West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday congratulated civil services candidates who have cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, stating that the selection of a higher number of women this year shows the way towards a “more equal society”.
“I congratulate all who cracked civil services exams 2022 and would soon be part of the prestigious IAS, IPS family. I am extremely happy that 34% of them are women,” Banerjee wrote in a tweet.
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The top four positions were claimed by women in the UPSC exam results declared on Tuesday, and over a third of the successful candidates were women.
The West Bengal CM opined that when women will come forward and lead society, men will not dare to harass women or take them for granted.
“I am confident of a brighter and more equal a society seeing the first 4 civil ranks are bagged by women. Women have to come forward, they have to lead by example of a value system where catcalling a woman will be discouraged, where people will think twice before remitting gang rapists, where men will think twice before taking women and our beautiful nation that thrives on principles of equality, for granted,” she stated.
I congratulate all who cracked civil services exams 2022 and would soon be part of the prestigious IAS, IPS family. I am extremely happy that 34% of them are women. I am confident of a brighter and more equal a society seeing the first 4 civil ranks are bagged by women. Women…
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 24, 2023
“You are our Shakti who would encourage more young girls to fight for their rights, grow up better for a stronger India tomorrow,” the CM added.
Banerjee’s mention of the remission of gang rapists can be understood as alluding to the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. The eleven men, accused of gang-rape during the 2002 Godhra riots, had been granted remission by the Gujarat government and the Centre in August 2022.
Of the 933 candidates who cleared the civil services examination this year, 320 were women. This is the highest number of women selected for the civil services in a single year.