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PCS officer Gurleen bags AIR 30 in UPSC 2023
Gurleen, however, reveals that achieving the feat wasn’t a cakewalk. While she had cleared the UPSC mains in 2019, she failed to make it through the interview round. But not one to give up, she appeared for the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) exam in 2021 and secured the 9th position in the state.
For 31-year-old Gurleen, the sky is the limit. An MBBS graduate who went on to clear the PCS exam with flying colours in 2021, Gurleen has added another feather to her cap – clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) with AIR 30. This was her fourth attempt.
She is the only candidate from Punjab to figure in the top 100 this time.
The 31-year-old, who is currently posted as the chief minister’s field officer in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, was at work when she got to know the result.
“I still can’t believe that I have secured the 30th rank. I have been checking the merit list again and again,” says Gurleen, who currently holds the additional charge of assistant commissioner (general) SBS Nagar.
Gurleen, however, reveals that achieving the feat wasn’t a cakewalk. While she had cleared the UPSC mains in 2019, she failed to make it through the interview round. But not one to give up, she appeared for the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) exam in 2021 and secured the 9th position in the state.
“But my ultimate goal was to crack the UPSC examination,” she adds. However, juggling a full-fledged job and preparing for the UPSC, considered one of the toughest exams in the world, simultaneously wasn’t easy.
“As I did not take a sabbatical, it was difficult to balance my job requirements and studies. But I stayed focused and disciplined, which ultimately paid off,” says the 31-year-old.
She says she used to wake up early in the morning and dedicate a few hours to studying before leaving for work, and then return home and continue studying late into the night.
“I could do all that because of my mother’s support. She ensured that I always followed my routine and remained focused on my aim,” she says. Her mother Dr Balwinder Kaur Mann is a retired district health officer from Patiala.
Ask her what made her opt for the civil services, she says, “When I was an MBBS student, I had seen many patients and their attendants suffering due to the policy issues at health facilities. So, I wanted to get to a place from where I could bring change,” she reveals.
