Ira Singhal

Last updated

Ira Singhal
Ira Singhal.jpg
Assistant Collector
Government of Delhi
In office
June 2016 –Present
Personal details
Born (1983-08-31) 31 August 1983 (age 40)
Meerut, India
Education BE, MBA
Alma mater Netaji Subhas University of Technology
University of Delhi
Occupation IAS
Known forAll India Topper in CSE 2014
Employer Government of India
Organization Government of Delhi

Ira Singhal is an Indian Administrative Service officer and computer science engineer. She was the highest-scoring individual in the UPSC's Civil Services Examination for the year 2014. She completed her BE from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, University of Delhi [1] and MBA from FMS, University of Delhi. Singhal topped the exam in her fourth attempt, to become the first differently abled woman to top the civil services exam. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Singhal was born in Meerut [3] to Rajendra Singhal and Anita Singhal. Her father is an engineer and mother is an insurance advisor. She was among the toppers at Sophia Girls School, Meerut and Loreto Convent School, Delhi. [4]

Ira has scoliosis, a spine-related disorder, which disrupts her arm movement. [3] She completed her schooling from the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan and studied BE in Computer Engineering from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (now Netaji Subhas University of Technology) and received Dual MBA in Marketing & Finance from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi. She scored 1,082 marks out of a total 2,025 and secured 53.43% in UPSC Exam 2014-2015. [5]

Career

Singhal addressing the 2017 Inclusive India Summit The topper of the Indian Civil Services-2014 Examination, Ms. Ira Singhal addressing at the inauguration of the "Inclusive India Summit-2017", in New Delhi.jpg
Singhal addressing the 2017 Inclusive India Summit

Despite clearing the toughest exam in her very first attempt, Singhal was not allowed to take the position in office due to her physical disability as authorities cited her inability to push, pull and lift. She was refused a posting because she has scoliosis. [6] [7] In 2012 she filed a case in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and won after four years, after which she was given a posting as Assistant Commissioner in Indian Revenue Service (C&CE). [8] Singhal gave the civil service examination in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 and in the first three attempts she got Indian Revenue Service whereas in 2015 she got Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

After MBA, before appearing for Civil Services Examination in 2010, she worked as a Strategy Manager in Cadbury India and as marketing intern at the Coca-Cola Company. She has also taught Spanish for a year. She is posted as Assistant Collector (trainee) in the Government of Delhi since June 2016. [9] [10]

She is the Brand Ambassador for Department of Disability, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. [11] She is also one of the brand ambassadors for Ministry of Women and Child Development & NITI Aayog and is on the National Panel for Accessible Elections, Election Commission of India. She has also been a part of the Designing of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Examination Policy with regard to children with disabilities. Her awards include India Today’s Woman of the Year 2015, President's Gold Medal for Topping the IAS Training, First Ladies of India Award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. She is also recorded in the Limca Book of Records.

She has been a speaker on wide-ranging issues like education, disability, gender issues, skill development, career counselling, etc. at more than 500 international and national conferences, industry forums, universities, colleges and other top institutions of the country including IIMs and IITs. She has been working towards various social causes including empowerment of persons with disabilities, empowerment and promotion of Transgender community, women empowerment, prevention of child labour and child marriages, prevention of illegal conversion of green lands, promoting green energy, skill development, promotion of mental health and promotion of khadi and indigenous fabrics. She rescued around 340 child and bonded labourers and restored them to their families, within 1 year in her first posting as SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate), Alipur in North Delhi district. She is also the first person to give a job to a transgender person full-time employment in a government office in Delhi.

She is currently serving as Special Secretary, Education, in Arunachal Pradesh. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Administrative Service</span> Administrative arm of All India Services of the government of India

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service. Members of these three services serve the Government of India as well as the individual states. IAS officers are also deployed to various government establishments such as constitutional bodies, staff and line agencies, auxiliary bodies, public sector undertakings, regulatory bodies, statutory bodies and autonomous bodies.

The All India Services (AIS) comprises three Civil Services of India common to the centre and state governments, which includes the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS), and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). Civil servants recruited through All India Services by the central government are assigned to different state government cadres. Some civil servants may, later in their career, also serve the centre on deputation. Officers of these three services comply to the All India Services Rules relating to pay, conduct, leave, various allowances etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Public Service Commission</span> Indias central recruiting agency

The Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body in India that conducts direct recruitment of officers to the All India Services and the Central Civil Services through examinations. These officers are appointed in various Services under the Government of India. The personnel are managed by the Department of Personnel and Training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi</span> Business school located in New Delhi, India

Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi is a leading business school located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1954 under the umbrella of the University of Delhi and is often cited as one of the best business schools in India. The institute was started at the Delhi School of Economics premises under Dean A. Dasgupta of the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE).

The Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering, abbreviated as IRSME, is one of the group 'A' central engineering services of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Mechanical Engineering Division of the Indian Railways. Till 2019, IRSME officers were drawn from the Combined Engineering Service Examination (ESE) and Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission. All appointments to the Group 'A' services are made by the president of India.

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a standardized test in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher civil services in the Government of India, such as the All India Services and Central Civil Services.

Naresh Chandra Saxena is an Indian bureaucrat who served as a member of the Planning Commission of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Faesal</span> Indian civil servant, physician and former politician

Shah Faesal is an Indian bureaucrat currently posted as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Culture (India) In 2010, he became the first Kashmiri to top the Indian Civil Services Examination. He tendered his resignation from the Indian bureaucracy in protest on 9 January 2019, citing "unabated killings" in Kashmir among other things, which, reportedly, was "never accepted" by the central government and he even withdrew the same later.

Veer Bala Rastogi is a writer of textbooks on biology in India. She earned her master's degree in Zoology with distinction standing first in order of merit, and for this feat, she was awarded Gold Medal. She did her Ph.D. from Meerut University under the guidance of eminent zoologist, Dr. M.L. Bhatia, Professor in Zoology, University of Delhi as External Supervisor.

Parveen Talha is an Indian civil servant, reported to be the first Muslim woman to serve in any Class I civil service in India, the first Indian Revenue Service officer to become a member of the Union Public Service Commission and the first woman to serve in Narcotics Department of India. She was honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, by bestowing on her the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to Indian Civil Service.

Anna Rajam Malhotra was an Indian Administrative Service officer. She was the first woman in India to hold this position. Anna Rajam belonged to the 1951 batch of the IAS and married R. N. Malhotra, her batchmate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakuntala Gamlin</span> Indian Administrative Service officer

Shakuntala Doley Gamlin is a 1984-batch Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre IAS officer. She served as Secretary, Dept. of Empowerment of Person With Disabilities, Govt. of India. She also served as Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh. She is the first lady IAS from North East to reach a Secretary level post in central ministry. She is the first female IAS officer from Mishing tribe of Assam.

Purna Chandra Hota was an Indian bureaucrat and civil servant. He was married to Bijoylaxmi Hota, a yoga expert and author of several books on yogic therapy. He had three children, Reema Hota Singh, an Indian revenue Service Officer, Prasenjeet Hota, and Reela Hota, an odissi dancer.

Jamchonga Nampui was an Indian civil servant. He was an Indian Administrative Service officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He was the first person from Assam to be directly recruited to the IAS as well as the first Scheduled Tribe IAS officer in India when he cleared the civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in 1954. He belongs to the Biate community of Northeast India.

Mukherjee Nagar, is a neighbourhood in northern Delhi. It was named in honor of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

Israel Jebasingh is an Indian educator and a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who served in West Bengal. He is currently the director of the Officers IAS Academy, Chennai.

T. V. Anupama is an Indian Administrative Service officer. She served as the 43rd District collector of Thrissur. In 2010, Anupama secured fourth rank in the Civil Services Examination. She is known for her bold steps against politically powerful people. She served as district collector of Alappuzha district in 2017. She became Director of Scheduled tribes Development Department, Government of Kerala on 2 September 2021. Appointed as Land and Revenue commissioner on 24 November 2022.She is also given additional charges of Disaster Management Commissioner and Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Manager. Anupama currently special secretary of the local self-government department (LSGD) on 01 June 2024.

Sreedhanya Suresh is an Indian Administrative Service officer. She is the First Tribal Woman from Kerala to have cleared Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission, India. She secured an all India Rank of 410 in the 2018 UPSC Civil Services Examination. She is currently serving as Sub Collector and Revenue Divisional Officer of Perinthalmanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Dabi</span> Indian Administrative Service officer

Tina Dabi is an Indian Administrative Service officer working as the Commissioner of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in Jaipur, Rajasthan. She is the former chief executive officer of the District Council of Sri Ganganagar.

Ansar Shaikh is an Indian Administrative Service officer working as the additional district magistrate of Cooch Behar, West Bengal. He is the 2016 batch IAS officer of the West Bengal Cadre. He is the youngest IAS officer in India, and he joined the Indian Administrative Service at 21.

References

  1. ↑ "IAS Ira Singhal's LinkedIn Profile".
  2. ↑ "A great moment for me and my family, says Ira Singhal". The Hindu. 4 July 2015. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Not eligible to be sweeper, but I'm IAS officer: UPSC topper Ira". Hindustan Times. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Gupta, Srishti (6 July 2015). "How Ira Singhal overcame the odds to top the civil services exams". mint.
  5. ↑ "Ira Singhal IAS Topper Rank 1 Interview , Profile, Family and Marriage". IAS Paper. 26 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "First physically challenged woman to top IAS, Ira Singhal tells how her disability was never an excuse: How I made it". indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Meet 2014 UPSC topper Ira Singhal, who was earlier barred from civil services due to her disability - Firstpost". firstpost.com. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "A Special Victory: This Woman Just Topped India's Toughest Exam Beating Disability And Discrimination". The Huffington Post. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ira Singhal". supremo.nic.in. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "IRA SINGHAL CSE 2014, AIR 1 has a Lesson You Must Learn". chanakyaiasacademyblog.wordpress.com. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "IAS topper to be brand ambassador for disability | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 9 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "IAS Ira Singhal Transferred to Arunachal" . Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ira Singhal on Instagram: "First week visiting schools and interacting with teachers as Special Secretary, Education, Arunachal Pradesh."". Instagram. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.