UPSC Interview Transcript of IAS Abhijeet Sinha (AIR 18, 2017)
CSE Interview 2017
Name – Abhijeet Sinha
Optional- ECONOMICS
Optional- ECONOMICS
Board – Air Marshal Ajit Bhonsle
Marks – 201 / 275
The Magnanimity of the day of the UPSC interview can be both exciting as well as Intimidating. Fortunately for me, since I had a firm belief that my mains had gone well, I was more composed than nervous and more eager than anxious.
On top of that, those working at UPSC are very cordial people. They try in every possible way, to relax the candidates. So much so that even the attendant at the gate of the Air Marshal actually helped me straighten the ties and tuck in my shirt properly.
Finally after waiting for about 10 minutes just outside the designated room, the light at the gate tuned Green, quite literally. And thus began the final round of the assessment, the personality test.
The board consisted of 5 members, including the chairman and Members M1, M2, M3 and M4. There was 1 lady member, and she seemed familiar. All were seated around an oval table.
My demeanor was calm yet confident with a half-smile throughout the interview.
Chairman
- You look familiar ?
- I don’t know, sir.
- Maybe, because I have a typical Indian face , it gives a perception that I am familiar.
- Lady member interjecting, Or it maybe because, you look like a film star.
- (with a broader smile) Maybe mam, but i still think, it is more because I have a typical Indian face.
- M1 chips in, “Who’s that filmstar?”
- I don’t know sir ( In my head, sir you all proposed that I looked like one. I do not feel so )
Chairman then began with the more formal introductory part. And explicitly said that this is not a test of knowledge but of personality. It is not really a test of what you answer, but more of HOW you answer. You can speak in any language, as per your convenience, write the answer on a piece of paper, should you need it………
- Ch – So, tell me about yourself ?
- I talked about where I come from, graduation ( IIT K ), hobbies, optional ( Economics) and about my parents.
- Ch – All this is in your DAF ( biodata ). Tell me something more ?
- I talked about other hobbies, why I had chosen Economics in spite of having an Electrical Engineering background ( interest in Economics) and why I want to be an IAS officer ( opportunity to contribute in nation building + good career opportunity )
Ch- You answered 2 other questions (refering to the above answer), that i did not explicitly ask. That’s good.
Member 1
- So, tell me the top 3 uses of water in the order of use ?
- Sir, the highest is for Irrigation purpose. The 2nd and 3rd, I am not completely sure, but I think they are for industrial purposes and for domestic use.
- That’s right. The highest is for irrigation. Do you know what proportion is used for irrigation ?
- It is close to 70-80% sir.
- That’s right. It is 70%. So, tell me, what can be the methods to conserve water ?
- Sir, since irrigation utilises most water, our priority must be on optimising that. Hence, we should focus on watershed management, rainwater harvesting, rationalisation of MSP for crops, rationalisation of Electricity prices and provisions like appropriate water taxation for industries.
- Shouldn’t we focus on behavioural change ? for eg. we can persuade people to move from Rice ( water intensive crop ) to Wheat ( less water intensive ) especially in your region, where rice is the staple food.
- We must sir. But, I think a change is already underway. For example, I see the generation of my grandparents would primarily eat rice. But, as we move towards the newer generations, there is a greater adoption of wheat based food.
- Why should we conserve water in Bihar, because its already a water surplus state ? ( I’m associated with both Bihar and Jharkhand ) ( Sir, seemed to have have special attachment to water :P)
- Sir, Bihar as a whole is water surplus state, but even here are regions which are deficient in water, example region ABC from where I come from. Plus, without conservation, the monsoon water quickly drains away. Finally, sir, Bihar may be water surplus, but the rest of the country isn’t. Therefore, we have an ethical responsibility for those regions as well.
- Ok. Tell me Gobar Gas plant is successful throughout the country, but not in Bihar. Why so ?
- I paused and thought for 3-4 seconds
- Sir, Bihar has a special problem, that of, Casteism and Stigmatization based on Caste … (I then wanted to elaborate it but Sir cuts me short, Smiles and says, I got your point )
Member 2 ( Lady)
- You did a Management Internship from XYZ. Why did you choose management internship ?
- Ma’am, I believe I am a generalist, and a jack of most trades. And I therefore wanted an opportunity where my generalist abilities could be utilised. That’s why.
- 1-2 questions ( analytical) from the sector in which the company operates.
- You have economics optional. In the wake of PNB Bank scam, do you think Public sector banks ( PSBs) should be privatised ?
- Some PSBs should be ma’am, but only those whose balance sheet are in red. But PSBs in general, serve 2 important purpose. One is Social Financing, Second is Infrastructure Financing. Plus, even in PNB scam, all other stakeholders except PNB were private parties. And even in private, market failure is common. Hence, a general Privatisation would not be the apt way. Instead, there is a need to be more selective, and focus on better regulations instead.
- M2- I will have to admit, that you answered it really well.
- Why are IITs behind?
- Normal points. Plus, one special focus on the fact that IITs are specialised institutions, unlike the best universities of the world where all departments exist. Because of that, the scope of Inter departmental research becomes limited, for example that between Computer Science and Sports or between ELectrical and Music. Chairman nods affirmatively.
- Give a Technical Solution to Doctors not coming to rural areas ?
- Said 2-3 points – Figerprint based attendance system for doctors to raise accountability, Tele-Medicine and Organising of Mass Camps based on Big Data to optimise the process.
- Give an Out of Box Solution to Naxalism. Stresses Out of Box ? Paused for 5-10 seconds.
- Sir, Naxalism proliferates when the divide between the citizen and the state becomes high. Hence, the solution must focus on bridging this divide. Hence, a solution can be adopted from the Nayak movie, where the CM installs a system where people can note down their complains in complaint boxes. We can adopt a similar system and make it even better using App Based systems where people can get their grievances redressed. This would also help in better information collection against Naxalism. And can be a sustainable strategy to tackle not only Naxalism but also many of the social evils.
Member 4
- You hobby is watching football. Questions like Which was the last match you saw? Who won it ?
- Who’s your favourite player ? Why ?
- Sir, Mesut Ozil is my favourite player. Since I am an Arsenal fan, so, there is a natural inclination towards him. On top of it, he is a very good passer, has very good technique, is a team player.
- 1 positive and 1 negative about Kanpur?
- Positive – Its a cosmpolitan city with rich diversity. And this diversity provides a degree of complentarity and acts as a strength of the city.
- Negative – High Pollution and lack of adequate cleanliness.
- We talk about the need for Corporate Social Responsibility. But we also need Academic Social Responsibility. Is IITK doing something in that regard?
- It is sir. And talked about RuTAG mission of IITK, participation with Government of India in the Health Sector and individual efforts like Professor HC Verma’s Shiksha Sopan which is delivering free high quality education to students.
- Thats right. But don’t you think that in India there is a possible of Scaling up ? (or individual efforts like these don’t reach the optimum pan -India level )
- Sir, it is a problem, to certain extent. But, I believe that a sweeping generalisation is not the best way to go about it. For instance, plans like Swatch Bharat Mission or PM Jan Dhan Yojana were started at smaller levels. But, slowly, we were able to successfully scale to it very high levels. The same is true for almost any other initiative sir.
Chairman Again
- Lets move to International Relations. You would have heard of the recent improvement of relations between USA and N Korea. Now, let us imagine a case where you are made the Advisor to the North Korean President. What would your advise be in that case ?
- ( Surprised at my role but then recollected myself) Sir, since I am an North Korean citizen, for me the interest of my nation, North Korea, would be paramount. And I would advise the president to use the talks as a shield to buy time and complete the nuclear weapons program, just as NK did in 2007 round of talks. It may not be in the best interest of the world, but as a North Korean, I will have to put the nation first.
- Chairman – What use is an advisor who recommends old strategy. He would ask you to get out, they won’t need an advisor like that. ( in the most authoritative of tone which can be intimidating for the weak). But then Chairman sir, regained his demeanor and said, you are right, you are absolutely right when you advise that. But, tell me something that is new (I calmly replied )
- Sir, In that case, I would advise to bargain with USA hard on issues like removal of bases and American Anti-missile system in Japan and South Korea. Secondly, I would focus on the low hanging fruits like sports diplomacy, tourists exchange, prsioner exchange etc so that the Sanctity of the state is preserved in the eyes of the people.
- Good. Lets have another case study. Let us say you are the DM of a district which is prone to riots. And it has so happened, that a very popular leader from the majority community has been murdered. The police have arrested the murderer . And during interrogation, you find out that the murderer is a person from the minority community. Now, as the chief representative of the government of the district, you are the one responsible for a media release. There is a strong media pressure on you to reveal the details of the murderer. How will you handle the situation ? Will you reveal the details ?
- ( After a pause of 3-4 seconds) Sir, time heals many wounds. And as such, my strategy would be to buy time and I would say that the details of the murderer are still being verified and ascertained.
- But, won’t it increase speculation ?
- It can, sir (almost instantaneously). But at this junction, it is more important to ensure that riot does not take place and lives of innocents are not lost. And any transparency can be added later, when the volatility of the situation is reduced.
- Chairman – You could have employed another strategy that you could have lied and said that the criminal is from majority community ?
- Sir, I believe that lying can never be a perennial solution. It would have made the problem more complex. The perception of the district administration would be hit and on a personal level, departmental enquiries can be inititated against me as well.
- Chairman – Ok. But, let us say no departmental enquiries are initiated against you ?
- Sir, even then I would not lie.
Chairman and others – Thank you.
M1 – I hope and wish you become an administrator :)
Source- QUORA
Abhijeet Sinha's Quora account - Click here
Abhijeet Sinha's Facebook - Click here
Abhijeet Sinha's blog- Click here
