Date of Interview: 11/04/2022 afternoon session
Board: M Sathyavathy Ma’am
Optional: PSIR
Home State: UP
Hobbies:  solving sudoku, diary writing and watching web series
Background: M.Sc. (Chemistry)- IIT Delhi
Work Experience: working in NTPC since 2016

Chairman:  Mam initially read about my educational details, hobby and work experience.

1. You are earning X/month and if you join civil service you will hardly get 80k/month are you aware of it?
2. Will you still leave and join civil service?
3. You have written sudoku as your hobby, how often you solve this sudoku do you do on daily basis?  Do You solve it in newspaper? What are different levels in it? How much time you take to solve difficult sudoku?
4. You have mentioned about meritorious award. Why you were awarded this meritorious award?
5. What is your job profile in NTPC?
6. what are the areas in which NTPC is venturing now?
7. (I also mentioned about NTPC school of business)
8. How can an industry give PG Diploma? Is it affiliated with some university or is it deemed university?
9. what do you think is it right for an industry like NTPC to venture into providing diploma also apart from its competency area?
10. You mentioned about NTPC moving towards solar plant. What are the challenges in establishing solar plant in India?

Member 1

1. So you treat water in NTPC. How you treat water?
2. He spoke some 4-5 lines on coal and ash content. Then asked what is NTPC doing to tackle and ensure ash content? What it is doing to deal with coal crisis?
3. So nowadays there is talk about privatisation of Discoms which are running on huge loss. What is your opinion regarding this?
4. Have you heard about xyz fund? (I never heard of that name, so I said sorry sir I am unaware of it.. then he explained a bit about the fund and again asked can you now tell where these funds are utilised? Since I was unaware, I said sorry sir, I am unaware of this fund)
5. What do you mean by coordination?How do you co-ordinate with your subordinates?

Member 2

1. What is crime?
2. have you heard about IPC? What is it? Define it.
3. what is section 420?
4. Do you drive car? (I said No) then do you ride scooter? (I said Yes)..
5. What is the function of gear in scooter? How does it work?
6. So you have studied chemistry through out your life. And then you took PSIR and easily cleared mains several times. What does this prove?
7. (On my reply, he asked why those people with PSIR background who has studied the same subject for 4-5 years  are not able to clear and you have been able to do?)
8. In recent olympics how many medals did India won? Can u name few winners?

Member 3

1. So you watch webseries, what do you like in webseries? Which is the latest you have watched?
2. what is the reason behind Russia-ukraine conflict?
3. Do your plant use RO mechanism also?? (I said No sir)…. So you use only ion-exchange method? How this ion-exchange method works?
4. You told in one of the answer that there is lack of  of Li reserves and storage issue but nowadays grid connected solar plant are also there. Then what is the problem???
5. You told that NTPC is venturing into solar also. Why? And why it is moving from thermal to renewable?
6. Is it that NTPC is itself setting target or it is due to pressure from govt to all the PSUs to generate some minimum quantity of electricity through renewables???
7. what is the current order book of solar plant in NTPC?
8. Have you heard about blood diamond? To which area of the world it relates?

Member 4

1. Who was founder of BHU?
2. He briefly spoke 4-5 lines about UN and how it failed to stop conflicts? What is the reason behind failure of UN to stop conflicts?
3. Do you think that “Might is Right” statement is valid? (I told sir if we see global scenario and IR then this statements stand valid. Then he jokingly also gave example how Might is right statement is valid in domestic politics also by citing examples of bahubali in UP)….

Source: Forum IAS