New Delhi, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Tuesday felicitated the top 20 rank holders of 2021 civil services exam, who called on him at the headquarters of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) in the North Block here.

Terming the 2021 batch civil servants as the 'Architects of Century India', Singh said that when India is celebrating 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' coinciding with the 75th year of Independence, this batch with 25 to 30 years of active service ahead will charter a new course when Independent India turns 100.

The minister said that India is already on the ascent and civil servants of this new genre have the privileged responsibility of taking it to the top league in the global arena.

Singh also pointed out that apart from the top three rank holders in the 2021 civil services exam, there are eight female candidates in the 20, which is nearly 40 per cent, and asserted that the country is fast arriving at gender parity.

Among the top 20 rank holders, the first three are females -- Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla, respectively.

Responding to some of the suggestions of the toppers that Indian language students face difficulties and challenges in taking the exam, Singh said the government is committed to promote Indian languages and efforts are on to get the engineering and medical books translated in Indian languages by professionals.