The First Woman IAS Officer from Kashmir

Inspiration acts as a major driving force behind every successful UPSC Candidate.

Here we bring the story of the first woman IAS officer from Kashmir who cracked the Civil Services Exam twice – Dr Ruveda Salam.

IAS Topper Story

• Dr. Ruveda Salam is the first woman from Kashmir to crack the IAS exam.
• She hails from the isolated Farkin village in the border district of Kupwara.
• Residing in the Kashmir valley poses its own set of challenges. The state faces several issues like political disturbances, strikes, curfews, and local stone pelting, etc.
• Even Dr. Ruveda Salam had to face these concerns on a day-to-day basis. In spite of the absence of proper coaching classes, restricted access to newspapers and study material, she worked hard and efficiently cleared the UPSC IAS exam.
• It was her father who encouraged her, giving her the confidence to toil towards becoming an IAS officer.
• Her mother helped by warding off all proposals of early marriage, allowing Ruveda to focus on the exam.
• After getting her Medical Degree from Government Medical College in Srinagar, in 2009 Ruveda started her career as a doctor.
• She appeared for the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission examination while doing her internship. Ruveda secured 25th rank in the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission examination.
• For more on State Public Service Commissions, click on the linked article.
• She resigned from medicine and joined the Jammu and Kashmir state civil services. She worked for two years.

Previous Attempts

• In 2013, she appeared for the Civil Services IAS examination for the first time. She cracked it and become the first woman from the Kashmir valley to enter into the Civil Services as IPS officer.
• She joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad and on completion of the training, served as the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai.
• But this wasn’t the real success she wanted. She still had to accomplish her childhood vision of becoming an IAS officer.
• Again in 2015, she cleared the UPSC exam with much higher rank which enabled her to join IAS cadre. This enabled her to join the IAS, thus creating an amazing IAS success story.
• Ruveda’s optionals were public administration and sociology. To know more about these optionals, click on the links in the table below:

Tips for IAS Aspirants

• Newspaper reading is extremely important to cover the daily current affairs.
• Yojana magazine is very useful. Get a gist of Yojana magazine at the linked article.
• Good IAS coaching is vital, although it depends on the individual.
• NCERT books are also quite useful for IAS preparation.

For more such UPSC success stories for inspiration and motivation, you can check out our segment which posts articles on IAS toppers, Get Inspired.

The First Woman IAS Officer from Kashmir:- Download PDF Here

For more UPSC related preparation materials and articles, visit the links given in the table below:

Related Links