UPSC Interview transcript of IAS Utsah Chaudhary
Edit: I got 187 in this interview
Our driver didn't come on time, so Me nd my dad drove to UPSC. I drove my old college car which I consider lucky. Thankfully this was the only glitch in an otherwise smooth day.
I had the afternoon session , 5th to go. My friend and now batchmate Rahul went before and i was sitting on the bench waiting, he came out and told me to chill out wishing me good luck. As I waited and appreciated the garden , a female member came out who I wished.
After about 5 minutes I went in. Wished everyone and waited for them to ask me to sit down.
Here's how it went..
Chairman sir
Q1. What are tax havens ?
Sir they are countries that offer anonymity to individuals who can use them to stash illegitimate money from activities like organised crime etc. Also they offer low to minimal taxes and most of them are situated on islands.
Q2. Why haven't large countries shut them down ..?
Sir i believe because large corporations and as the panama leaks papers have shown political entities are involved in using them
Q3. Trump recently said that he never paid taxes coz he's smart. Can such a man clamp down on tax havens .?
Sir Although it may be difficult. Sir i believe that countries have realised that they lose a lot of taxes coz of them.They have been known to support terror funding and organised crime . So yes in the future action might be taken against them.
Q.4 Can make in India Succeed without protectionism..?
Sir if there is dumping or anti fair trade policies we should use protectionism but in the long run our industries must learn to compete on their own.
Q5. Before 1991 every TV was made in India, however after that hell not even 10% of a TV is made in india.
Sir India must provide adequate infrastructure along with promoting R and D , labour reforms etc so our enterprises can compete with others and increase scale like china does.
Q6. I see an old lady with a saree , 2 pot bellied babies . Does she need digital india?
Sir she needs digital india the most coz she depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of govt schemes. Although yes there is a digital divide we must work on bridging it by promoting literacy in schools , colleges .even outside. Also just as in Financial inclusion we have a banking correspondent model we can definitely promote a Digital india correspondence model.
Q7. I say lets have leakages . How many will we have ? 2000 crores ? Let her get the service .
Sir i believe that yes such technology shouldn't be forced on people but invthe long run we must curb leakages because we lose a lot of tax revenue and it creates a parallel economy in villages .
Q8. Lets talk about Bangladesh . Whats going on.?
Sir there is an election and the opposition BNP leader has been imprisoned for corruption.
Q9. Can she fight elections.?
Im not sure sir
Q10. Should India intervene for khaleeda zia.?
Sir we must see that the rule of law is promoted in Bangladesh and she gets a free and fair trial.
Q11. Should India support the Awami league.?
Sir we should not have party to party relationships , rather must promote institution to institution relationship. We never know how long awami league will enjoy public support.
Q12. Her media advisor said India should chose her friends carefully.?
Sir even though it was a veiled threat we must definitely promote the institutional relationship over the party
Member 1.
Q1. We have 2 models of industrialization that we've followed in India. Taking the cue from sirs question and seeing ur background at denso which is an automobile firm . We've put tariffs on automobiles and this sector has grown indegenously. What do you think ?
Sir i believe we've followed the model of Maruti which is promoting technology transfer .
Q2. No no..See all these hondas and hyundais are manufacturing in India coz we have high tariffs . They wouldn't be there without them.?
Sir i believe that in high technology and core engineering products tariffs can be used to promote tech transfer but not in consumer products.
Q3. For a young officer like you when you go to a district ..your basic challenge would be finding out what the people want .You might wanna build a beautiful road but the people might wanna get their drains cleared . What would you do?
Sir I would go directly to the people..
Q4. But a DM can't go directly to every crowd. How would you use technology seeing your background and would you use an institution thats already present.?
Sir i would the panchayati raj system and revive rhe district planning committee which is already there in the constitution . I would use video conferencing to talk to different dept and Panchayat heads.
( He wanted me to say social media)
M2 : lady member.
Q1. About technology could you use Facebook to reach out to people.?
Oh yes mam.. as sir said before , there is a collector in kozhikode who uses the name collector bro to recieve suggestions on his Facebook page . I could use that model.
(While also facing the previous member)
Q2. A district has several problems .. i wanna know how ud handle environment and education. ?
Mam for education id focus on improving the quality of techers in primary school by making sure all of them have a TET certificate and that they attend classes on time. MP has used an app called e shiksha mitra to promote biometric attendance of techers. Id also focus on implementing the mid day meal scheme well.
For environment id focus on water. Id map the aquifer levels and implement what they've done in Panipat by regulating boring drills depth and space . Id further promote traditional water harvesting methods. Also to check industrial pollution id check if industries are following SPCB norms.
M3.
Q1. What are tax havens ?
Sir they are countries that offer anonymity to individuals who can use them to stash illegitimate money from activities like organised crime etc. Also they offer low to minimal taxes and most of them are situated on islands.
Q2. Why haven't large countries shut them down ..?
Sir i believe because large corporations and as the panama leaks papers have shown political entities are involved in using them
Q3. Trump recently said that he never paid taxes coz he's smart. Can such a man clamp down on tax havens .?
Sir Although it may be difficult. Sir i believe that countries have realised that they lose a lot of taxes coz of them.They have been known to support terror funding and organised crime . So yes in the future action might be taken against them.
Q.4 Can make in India Succeed without protectionism..?
Sir if there is dumping or anti fair trade policies we should use protectionism but in the long run our industries must learn to compete on their own.
Q5. Before 1991 every TV was made in India, however after that hell not even 10% of a TV is made in india.
Sir India must provide adequate infrastructure along with promoting R and D , labour reforms etc so our enterprises can compete with others and increase scale like china does.
Q6. I see an old lady with a saree , 2 pot bellied babies . Does she need digital india?
Sir she needs digital india the most coz she depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of govt schemes. Although yes there is a digital divide we must work on bridging it by promoting literacy in schools , colleges .even outside. Also just as in Financial inclusion we have a banking correspondent model we can definitely promote a Digital india correspondence model.
Q7. I say lets have leakages . How many will we have ? 2000 crores ? Let her get the service .
Sir i believe that yes such technology shouldn't be forced on people but invthe long run we must curb leakages because we lose a lot of tax revenue and it creates a parallel economy in villages .
Q8. Lets talk about Bangladesh . Whats going on.?
Sir there is an election and the opposition BNP leader has been imprisoned for corruption.
Q9. Can she fight elections.?
Im not sure sir
Q10. Should India intervene for khaleeda zia.?
Sir we must see that the rule of law is promoted in Bangladesh and she gets a free and fair trial.
Q11. Should India support the Awami league.?
Sir we should not have party to party relationships , rather must promote institution to institution relationship. We never know how long awami league will enjoy public support.
Q12. Her media advisor said India should chose her friends carefully.?
Sir even though it was a veiled threat we must definitely promote the institutional relationship over the party
Member 1.
Q1. We have 2 models of industrialization that we've followed in India. Taking the cue from sirs question and seeing ur background at denso which is an automobile firm . We've put tariffs on automobiles and this sector has grown indegenously. What do you think ?
Sir i believe we've followed the model of Maruti which is promoting technology transfer .
Q2. No no..See all these hondas and hyundais are manufacturing in India coz we have high tariffs . They wouldn't be there without them.?
Sir i believe that in high technology and core engineering products tariffs can be used to promote tech transfer but not in consumer products.
Q3. For a young officer like you when you go to a district ..your basic challenge would be finding out what the people want .You might wanna build a beautiful road but the people might wanna get their drains cleared . What would you do?
Sir I would go directly to the people..
Q4. But a DM can't go directly to every crowd. How would you use technology seeing your background and would you use an institution thats already present.?
Sir i would the panchayati raj system and revive rhe district planning committee which is already there in the constitution . I would use video conferencing to talk to different dept and Panchayat heads.
( He wanted me to say social media)
M2 : lady member.
Q1. About technology could you use Facebook to reach out to people.?
Oh yes mam.. as sir said before , there is a collector in kozhikode who uses the name collector bro to recieve suggestions on his Facebook page . I could use that model.
(While also facing the previous member)
Q2. A district has several problems .. i wanna know how ud handle environment and education. ?
Mam for education id focus on improving the quality of techers in primary school by making sure all of them have a TET certificate and that they attend classes on time. MP has used an app called e shiksha mitra to promote biometric attendance of techers. Id also focus on implementing the mid day meal scheme well.
For environment id focus on water. Id map the aquifer levels and implement what they've done in Panipat by regulating boring drills depth and space . Id further promote traditional water harvesting methods. Also to check industrial pollution id check if industries are following SPCB norms.
M3.
Q1. You studied in Rohtak.?
No sir the university was in Rohtak but the college was in Gurgaon.
Q2. Even better. Youd mentioned institutions . Long years ago a young civil servant like you came up with the idea of an NCR planning board. Now its difficult to coordinate bw 3 CMs . How has this fared.?
Sir NCR has definitely developed as Gurgaon , noida and Faridabad have come up as satellite towns . Theyve promoted better housing , provided corporate offices etc . However we have also seen negatives. The HUDA promoted a private sector model of development whereby Clus were granted to private builders in Gurgaon without focusing on public infra like water, roads , sewerage , fire safety . So this has been a problem.
Q3. What about Dwarka ?
Sir Dwarka is basically focused on housing and less business offices.
Q4. So you agree that there have been positives and negatives . What institutional measures would you use to improve it.?
Sir i would build the public infrastructure in Gurgaon and check the environmental damage like declining water tables. Also I would shift future corporate offices from Gurgaon to Dwarka.
Q5. There are so many promises for free WiFi nowadays . Can we provide unlimited free wifi to everyone in delhi.?
Sir though unlimited free wifi for every citizen everywhre wont be feasible we can definitely promote limited free wifi in universities , schools and public places.
Q6. Mark Zuckerberg was a young student like you who invented Facebook from a college dorm. Have you or your friends come up with such an idea ? Why can't we create such things in India.?
Sir i believe that first of all we need to recognise that 90% of startups necessarily fail and our culture mostly favours security. Eg most of our parents want us to get safe and secure jobs.
Also in the west entrepreneurs get financing as VC funds invest in a person despite repeated failures. Also silicon valley companies have tie ups with colleges where they tie up with students to make certain projects. Eg Bill gates was a college dropout.
Q7. Do we have the leadership capabilities?
Sir i believe that Indians do have the ability . Eg Flipkart , ola etc. But most of them are copies. If we give them the required facilities they can come up with it.
Q8. Do we have the political will.?
Yes sir... The govt started the start up india program
M3. Okay lets not go there.. ( all smiles)
M4.
Q1. Can the NHPS succeed. ?
Sir i believe we definitely need the Nhps because we have massively underinvested in public healthcare . So private care can be used to fill the gap. But ultimately we must promote public healthcare.
Q2. But its such a daunting task. What kid of an institutional and technological infra would you propose.?
Sir firstly we must have a universal healthcare package that states the no of treatments covered, cost and quality as well as a regulatory mechanism so that the private sector doesn't exploit the poor.
Also like the GST network a central health agency can be created.
Q3. Would that old lady in a village actually benefit from private care and Nhps.?
Sir i believe we could use a primary health care centre to diagnose her problem and then telemedicine to refer her to a private hospital in the city via an efficient ambulance service.
M4. I hope u realise that when you visit a phc in a field its not so easy.( All smiles )
Q4. We've stayed in India all throughout this iview. Lets talk about Nepal. When the Nepal PM is here he's pro India .He says hes come to India first before china. When he goes back he's anti india. Whats happening?.
Sir firstly we must understand why does Nepal or any neighbor play the china card.
M4. Ok good.
Sir i believe firstly he wants to balance ties with India via china to check any big brotherly treatment we may give like the Nepal blockade.
Also there is a saying that while India dithers , China delivers. Most of our infra projects are delayed.
So even though we have people to people ties , natural symmetry etc. We haven't been able to capitalise on them. So we must improve on these areas.
Chairman sir: Thank You...
I had a good feeling after the interview. Thank god it translated into a good result.
No sir the university was in Rohtak but the college was in Gurgaon.
Q2. Even better. Youd mentioned institutions . Long years ago a young civil servant like you came up with the idea of an NCR planning board. Now its difficult to coordinate bw 3 CMs . How has this fared.?
Sir NCR has definitely developed as Gurgaon , noida and Faridabad have come up as satellite towns . Theyve promoted better housing , provided corporate offices etc . However we have also seen negatives. The HUDA promoted a private sector model of development whereby Clus were granted to private builders in Gurgaon without focusing on public infra like water, roads , sewerage , fire safety . So this has been a problem.
Q3. What about Dwarka ?
Sir Dwarka is basically focused on housing and less business offices.
Q4. So you agree that there have been positives and negatives . What institutional measures would you use to improve it.?
Sir i would build the public infrastructure in Gurgaon and check the environmental damage like declining water tables. Also I would shift future corporate offices from Gurgaon to Dwarka.
Q5. There are so many promises for free WiFi nowadays . Can we provide unlimited free wifi to everyone in delhi.?
Sir though unlimited free wifi for every citizen everywhre wont be feasible we can definitely promote limited free wifi in universities , schools and public places.
Q6. Mark Zuckerberg was a young student like you who invented Facebook from a college dorm. Have you or your friends come up with such an idea ? Why can't we create such things in India.?
Sir i believe that first of all we need to recognise that 90% of startups necessarily fail and our culture mostly favours security. Eg most of our parents want us to get safe and secure jobs.
Also in the west entrepreneurs get financing as VC funds invest in a person despite repeated failures. Also silicon valley companies have tie ups with colleges where they tie up with students to make certain projects. Eg Bill gates was a college dropout.
Q7. Do we have the leadership capabilities?
Sir i believe that Indians do have the ability . Eg Flipkart , ola etc. But most of them are copies. If we give them the required facilities they can come up with it.
Q8. Do we have the political will.?
Yes sir... The govt started the start up india program
M3. Okay lets not go there.. ( all smiles)
M4.
Q1. Can the NHPS succeed. ?
Sir i believe we definitely need the Nhps because we have massively underinvested in public healthcare . So private care can be used to fill the gap. But ultimately we must promote public healthcare.
Q2. But its such a daunting task. What kid of an institutional and technological infra would you propose.?
Sir firstly we must have a universal healthcare package that states the no of treatments covered, cost and quality as well as a regulatory mechanism so that the private sector doesn't exploit the poor.
Also like the GST network a central health agency can be created.
Q3. Would that old lady in a village actually benefit from private care and Nhps.?
Sir i believe we could use a primary health care centre to diagnose her problem and then telemedicine to refer her to a private hospital in the city via an efficient ambulance service.
M4. I hope u realise that when you visit a phc in a field its not so easy.( All smiles )
Q4. We've stayed in India all throughout this iview. Lets talk about Nepal. When the Nepal PM is here he's pro India .He says hes come to India first before china. When he goes back he's anti india. Whats happening?.
Sir firstly we must understand why does Nepal or any neighbor play the china card.
M4. Ok good.
Sir i believe firstly he wants to balance ties with India via china to check any big brotherly treatment we may give like the Nepal blockade.
Also there is a saying that while India dithers , China delivers. Most of our infra projects are delayed.
So even though we have people to people ties , natural symmetry etc. We haven't been able to capitalise on them. So we must improve on these areas.
Chairman sir: Thank You...
I had a good feeling after the interview. Thank god it translated into a good result.
Source- Quora
Utsah Chaudhary Quora- Click here
