21-yr-old Oriya girl succeeds in civil service exams.

Twenty one-year-old Madhusmita Sahu, daughter of Lingaraj Sahu and a resident of Talabarkot village of Govindpur block in Dhenkal district, has become the youngest candidate to be successful in the Indian Civil Service examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). She had appeared at the mains examination in October, 2007 and appeared for viva in New Delhi on April 11, 2008.Though she has a weak financial background as her father sells betel for his livelihood, by her hard labour she has set an example for others to emulate. Presently she is a final year student of Department of Economics of the Bhubaneswar based Utkal University.

Earlier, while studying at Utkal University she expressed her wish to appear for the Orissa Administrative Service examinations. But due to the age factor she was deprived from it. From her childhood Madhusmita was a meritorious student. In the High School Certificate examinations she secured 88.8 per cent marks while she got 84.1 marks in the + 2 and secured ninth position. Vikash Educational Charitable Trust had provided scholarships to her for her higher education. As a result she studied at Dhenkanal Autonomous College and secured 77.38 per cent in Economics Honours and become topper of her college. She had only received six days coaching in New Delhi during her fiteen day trip to New Delhi with the manager of Vikash Charitable Trust LN Dash.