UPPSC PCS result declared, Pratapgarh's Amit Shukla tops

LUCKNOW: Twenty-eight-year-old Amit Shukla, son of a health worker at a private diagnostic centre in Pratapgarh, clinched the top slot in the state's coveted Provincial Civil Services Examination, 2017. Anupam Mishra of Allahabad bagged the second slot, while Meenakshi Pandey was ranked third. Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) declared the results on Thursday.
Shukla attributed his success to his mother, Sushma Singh, a nurse with a village health centre and his father, Umakant, who toiled to fund his BTech course in 2014. They also supported him when Shukla quit a cushy job in Delhi to prepare for competitive exams.
"They respected my decision, despite witnessing civil services aspirants sinking into depression after years of unsuccessful attempts. Their trust motivated me to excel," he said.
Talking about a dramatic change in career, he said, "There are several areas common to both engineering and civil services and complement each other like resource management, urban planning and execution of plan and policies."
A topper in women's category and overall third topper, Meenakshi Pandey, also from Pratapgarh, was the symbol of persistence. She toiled for six years to become deputy collector.