685 qualify civil services exam, women secure top three ranks: UPSC
New Delhi (PTI): Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla have secured the first, second and third rank respectively in the civil services examination 2021, results of which were announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday.
As many as 685 candidates have qualified the prestigious test, it said, without sharing further details of the candidates selected in the examination.
Of the successful candidates, 244 are from general category, 73 from Economically Weaker Sections , 203 of Other Backward Classes, 105 Scheduled Caste and 60 from the Scheduled Tribes, the Commission said.
The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages preliminary, main and interview to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
The written or main part of the examination was conducted in January, 2022, and the interviews were held in April and May this year, it said.
The candidature of 80 candidates is provisional while the result of one candidate has been kept withheld.
Besides the top three rank holders, Aishwarya Verma secured the fourth position and Utkarsh Dwivedi achieved the fifth rank, it said.
"UPSC has a 'facilitation counter' near examination hall in its campus. Candidates can obtain any information / clarification regarding their examinations / recruitment on the working days between 10:00 hours to 17:00 hours in person or over telephone nos. 23385271/23381125 /23098543," the Commission said.
Results are also available on the UPSC's website -- www.upsc.gov.in.
"Marks will be available on the website within 15 days from the date of declaration of result," it said.
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Odisha: BJD, Congress demand rollback of fuel price hike
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The opposition BJD and Congress on Friday demanded an immediate rollback of the fuel price hike, accusing the ruling BJP of adopting a "double standard" on the issue of GST on petrol and diesel.
The women's wing of the Congress staged a demonstration near a fuel station in Bhubaneswar, protesting the increase of Rs 3 per litre in petrol and diesel prices.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the BJP had demanded that petrol and diesel be brought under the GST regime when it was in the opposition in the state, but was now taking a contradictory stand after coming to power.
"This is the time for the BJP to honour its earlier commitments and bring petrol and diesel under GST after withdrawing VAT. The party said one thing while in opposition, but after assuming power, it is misleading the people with a different stance," he alleged.
In a statement, the BJD claimed that fuel prices were not reduced even when international crude oil prices had fallen below USD 60 per barrel, allowing oil companies to earn massive profits at the expense of consumers.
"Now, when crude oil prices are rising, the BJP government has increased fuel prices by Rs 3 per litre to protect the profits of oil companies. This exposes the true character of the BJP," it alleged.
Ipsita Sahu, president of the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, said the Centre should explain "under what pressure" it was being compelled to avoid cheaper fuel imports from Russia.
Meanwhile, Mahila Congress activists marched from the party's state headquarters to a fuel station in the Unit-2 area of Bhubaneswar, demanding rollback of the hike in petrol, diesel, commercial LPG and CNG prices.
As part of the protest, women activists brought two-wheelers without petrol to symbolically highlight the burden of rising fuel costs.
District Mahila Congress president Shriya Mohanty claimed the fuel price hike exposed the real nature of the BJP government.
"During the Manmohan Singh government in 2014, diesel was sold at Rs 55 per litre and petrol at Rs 70 per litre," she claimed.
