YourPritam7 at 15:36, 7 April 2026

2026-04-07T15:36:07Z

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{{Short description|Indian civil servant}}
{{Promotional|date=January 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ira Singhal
| image = File:Ira Singhal.jpg
| caption =
| office1 = Assistant Collector<br>[[Government of Delhi]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|08|31|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Meerut]], India
| alma_mater = [[Netaji Subhas University of Technology]]<br />[[University of Delhi]]
| occupation = [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| term_start1 = June 2016
| term_end1 = Present
| education = [[Bachelor of Engineering|BE]], [[Masters in Business Administration|MBA]]
| known_for = All India Topper in [[Civil Service Examination|CSE 2014]]
| module = {{infobox person |child=yes
| 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 [[Union Public Service Commission|UPSC's]] [[Civil Services Examination]] for the year 2014. She completed her [[Bachelor of Engineering|BE]] from [[NSIT|Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, University of Delhi]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=IAS Ira Singhal's LinkedIn Profile |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ira-singhal-7248aa37}}</ref> and [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] from [[Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi|FMS, University of Delhi]]. Singhal topped the exam in her fourth attempt, to become the first [[differently abled|disabled]] woman to top the civil services exam.<ref>{{Cite news|title = A great moment for me and my family, says Ira Singhal|url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ira-singhal-tops-upsc-exam/article7386497.ece|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 2015-07-04|access-date = 2015-10-11|issn = 0971-751X}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Singhal was born in [[Meerut]]<ref name=notsweeper>{{Cite web|title = Not eligible to be sweeper, but I'm IAS officer: UPSC topper Ira|url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/not-eligible-to-be-sweeper-but-i-m-ias-officer-upsc-topper-ira/story-SS8xF9eu9m9SQ7CHBzRGrN.html|work = Hindustan Times|date = 4 July 2015|accessdate = 2015-10-11}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Srishti |title=How Ira Singhal overcame the odds to top the civil services exams |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/7YeMJjJXVvLir8eIr0ghYI/How-Ira-Singhal-overcame-the-odds-to-top-the-civil-services.html |work=mint |date=6 July 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

Ira has [[scoliosis]], a spine-related disorder, which disrupts her arm movement.<ref name=notsweeper/> 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 (Delhi)|Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi]]. She scored 1,082 marks out of a total 2,025 and secured 53.43% in [[Union Public Service Commission|UPSC]] Exam 2014-2015.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ira Singhal IAS Topper Rank 1 Interview, Profile, Family and Marriage|date=2017-10-26|work=IAS Paper|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File: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|thumb|Singhal addressing the 2017 Inclusive India Summit]]
Despite clearing the 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/how-i-made-it/story/ias-topper-interview-322442-2016-05-09|title=First physically challenged woman to top IAS, Ira Singhal tells how her disability was never an excuse: How I made it|website=indiatoday.intoday.in|access-date=2017-10-28|archive-date=2 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102083755/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/ias-topper-interview/1/663575.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Meet 2014 UPSC topper Ira Singhal, who was earlier barred from civil services due to her disability - Firstpost|url = http://www.firstpost.com/living/rejected-an-ias-posting-in-2010-physically-challenged-ira-singhal-tops-2015-upsc-exam-2327524.html|website = firstpost.com|date = 7 July 2015|accessdate = 15 November 2015}}</ref> 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).<ref>{{Cite web|title = A Special Victory: This Woman Just Topped India's Toughest Exam Beating Disability And Discrimination|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/07/04/upsc-exam-results-2014-ir_n_7726206.html|website = The Huffington Post|date = 4 July 2015|accessdate = 2015-10-11}}</ref> 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|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://supremo.nic.in/ERSheetHtml.aspx?OffIDErhtml=26105&PageId= |title=Ira Singhal |website=supremo.nic.in|accessdate=2016-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chanakyaiasacademyblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/ira-singhal-cse-2014-air-1-has-a-lesson-you-must-learn/ |title=IRA SINGHAL CSE 2014, AIR 1 has a Lesson You Must Learn|website=chanakyaiasacademyblog.wordpress.com|date=25 April 2017|accessdate=2017-04-27}}</ref>

She is the Brand Ambassador for Department of Disability, [[Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment]], [[Government of India]].<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IAS-topper-to-be-brand-ambassador-for-disability/articleshow/47996825.cms|title= IAS topper to be brand ambassador for disability | India News - Times of India|newspaper= The Times of India|date= 9 July 2015}}</ref> 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 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, Delhi|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]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2026}}

She is currently serving as Special Secretary, Education, in Arunachal Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IAS Ira Singhal Transferred to Arunachal |url=https://indianmasterminds.com/movements/ias-ira-singhal-transferred-to-arunachal/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ira Singhal on Instagram: "First week visiting schools and interacting with teachers as Special Secretary, Education, Arunachal Pradesh." |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp0bgucPX68/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Instagram |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singhal, Ira}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:People from Meerut]]
[[Category:Women from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women civil servants]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian civil servants]]

Ira Singhal - Revision history

YourPritam7 at 15:36, 7 April 2026