If you have the right attitude and determination, then cracking UPSC CSE is not a big challenge for you. People believe that the success rate in this exam is too low, so most don’t attempt it. However, every year, young people are clearing it and joining civil services. So, instead of focusing on the numbers, one should focus on hard work. 2019-batch IPS officer Ratna Singh of Chhattisgarh cadre believes the same. For her, UPSC is very easy compared to the challenges that are thrown at you after you get into it.
Indian Masterminds presents today the story of all-rounder Ratna Singh, who is currently the City SP, Raipur (Chhattisgarh). The officer considers herself a jack of all trades as she can cook, dance, travel, read and was also fond of playing various games during her growing up years.
GULLY CRICKET TO POLICE STATION
Ms. Singh, who recently got married, hails from Kanpur, UP and had done her schooling from there before joining NIT, Prayagraj for B.Tech in Electronics and Communication. Both her parents are government employees, and she has a younger brother. During a media interview, she had said, “I was never into playing games that were conventionally designed for girls. I used to follow my brother everywhere and played cricket with him and others till Class 10.”
Till the last year of graduation, she never thought of becoming an IPS officer. A friend, who was also preparing for CSE, helped her to develop interest in civil services. After graduating, she came to Delhi for preparation, and in the third attempt, she made it to the UPSC successful candidates list.
Since she was always physically active, so IPS was her first choice and she got it. She also feels that it also helped her during her training period as she was able to complete all the challenges thrown at her.
“The training, especially the physical one, is designed so beautifully that it makes you believe in the wonders your body can do. Completing those challenges boost your confidence so much to deal with any situation in the field,” she says.
LOVES HER CADRE
When Chhattisgarh cadre was assigned to her, it made her family a little worried. However, she not only convinced them about the beauty of the state but made them fall in love with it, too. She says, “Chhattisgarh is perceived in a very different way due to the Left-wing extremism. But the scenario has changed so much with lots of development. Besides this, the scenic and natural beauty of the state makes you fall in love with it. I am from UP, but I don’t feel I am in an alien place. There are lot of similarities in cuisine, culture, and people here are very sweet. I have had opportunity to learn so much here.”
CYBER CRIME PRIME CONCERN
Although Ms. Singh is in early days of her career, she has seen various types of crime so far. She feels that cyber crime should be the prime concern for the police force as well as the government. “The domain of cyber crime is too big. If a crime is committed in Chhattisgarh, the culprit could be sitting in Delhi or Rajasthan, anywhere. I want to tackle these crimes and want to smoothen the process to detect them.”
As for future plans, she hopes to introduce new innovations in tracking cyber crimes, to enable the police force to deal with them in an efficient way.
