, a 21-year-old from Peer Muchalla in Zirakpur, has secured All-India Rank 61 in the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, as per the results declared on Tuesday.
Aastha, currently working as an additional excise and taxation officer (AETO) with the Haryana government, cracked the exam in her first attempt—and did so without any coaching.
She is one of the five candidates from the tricity, four of them women, to feature among the top 300 ranks this year.
Her swift rise began in 2024 when she cleared the Haryana Public Service Commission exam with Rank 31, also in her first attempt. After serving just a few months as an AETO, she decided to appear for the UPSC.
Unlike the usual stories of long preparation and struggle, Aastha said she felt a natural calling for civil services. 'I took no coaching and decided to appear for my first attempt based on just self-study,' she said, adding that she hopes to work on issues like women empowerment.
Her father, Brijesh Singh, is a manager at a pharmaceutical company in Baddi, while her mother, Shalini Singh, is a homemaker. The family hails originally from Uttar Pradesh.
A graduate in Economics (Honours) from Delhi's prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Aastha is now set to become the first civil servant in her family.
Mohali girl realises late father's dream
In another inspiring story from Mohali, Ria Kaur Sethi from Sector 72 achieved AIR 89 in her fourth attempt.
It was her father, Jagjiv Singh Sethi, who passed away in 2017, who had encouraged her to aim for the civil services. 'It was always my father's dream that I become an IAS officer. While I'm delighted with my achievement, it breaks my heart that he's not here to see it,' Ria said. 'It's the sacrifices of my parents and brother that helped me crack this difficult exam.'
In 2022, she had reached the interview stage. She took a break from preparation the following year and joined the Punjab government under the Punjab Good Governance Fellowship Programme. There, she met IAS officer Aditya Dachalwal, who reignited her interest in the UPSC.
'I feel privileged to enjoy every opportunity in life and want to work towards creating equal opportunities for all,' she said.
A former student of St Kabir Public School, Sector 26, Chandigarh, Ria went on to earn a BA in Economics (Honours) from Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, Delhi, and an MA in Development Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Three more tricity candidates in Top 300
Making Panchkula proud, 28-year-old Tanvi Gupta from Sector 2 achieved Rank 187. A trained Bharatnatyam dancer who has represented Haryana nationally, Tanvi succeeded in her fifth attempt. She had earlier also cleared the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) in Economics.
Over at Chandigarh, Vijaylakshmi Bishnoi, currently pursuing an LLM from Panjab University's University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), clinched Rank 233.
While her degree was set to end last year, she had sought an extension to submit her masters dissertation while preparing for the UPSC exam.
Originally hailing from Tohana in Haryana's Fatehabad district, she completed BCom LLB from UILS before her masters.
Also from Panchkula, Akansh Dhull, son of BJP leader and spokesperson Krishan Dhull, clinched Rank 295. A resident of Sector 12, Akansh holds a BCom (Honours) from SRCC, Delhi. He credits his mother, Nirmal Dhull, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, Panchkula, as his biggest inspiration.