Srinagar:
The representation of Jammu and Kashmir in the Union Civil Services is increasing as 10 candidates from the state cracked the prestigious examination this year.
Six candidates from Jammu region and four from the Valley have figured in the list of successful candidates, according to the results declared by Union Public Service Commission on Thursday.
Abid Sadiq Bhat (33), a resident of Srinagar city, is the highest-ranked qualifier from the state, standing at 27th.
Bhat had qualified the UPSC examination last year too and was allotted the Indian Revenue Service.
The other successful candidates from the Valley are Bashir Ahmad Bhat (189th), Raja Yaqoob (274th) and Shakeel Maqbool Yatoo (633rd).
Abhishek Mahajan (366th), Afaq Ahmad Giri (585th), Owais Ahmad Rana (744th), Qamar-uz-Zaman Choudhary (751st), Vikrant Bhushan (954th) and Mehtab Ahmed Jagal (1003rd) were other successful candidates from Jammu region of the state.
The UPSC examination has attracted a large number of youth from the state after Shah Faesal, hailing from the remote Kupwara district, became the first from the state to top the IAS examination in 2009.
There were three others, who had cracked the exam with Faesal that year and the subsequent years saw more candidates from the state making the cut.
While 11 candidates qualified in 2011, 10 were selected in 2012 and 11 made the cut last year.