Prayagraj: Women dominated the top spots in PCS 2024, with 319 women (34.22%) making the cut — the highest in a decade. Delhi’s Neha Panchal (33) leads the pack, topping the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) exam. Ananya Trivedi (27) from Rae Bareli secured the second position, while Abhay Pratap Singh (23) from Bijnor stood third in the merit list. Notably, six female candidates feature in top seven ranks. In all, 13 out of the top 20 candidates are women.Of the 932 successful candidates, 319 are female, making it 34.22% of the total. This is the highest representation of women in the provincial civil services in recent years. The women candidates among top 20 are Anamika Mishra (4), Neha Singh (5), Deepti Verma (6), Pooja Tiwari (7), Neha Tomar (11), Sushma Yadav (13), Diksha Agarwal (15), Garima Sharma (16), Karishma Chauhan (17), KM Jyoti (19) and Sonam Yadav (20). A comparison with previous years highlights the steady rise in the participation and success of women. When the PCS 2023 result was declared on Jan 23, 2024, 251 candidates were selected, of which 84 (33.46%) were females. In PCS 2022, 110 out of 364 selected candidates (30.21%) were females, while in PCS 2021, only 141 out of 627 candidates (22.48%) were women. Therefore, the PCS 2024 result is being seen as a milestone in terms of women empowerment. In the 2025 UPSC exams, 31% of successful candidates were women.The trend is even more visible in key posts. In PCS 2024, 37 candidates have been selected for the post of deputy collector, of which 21 are women. Among them, 19 are from UP.In comparison, PCS 2023 had 41 deputy collectors, but only eight were women. In PCS 2022, 19 out of 39 deputy collector posts went to women, while in PCS 2021, 16 out of 52 were females.The top 10 merit list also reflects this improvement. This year’s PCS 2024 saw a surge, with six women in the top 10, up from just two in PCS 2023. However, PCS 2022 had a stronger showing, with eight females in the coveted top 10 list.In the post of deputy SP, considered the second most important post in PCS, 17 candidates have been selected this year, including seven women. In PCS 2023, 12 out of 42 deputy SP posts went to women. In PCS 2022, 25 out of 93 and in PCS 2021, 12 out of 25 deputy SP posts were secured by them.In the general category, 357 candidates qualified, including 135 females (37.81%) and 222 males (62.18%). The trend continues in the EWS category, where out of 97 successful candidates, 34 (35.03%) are females and 63 (64.98%) are males.Among SC candidates, 186 cleared the examination, of which 68 (36.55%) are females and 118 (63.44%) are males. In the ST category, 22 candidates qualified, including six females (27.27%) and 16 males (72.72%).In the OBC category, 270 candidates were selected, with 76 females (28.14%) and 194 males (71.85%), reflecting notable female participation across social segments in PCS 2024.BOXNamesakes, but all fair dealsThe PCS 2024 results brought a pleasant surprise, with 13 selected candidates sharing the name Neha, adding a touch of coincidence to the achievement. Notably, three of them are Neha Panchal (rank 1), Neha Singh (rank 5) and Neha Tomar (rank 11).The results also threw up some interesting name trends: Six Poojas, five Garimas, four AnkitAs, and three each of Sneha, Srishti, and Diksha made the cut. On the men’s side, 22 Abhisheks, eight Vinays, six Avinashs and Anurags each, and five Sachins bagged spots.
