Cuttack/ Bhubaneswar, Feb. 24: Pushpanjali Panda, 31, grew up to become a veterinary surgeon, but she always wanted to join the civil services. She has achieved it by topping the Odisha Civil Services Examination-2011, the results for which were announced last night.
Pushpanjali, who hails from Ganjam, is followed by Jitendra Kumar Panda and Anup Patra in second and third positions, respectively. In all, 418 have qualified to join the state civil services in categories I and II.
As the examination process remained stuck in legal disputes for five years, much has changed in the life of Pushpanjali. In these intervening years, two most important changes happened - she got married and also became a mother.
"The wait is finally over. A lot has happened on the family front since I wrote the examination. It seems as if I have lived an entire life between writing the exam and getting the results. This morning, I got a call from a friend of mine congratulating me on my success and I was surprised. I did not expect to top the exam," she said.
A postgraduate of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Pushpanjali considers her in-laws to be her biggest support in her journey to make it to the civil services. She, however, admits that she was initially apprehensive whether they would support her career.
"My husband and my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law, have always encouraged me to juggle work and home perfectly," she said. She went on to add: "We had a love marriage and share a great equation."
As she waits to complete the final formalities before she embarks on her new career, Pushpanjali says that rural development would be her area of focus.
"Having grown up in a remote village, I know the problems faced by the rural people. I want to work to make their lives better," Pushpanjali, who works as an assistant veterinary surgeon, said.
The vet in her speaks out as she says that there is need to increase the state's livestock population that has been on the decline.
When asked if she aspires to join the Indian Civil Services, Pushpanjali said that wishes to take a try next year. The Ganjam girl said that she had appeared for the Indian Civil Services examination thrice.
"I got through the mains twice, but was disqualified in the interview round for only 15 and 17 marks. I have not lost hope and will give it another try next year," she said.
Though she is enjoying her success, Pushpanjali cannot hide the concern for her baby.
"Once I get a posting, I fear I would have to stay away from my baby. Although there are people to take care of her, but living away from her is something that I cannot bear," she said with the obvious concern of a mother.
The examination process lingered over five years because of legal disputes. While the advertisement for the exam was issued in November 2011, the preliminary examination was held on January 9, 2014. Though the main examination was held from September 6 to 30, 2014, the result could not be declared as the Odisha Administrative Tribunal (OAT) ordered revaluation of preliminary exam answer scripts and preparation of a fresh merit list.
While preparing the first merit list, all candidates were awarded full marks against the incorrect questions. But later the tribunal directed the Odisha Public Service Com mission (OPSC) government to prepare a fresh merit list after awarding full marks for wrong/faulty questions only to the candidates who had attempted them.
In pursuance of the tribunal order, the second select list of the preliminary examination was notified on December 8, 2015, declaring 5,691 candidates qualified for the mains. Subsequently, the OPSC notified the results of the main examination on December 9. In all, 914 candidates had qualified for the personality test.
Though petitions challenged the OAT order, Orissa High Court refused to derail the process of conducting the personality test by passing any interim stay order.
