Date of Interview: 11th April
Board: M Sathyavathy Ma’am
Optional: PSIR
Employee: Indian Foreign Services
Home State: Jharkhand

DAF: Defence upbringing + Petroleum Engineering @ ISM Dhanbad + Work Ex in Schlumberger


Chairman

  1. Why did you leave Schlumberger? What is your preference after IFS?
  2. What is Green Hydrogen? Explain to us as if we are laymen.
  3. Government’s policy on green hydrogen? Is it enough, should we do more?
  4. Where have you travelled?

Member 1  (Very difficult to hear him)

  1. Is Schlumbergera Norwegian company?
  2. Have you been to a Rig?
  3. Did you not attend any trainings with ONGC? (No I didn’t)
  4. He did not ask many questions, moved to next one quickly

Member 2

  1. What is water injection?
  2. Any news related to it? There was a CAG report on water injection losses at ONGC. How can they have avoided it?
  3. What is fracking? Is it good for environment? Should we do it now?

Member 3

  1. Did you try joining the Armed forces?
  2. Explain this statement to me – “Stay away from the sails, close to the desk and you will rise up to be an admiral in the queen’s navy”.
  3. How does India select its judges? Is collegium system good? Shouldn’t we move to senate appointments like the US?
  4. What is coal gasification?
  5. Generalist vs Specialist? What’s the debate? The PWD head should be IAS or Engineer? – wasn’t convinced with answer for this. But overall very jovial conversation and back and forth with him.

Member 4

  1. Chances of Nuclear war in Ukraine?
  2. Why India not being allowed to purchase oil from Russia while Europe is? – corrected him politely with facts that India is actually buying oil.
  3. What’s flash point and fire point of petrol?
  4. How do we measure viscosity?
  5. What’s the name and size of the area or Strategic Petroleum Reserve at Visakhapatnam (did my 10th there)?

Overall: board was very cordial. Most of the time they were nodding to show encouragement for the answers. Mocks remain useful only for fine tuning mannerisms and inculcating proper articulation.


Source: Forum IAS