Today’s Topic for Discussion is:

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Issues:

• What is GST?
• What is revenue neutral rate?
• What are the benefits of GST?
• Challenges in its implementation?
• Does GST affect the federal structure of the country?
• What will be the impact of GST on backward states such as BIMARU?
• Does the imposition of cess, dividing GST rate differently for different goods has diluted the GST?
• What will be the impact of GST on industries such as textile industry?

Knowledge Base:

What is GST?

Things about GST

GST and Industry

Revenue Neutral Rate 

Challenges of GST

Aspirants can discuss in the comment section below.

Source: Telegram

Hi friends! We are approaching the final stage of UPSC Civil Services Exam i.e. the Interview/ Personality Test Stage. As mentioned in my previous article, questions in the UPSC interview can be asked from any topic of General Studies. Internal Security and Disaster Management are the most debated topics of today and certain questions are surely expected from them. I have made an effort to list certain important questions related to these topics.

They are mentioned below:

1. How the nature of Indian democracy has impacted its internal security situation? In your view, is the democratic situation of India conducive to its security and unity? Suggest ways in which the democracy and security of India can be enhanced? (Hint: Talk about how free speech impacts security. Talk about naxalism, insurgency, Kashmir militancy and how improper functioning of democracy has impacted the situation there. Accordingly suggest measures)
2. What is the difference between a law and order, public order and an internal security problem? Give practical examples. Suggest measures to deal with them.
3. India is vulnerable to internal security threat from various quarters. Explains India’s internal security origin and threats.
4. Does India require a national security doctrine? Intellectuals of various fields suggest for a national security doctrine for India. What do you suggest? If yes, then why do we need it?
5. What is the difference between money laundering and black money? How both of them impact the security of India?
6. What steps have been taken to tackle the black money problem of India? How demonetization has impacted the security and black money problem of India? Give a real analysis and not any hypothetical answer.
7. What do you understand by the term radicalization and religious indoctrination? How has the online space increased radicalization in India? Being an IPS Officer, how will you deal with this problem?
8. What are the different types of terrorism prevalent in India? What kind of terrorism have you witnessed in your home state?
9. We have successfully dealt with the problem of Punjab Terrorism. Then why are we facing many problems in dealing with the Kashmir Terrorism. Considering the present situation, analyze the challenges faced in tackling the Kashmir problem.
10. In what ways, technology is used in facilitating terrorism in India? (Important for technical background candidates)
11. What are the different sources of financing of terrorist organizations? How has the demonetization step impacted terrorism financing?
12. What are Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)? How are they circulated? What impact do they have on the security, social and economic scenario of India? How demonetization has impacted the circulation of FICN?
13. What are the anti terror mechanisms (institutions, laws and strategies) adopted by India?
14. Indian private sector is said to be the next target of terrorism. How can private sector and government cooperate to fight terrorism?
15. What is the role of civil society in fighting terrorism? Give certain practical examples which you have personally witnesses?
16. What does government expects from media during a terrorist situation? Why do media behave irresponsibly sometimes? What can be done to increase the government-media cooperation in counter terrorism? Analyze in terms of the “Pathankot Episode” due to which NDTV was blocked for a day by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
17. What do you mean by narco-terrorism and how are narcotics and terrorism related? Have you ever witnessed certain young people who have ruined their life due to drugs usage? What measures would you take as a District Magistrate to improve their lives?
18. India is a major transit as well consuming country for drugs. Explain the various drugs trafficking routes to India.
19. Discuss the counter measures (institutional as well as legal) taken to prevent drugs trafficking.
20. Discuss the history of Kashmir Militancy. Why has the situation deteriorated after 2008? Also analyze the changes after 2016. What are the challenged for the peace process in J&K?
21. What measures are being taken to decrease J&K militancy?
22. What are the issues related to AFSPA? In your view, should AFSPA be removed from Kashmir and North-East? Suggest some improvements in the implementation of AFSPA.
23. What is Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK)? What is its significance for India? What should be the Indian stand regarding POK?
24. What are Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas mentioned in the Constitution? Are these provisions implemented properly at the ground level? How has the failure to implement them affected the internal security situation of India? Suggest measures for improvement in this regard.
25. Why has Left Wing Extremism increased in India? Imagine yourself to be posted as an SP of a left wing extremism affected district. How will you tackle the situation in your area?
26. Recently, we have seen a trend of decreasing left wing extremism in India. Suggest indicators and reasons for this decrease.
27. Discuss the growth of LWE in India and the reasons of its prosperity. Why Maoism is considered the biggest threat for India?
28. Special Police Officers (SPOs) and the support of the local people are instrumental in fighting Naxalism. Critically analyze with respect to the Salwa Judum experiment of Chhattisgarh.
29. What are the natures of conflict in North East?
30. What are the reasons for growth of insurgency in North East? How is Government responding to it?
31. You must have heard about people from North East being discriminated in cities like Delhi. What are your views on it? What steps have been taken to tackle it? Being an administrator, how will you respond to such discrimination in your area?
32. What is ‘Act Easy Policy’? How can it help in the development of the North East region?
33. There is a demand to implement AFSPA in Meghalaya. Discuss this issue along with the broad debate on AFSPA.
34. Discuss the security threat related to Rohingya Muslims.
35. Differentiate between traditional and economic crimes.
36. Have you or your friend ever come across a Multi Level Marketing Scheme? What is it? What are its features? Being an SP, how will you deal with such nuisance in your district?
37. What do you mean by nuclear terrorism? In what ways it can happen? What are the nuclear threats to India?
38. Have you heard about Nuclear Security Summit? What are its aims and achievements?
39. What do you understand by Critical Infrastructure? Name certain critical infrastructure in your home district and home state.
40. Why are the reasons for spread of communal violence? Being an SP, how will you deal with a Muzzaffarnagar like communal violence situation?
41. What is the role of Community Policing in dissolving communal tensions? Describe certain community policing strategies you have seen in your area of residence.
42. Describe the nexus between organized crime and terrorism. Giving different examples, describe how different types of organized crime support terrorism?
43. What is criminalization of politics? How is it related with organized crime? Being the Election Commissioner, what steps will you take to prevent it?
44. Discuss the advantages and security implications of cloud hosting of servers vis-a-vis in-house machine based hosting for government businesses. (CSE 2015)
45. Cyber warfare is considered by some defense analysts to be a larger threat than even Al Qaeda or terrorism. What do you understand by Cyber warfare? Outline the cyber threats which India is vulnerable to and bring out the state of the country’s preparedness to deal with the same. (CSE 2013)
46. What are social networking site and what security implications do these sites present?
47. What is a Critical Information Infrastructure?
48. Describe the cyber security framework/ architecture of India.
49. Explain the different provisions of IT Act to enhance cyber security.
50. What is Internet Governance? Which organizations are presently involved in it? What are the developments in this field? What is India’s stand regarding it.
51. What is cloud computing? What are its different types? What kinds of cyber security threats have emerged due to it?
52. How far are India’s internal security challenges linked with border management, particularly in view of the long porous borders with most countries of South Asia and Myanmar? (CSE 2013)
53. China and Pakistan have entered into an agreement for development of an economic corridor. What threat does this pose for India’s security? (CSE 2014)
54. How does illegal trans border migration pose a threat to India’s security? Discuss the strategies to curb this, bringing out the factors which give impetus to such migration. (CSE 2014)
55. What are the security challenges in Border Management?
56. Describe the importance of Integrated Check Posts and Land Ports Authority of India.
57. What are the coastal security threats to India? What measures are being taken to address them?
58. Describe the intelligence setup of India.
59. Critical assess the role of Central Security Forces in maintaining internal security in India.
60. In what ways, internal security operations collide with international human rights issues?
61. What is Criminal Justice System? What are its different branches? What are the lacunae in different branches of the Criminal Justice System in India?
62. Describe the deficiencies in our Police System and suggest improvements on the basis of the recommendations of various committees.
63. What are the deficiencies in our judicial system? Suggest improvement while mentioning the positive steps already taken.
64. What are the causes of rising extremism in India? Give certain ground level examples.
65. How important are vulnerability and risk assessment for pre-disaster management. As an administrator, what are key areas that you would focus in a disaster management? (CSE 2013)
66. The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects. (CSE 2013)
67. Describe the different institutions at the Central, State and district level involved in disaster management.
68. Who all are the responders to a disaster at the local level? What steps are being taken for their capacity development for disaster risk reduction?
69. What are the financial arrangements for disaster management?
70. What kinds of partnerships should be built at the local level for disaster management?
71. What kinds of disasters are prevalent in an urban area? As a DM, what steps will you take to deal with them?
72. What kinds of disasters are prevalent in rural areas? As a DM, what steps will you take to deal with them?

Lohit Matani is an Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, serving in Maharastra Cadre. He has deep interest in, and specializes in Internal Security & Disaster Management. He is a published author and a blogger. You can reach

Source: Forum IAS

UPSC Interview: Do’s and Don’ts

Do

Give Respect: For your age is the experience of the board members, so show respect by body language and words.

Speak truthfully: Truthfully style your answers to sound original, while maintaining your professionalism.

Be Ready to Justify: If you are going to negate the interviewer’s statement, you should be able to justify the same.

Sleep Well: Sleep well before the interview. You cannot learn new stuff in the last minute and you should be “fresh” during the interview. Your ability to think quickly and to concentrate on the questions is very important.

It’s a Conversation: Always think of the Interview as the Conversation and be logical and rational in the answers that you give and make sure you are up to date in Current Affairs.

Accept the fact that mistakes will happen: The board isn’t looking for perfect; they’re looking for flexibility and resilience. “Taking the pressure off the perfection valve will help you perform better and will show that you can have grace under fire.

• • Enjoy meeting the board members and the interview
  • Express enthusiasm and optimism
  • Be clear and concise – answer factual questions as succinctly as possible
  • Remain professional at all times
  • Listen carefully and try to respond to what you have heard
  • If you don’t know an answer. Say so
  • Be modestly confident, dwell on the positive
  • Pick up clues and react
  • Be flexible
  • Be natural, sincere, and straightforward.
  • Be logically consistent and analyse things rationally.

Don’t

Don’t Blabber: Take time to reflect before answering a difficult question. If you are unsure how to answer a question, you might want to reply honestly.

Don’t panic: At times, the Board members might pile pressure upon you. Avoid negative body language. The interviewer wants to see how you react under pressure. Try to avoid signs of nervousness and tension.

Don’t criticize: Avoid criticizing any government policies/programs or mentioning any individuals.

• • Seem overly eager or desperate
  • Talk too much or too little
  • Interrupt
  • Bluff your way through an answer
  • Give long introductions
  • Attempt to draw out the interview
  • Try to be funny or cute
  • Bring up negative view on race, religion, or politics
  • Be overconfident or overbearing
  • Be coy or subservient
  • Be rigid and Vague
  • Avoid technical jargon
  • Fall into the too much information  trap – only provide what is applicable to the question.

More to come ?

Source: Forum IAS

How to prepare for questions related to the State of Domicile you belong?

You should be aware of what these are and decide how to handle them. This list is far from exhaustive, but the areas the interviewers are looking to find out about your state are almost covered here. This is a from a good heart who shared it in Orkut.

History: Ancient civilizations, Archaeological sites, medieval period, Modern period, Participation in freedom struggle, After independence till now, Famous personalities

Geography: Land reform and landscape, Climatic conditions, Rivers and canals of state, Soil types of state, Flora and fauna of state, Minerals and ores, recent incidents

Agriculture in State: Agricultural statistics, important crops of state, dairy farming, irrigation, horticulture, Animal husbandry, fisheries, cooperative movement, land reforms

Economy of the state

General Indicators: Statistics, GDP share, per capita income, Gross state domestic product, HDI,  What is the present status of economy in the state, Which is the predominant economic activity of the state, What are the potential areas having scope for development, What are your suggestions, Financial infrastructure of state

Industry: New industrial policy, agro based industry, forest produce based industry, famous industry of state, labour problems, issues, insurance for workers

Power scenario (energy) in state

Transportation network in state: Roads(national highway, state highway, other statistics), Railways (zone statistics etc.), Airways(international, domestic, military etc)

Demography of state

Population of state: Statistics – Total population, sex ratio, population density, decadal growth, literacy(M,F), District with highest/lowest  population, District with highest /lowest decadal growth rate of population, District with max/least population density, District with highest/lowest sex ratio, District with maximum/minimum male/female literacy rates, percentage of urban population, district with highest/lowest urban population, population/sex ratio(0-6 age group), specific schemes related to population  in state

Education in state: Statistics, universities in state, medical colleges in state, research centres in state,  state board of school education, specific schemes related to education in state

Public health in state: Rural health mission, urban health mission, AIDS control programme in the state, specific schemes related to health in states

Planning of state, Rural development, Water resources of State, Handicraft of state

Welfare schemes of state related: agriculture, industry, labour, health, education, women, girl child, old age, rural development

Districts: how many districts, districts of historical importance, tourist places, education hub, religious place

Capital: Read all information from wikipedia and government sites

Administrative set up of state: Name of lok sabha constituencies, list of governers,  list of chief ministers, Panchayat raj system in the state

Folk dances and music: Folklore, folk dances, folk songs, folk music, folk theatre

Famous spiritual places.

Fairs and festivals of state, famous personalities of state

Source: Forum IAS

The Interview stage has emerged as the most deciding phase of the exam. The range of marks awarded itself is a proof, it varies between 50 to 240. If the UPSC board feels that a candidate is unsuitable for administration, then it awards very low marks. As a result he may not get the desired service in spite of good performance in the mains exam. So interview plays a very crucial role in the final selection.

The personality is some thing that cannot be developed in few days. It is a continuous process since your childhood. But, you can modify it suitably to get good marks in the interview.

The UPSC is looking for some traits, which can be summarized below:

1. Suitability to a public career
2. Mental Caliber
3. Not only intellectual traits but also social traits
4. Interest in current affairs
5. Mental alertness
6. Critical powers of assimilation
7. Clear and logical exposition
8. Balance of judgment
9. Variety and depth of interest
10. Ability for social cohesion and leadership
11. Intellectual and moral integrity

In the words of former UPSC Chairman Surendra Nath, an ideal civil servant should be:

“ Firstly, an officer must be a gentleman. He should possess good character qualities. He should have courage of conviction, intellectual and moral capabilities, leadership qualities and capable of taking the right decisions at the right time. He should have in-depth professional knowledge, self confidence, good communication skills, analytical in his thinking, flexible and not rigid, must be able to inspire and motivate his colleagues and his sub-ordinates. There should be a balance of judgment in decision making”.

So, one will have to improve these qualities as one progress towards the interview stage.

Source: Forum IAS

What are the things that can trigger a question in the mind of the Interview board?

Ans.: The elements in their immediate view.

What are these elements?

Ans.: First the candidate himself/herself, second his back ground record as revealed from the mains application form, third important events that have happened in last few months or are in news currently and lastly words that we use in our answers to the board.

Can we identify these triggers?

Ans.: Yes to large extent. By doing so we can be very well prepared for about 85-90% of the questions.

How does this help?

Ans.: By preparing well on these triggers, we can also work on their presentation as well so as to avoid giving unnecessary triggers through our answers or positively giving triggers that will lead the board to our familiar territory.

• Practically speaking we can sit with our mains application form and write down each and every word that we have written in that form separately on a separate page of a register.
• Having done that, then list questions that can be asked, with that word acting as a trigger.
• Refine the list by sitting with few friends. You will have a list of about 100-200 questions. Start preparing on their content and work on their presentation to keep it crispy and meaningful.
• Similarly we can work on other triggers and try to avoid giving unnecessary triggers in our answers.

Types of questions asked at the UPSC interview:

• Relating to your name: Any famous personality who has a similar or same name or surname.
• Your career choice: Why you want to opt for the civil services.
• Your Hobbies: Why you pursue such a hobby or questions related to your hobby. So research well on your hobby.
• Hot topics of recent days. Keep reading and watching the news. If the recent headlines have something to do with your subject then specially revise those portions. For example if you are a veterinary doctor, Bird flu may go on to other animal diseases that can infect men. If you are an MBBS, then you might be asked about human to human spread of epidemics or any other epidemics and precautions etc. If you are from an economy background, the same topic will veer towards the economic implications of the Bird flu.
• How you are going to use your specific knowledge (like if you are a doctor, lawyer, engineer etc) in the services.
• Situational questions/ Hypothetical questions: Like If you were the collector/SP of so and so, what would you do after the Communal riots/Bomb Blast?
• Choice of services: The order of your choice of services can raise questions too.
• About your institution and related: If you have studies at IIM- you may be asked about the rising salaries, if from IGNOU- then even about Indira Gandhi, and so on.
• Other areas to be focused are: background of parents; places where you stayed; academic background and related aspects; optional subjects; graduating subject; positions if held; job experience if any; hobbies; sports.

Source: Telegram

Interview is a test of personality and not of knowledge, yet most of the time candidates prepare for enhancing their knowledge base and totally neglect their personality aspect.

It is obvious that personality can’t be built in a day but it can certainly be molded in a short time span.Your aim should be to highlight the best aspects of your personality. Interview is the final step before you achieve your dream- DO NOT MESS IT UP.

The members of the UPSC Board are very experienced and are experts at judging the personality of the candidates. You have to remember that the panel usually may not remember what you did or what you did not do but it will always remember how you made them feel. The board always appreciates honesty. Honesty is always the best policy and smartness only the second best one.

For the Interview, please focus greatly on two things- Your Bio-Data (as reflected in the Mains Form) and the Current Affairs.

Bio-Data includes the following:

• Schools, Colleges, Places of Schooling
• State
• Mother’s Profession and Father’s Profession
• Your own previous professions and companies if any
• Reason for a long time gap after graduation without employment (if applicable to you)
• Date of Birth, Meaning of Name, any special occasion that coincides with your dob.
• Hobbies
• Awards and any extra-curricular activities.
• Optional Subjects
• Subject of graduation
  

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Current Affairs includes basically current events that you should be familiar with.

For my interview preparation I consulted the following sources-

• Madhukar Bhagat’s book which was extremely helpful in guiding me.
• India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri
• NBT books on Haryana, and other books on Punjab that are usually read by college students in the state.
• Tourism websites of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh
• 2 National Newspapers- The Hindu and The Indian Express + one regional newspaper (The Tribune)
• I also revised my Optional subjects. (Candidates should also have a brief overview of their graduation subjects especially if they are different from their Optional subjects.) Here special attention should be given on items related to these subjects currently in the news.
• Please don’t forget to revise your GS basics. You should never do any mistake in any fundamentals like articles of constitution or important events in History etc.
• Right after my Mains exam, I read some general books such as My Experiments with Truth, Discovery of India, Indomitable Spirit etc to gain a perspective of seeing things around me.
  

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The members are looking for original thinkers who can express their opinions crisply and in as short as possible.

Your personality should not be overly-polished. It should be a little raw. You should be original and logical in your thinking.

Unlike in the written exam where you could get away by replicating the opinions mentioned in editorials, in the interview you will be grilled for whatever stand you take because as a bureaucrat this quality of taking unbiased decisions that are logical and fair is extremely important.

And most importantly please do not be desperate to get selected. Give your best but be patient- even if you do not make it, it is not the end of life. So please have an open-mind.

You can also watch some serving bureaucrats speak on television channels and try and emulate their style. In front of the Board always be patient. Let the members put forward their questions completely and take a pause before you start answering. Remember, there is no need to be in any hurry.

Everyone is there only to evaluate you and to listen to you. They have all the time in the world to sit with you and so do you. After all these are few magical moments of your life that you will never forget. So make them count.

The following points must always be borne in mind while appearing for the Interview-

• Read that morning’s newspaper. At least go through the headlines.
• Be honest with the board. If you do not know the answer to a question, just say that- “I am sorry Sir/Maam, I don’t know”. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know an answer, what matters is how you say that you don’t know the answer and how you react after that.
• Always maintain your calm and composure.
• Be patient. No hurries please.
• Try and maintain a smiling face and a pleasant aura around you.
• Appear for a couple of mock interviews before you sit for the final interview.
• Try and sit in a group of 3-4 friends and interview each other. This exercise will help you in two ways- firstly while answering questions in front of your friends, you will be more at ease and can work on the content of your answers; secondly when you ask questions to your friends based on his bio-data, you step into the shoes of the examiner and you understand how he thinks and that will help you prepare better.
• Sometimes you may come under a lot of stress during the interview for any reason. In such times, please keep your nerves cool. Do not start assessing your performance while you are in front of the Board. You may feel that you are not doing good whereas in reality you may be doing brilliantly because many times rather than answering the question, it is more important to stay calm and even headed and move on to the next question with ease.
• Be at peace with yourself. Always wear a thinking cap. Never be in a haste to give your answer. Speak slowly and give weight to your words.
• Remember that this is not a repeat Mains Exam. It is an Interview- a conversation by which you will be judged. Come out of the written mode and into the Interview mode. Start researching issues on your own on the net. Form your original opinions and learn how to express your stand in 3-4 lines maximum.
• Practice the art of speaking. I have to underline this fact again that Interview is a test of personality. When your mind is fed information from all sources, somewhere in the chaos, your heart looses its sensitivity. Please preserve that sensitivity. Make sure you show it in the Interview.
• Interview is about YOU.
  

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Before I conclude, it is important to pen down a few words on a very important question-Why you want to join the Civil Services?  This question may or may not be asked in the interview and it may be asked indirectly too (as to why you didn’t continue with your previous profession, why you quit etc). Nevertheless, the very act of thinking on this question will be an eye-opener for many of you.

It is a good exercise to really question yourself as to why have you come so far? What exactly is it that attracted you to the Services? The reasons can be numerous- social service, personal ambition, job security, prestige in the society, contribution to the nation, some childhood inspiration etc. These answers may sound repetitive to the Board but the real point of testing is something else when the Board asks this question. The main purpose of this question is to evaluate your honesty and your conviction for this job.

The answer to this question lies not so much in verbal communication as it does in the non-verbal communication. Whether you realize it or not, there is something about this question that just exposes your real self. The examiner can easily see whether you really believe in what you are saying.

And you will only believe in what you are saying when you are honest. Be honest not just to the examiner but also to yourself. I am sure each one of us has good intentions at heart but do we have the conviction to stick to them when the going gets tough. If you do, then you will not have a problem with answering this question.

Finally, please remember always that Interview is the icing on the cake. If the icing is good, the cake will taste better.

Remember- when you score high in the interview and then get selected, it really boosts your confidence because then you truly know that you are in the right job and you belong here. Make the board feel good about yourself. All the best!

Source: Forum IAS

Questions were mostly from DAF and Forest, env etc.

Chairman

Why did you leave job?
I answered.
C: You studied probability and statistics as a subject in ur graduation. Tell about coefficient of correlation, dispersion, skewness etc.
I tried to answer but couldn’t satisfactorily as it’s been long since I have completed graduation.
C: Situational question – suppose I m posted in a district where there has been outbreak of malaria. How would I make use of statistics to find out whether a particular drug has been effective or not?
I answered something

Member 1

How far is Similipal national park from ur place? Have you visited? Have you visited Bhitarkanika? Significance?
Significance of Chilika lake?
There is one nations park which is bounded by a boundary wall. Which is that?
I couldn’t answer. He gave hint. Keoladeo Ghana it is.
Wetlands? Significance? Ramsar etc.
Protected areas in India
Difference between National Park and Wildlife sanctuaries
How is the performance of WPA act till now and what improvement I can suggest.

Member 2

Why ifos. Why I left job etc.
Forest fires. How it can be controlled.
Where all have I trekked(hobby)?
Have I been to places in Himachal, Uttarakhand ?
What is gender equity? What all can be done in this direction?
How I can persuade local people towards conservation?

Member 3

How can public policy help in forestry?
Suppose a river flows through forest area. What policy measures will you take?
Koraput district in Odisha – what are its importance from environmental point of view

It lasted for around 25 minutes.

Source: Forum IAS

After completing all formalities finally at the door of Board…

Me- May I Step In sir?

Chairman

Yes please.

Me- (came in..stood in front of desk ).. Good morning Mam/Good Morning sirs.

CH- Good morning… please have a seat.

Me -Thank you sir.

CH- Is This you.

Me- Yes sir.

CH- Ok tell me.   How much of forest covers Haryana?

Me- 4% forest cover and 6% forest area ..ohhh sorry sir..4% forest area and 6% forest cover.

CH- What to do then..how to improve?

Me- Agro forestry, social forestry, trees along road sides…finally community awareness generation is key sir.

CH- why is the cover/area low? What has the govt done/ is doing?

Me- ( told normally with little bit fumbling )

Asked few factual info like first forest policy (1986/88 sir?)..Heard WPA ? (1972 sir!)…then was asked about relevance of it with forest cover.. ANSWERED but not so satisfactory.

Ch asks LADY member to ask next…

Member 1

M1-Do you have an Aadhar card? Tell me is it a good step?

Me- Yes mam! Definitely it is a very good step.

M1- How?

Me- Mam, firstly, it gives oneself an identity which  is unique. It creates identity infrastructure which is very important.

M1 (interrupts..)- NO I am not asking theory. You tell me HOW IT BENEFITED YOU PERSONALLY?

Me- (told although with little fumbling in between)..like Linked to my bank account.. linked with my family LPG connection…linked with my Ration card…linked with my Driving license. Many application forms now demand this. Now it is getting linked with MDM etcetc (Mam asked few questions in between..told quite satisfactorily like how benefit in LPG/PDS etc?)

M1- SC view on it?

Me- (told.. VOLUNTARY not mandatory ..nowAadhar bill also..)

M1- what it is about?

Me- (told but not so well.)

(Mam looked quite satisfied..baton handed to IR expert sir.. BAD TIME STARTS..)

Member 2

TELL ME few Conflict areas of world?

Me- started with India-Pak..Rohingya crisis in east..west Asia conflicts.. then USA recently protectionism rising!

M2- NO NO DON’T TELL ME ALL THE PROBLEMS of world..tell me conflict areas only?..okk in west asia tell me.

Me- (fumbled little..) Israel-Palestine issue…(yes what else ??..)..Syria..(what else..??).. Yemen crisis..(what others..)… Iraq-Iran !! (are they in conflict now?)…SORRY SIR I’M UNABLE TO RECALL NOW L

M2- Okk.. Have you heard about Arab spring? What is its current status? Was it successfull.

Me- told but with little hiccups.. (then asked me few factual questions..like tell me which of this area nations are DEMOCRACY ? ) ..Tried to tell few like Turkey….Syria…(went BLANKKKK …)…SORRY SIR I’M UNABLE TO RECALL MORE because definition of democracy is very subjective.

M2- Okk tell me Is Russia a democracy?

Me- Yes sir Russia is reasonably a democracy ! ..(HOW?)…sir Regular elections happening there..(yesgood..what are other elements of democracy?)..grass root participation..decisions by discussion and debates like in Parliament or by direct democracy devices like referendum etc..(okk good)

M2- IS CHINA A DEMOCRACY?

Me- although China claims it to be a democracy but in true aspects..( M2 INTERRUPTS….NO CHINA DON’T CLAIM TO BE A DEMOCRACY?.. THEY CLEARLY SAY THEY ARE SINGLE PARTY RULED STATE?)..Yes sir butttt they claim They have democracy within CPC so they are democratic..but as dissent or alternate views/ideologies is not permitted..thence not a democracy!!

M2-okkkk…!!!!!!.. LET’S MOVE TO INDIA..tell me Kashmir issue..External angles..Internal angles..relationship between them..?

Me- (told well..)

M2- Solutions?

Me-  DIPLOMACY ..“To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war” Churchill !!.. although irritants like rogue neighbour..PM said “Blood and talk can’t flow together..BUT STILL HAVE TO TALK SIR..BACK CHANNEL DIPLOMACY must go on !!.. (Good..what else we can do??).. told like Economic ties..culturalties..Developmentetcetc

(Reasonably satisfied he seems to be..but quite fumbled in these 7 8 minutes !!..2 3 times I DON’T KNOW USED !…Baton to member 3 from North East probably!)

Member 3

(One brief question on motivation Hobby)

Me- telling something..(INTERRUPTS..OKK leave it !!!L )

M3- tell me.. Global happiness index report.. India very dismal performance..only Africans behind..

Me- yes sir 122 rank !! (READ IN NEWSPAPER IN MORNING..JUST RANK I KNEW!)

M3- GOODDD !!..You read Newspaper today??..TOI??

Me- (smilinggg..) yes sir 3 Newspapers i referred today !!

M3- goodddd..tell me why we so unhappy? [AREY TAU YRR SIRFFF RANK PTA THI..ARTICLE NHI DEKHA THA YRRR..SHITTT !! ? ]

Me- (trying to make few points..) sir firstly criterion subjectivity is there in such indexes.. then sir our aspirations are rising so now Basic needs only not sufficient…( WENT BLANKKKK AGAIN !!..)…

M3- so Srilankans happy with whatever they getting but Indians not? This is what you want to say?

Me- no sir..i mean as we are progressing towards MIDDLE INCOME group kind economy so aspirations are increasing fast !!

M3- okk..take your time tell me few more reasons why low?

Me- after thinking for some time.. Sorry sir I’m unable to recall now !!L

M3- unemployment..life expectancy at birth?? Aren’t these reasons of low socre?

Me- yes sir Unemployment is definitely a source of unhappiness !

M3- okkk tell me as a SDM how will you tackle this unhappiness/unemployment?

Me- told like skilling via ITIs/Vocationalsetcetc steps (FORGOT SKILL INDIA L )..

( DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH HE WAS SATISFIED !!…Baton moves to next member!)

Member 4

M4- Recently Merger and Acquisitions in news..two companies decided to merge yesterday..which one? Two- three factual questions about customer base/telecom subscribers numbers etc…ALL TOLD EXCEPT ONE !

M4- So why M & A?

Me- (smillinggg because now 1^st time predicted and prepared area directly asked !).. Basically sir reason is that IN business 1+1=3 !..economies of scale.. efficiencies ..cut throat competition ..Jio entry etc..

( he asked 2 3 counter questions..replied quite satisfactorily like HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT 5 PLAYERS WILLL LEAD TO OPTIMUM COMPETITION/ USOF ?? etc..all done quite well)

M4- Should we promote companies like Jio..does these M & A trends good for market?

Me- Yes sir !currently it is good..but in long term we need STRINGENT regulations to prevent Monopolies etc..MARKET TENDS TO SERVE CLASSES RATHER THAN MASSES !!( M1 M2 from behind..GOODGOOD !!J )

M4- But why do we need regulators at all.. Why can’t we let market work freely?? SURVIVAL OF FITTEST isn’t it a good principle?

Me- (sixerrrtime !!..smilinggg hard)… SIR survival of fittest is good for market BUT FOR DEMOCRACY IT IS NOT !!..for democracy SURVIVAL OF ALL is necessary.. ANTODYA AND SARVODAYAA… SBKA SAATH SBKA VIKAAS.. !!.. and if it is not happening than STATE MUST CREEP IN AND REGULATE !!

( EVERYONE seemed IMPRESSED ON THIS SHOT including M4…Baton to Chairman sir again)

CH- okk let me ask you last question before you leave..what was UN resolution on Kashmir ?post independence when we went there.. do you know it.. can you tell me it’s 3 key points ??

Me- ( although knew few things..BUT STILL CHOSE TO DON’T LET LOSE IN A UNKNOWN TERRITORY IN END !!) … SORRY SIR I DON’T KNOW it in that details !!L

CH- OKKKKK..than tell me WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION ON CURRENT SITUATION IN KASHMIR??

Me- telling something..( INTERRUPTS..)

CH- NO NO TELL ME YOUR OWNNN PERSONAL ASSESSMENT..i know you must have been reading MANY magazines and newspapers .. BUT I WANT YOUR OWN PERSONAL OPINION..!!

Me- sir seeing the recent trend… ( INTERRUPTS AGAIN !! L)

CH- tell me your personal opinion..[ TO MATLAB CHHODOGE NAA TAU BCHE KO !!!.. ASLIYAT WALA SUN K HI MAANOGE ]

Me- ( told…!! ;).. PURE PERSONAL OPINION…BUT WITH GREAT CAUTIOUSLY CHOSEN WORDS)

CH- VERY GOOD !!… asked few counter questions.. replied QUITE GOOD ..!! ( HE SEEMED SATISFIED WITH THIS FINAL SHOW)

OKKK ….GET LOSTTTTTT NOW ;)..thanked everyone ?

TIME TAKEN– 30-35 minutes

SATISFIED..90% interview was from NOT PREPARED AREA AS SUCH..NO ECE/PUB ADM/HARYANA ISSUES..JAAT WALA/KHAAP WALA/SEX RATIO…NOTHINGGGG !!L …HOPEFULLY WILL NOT FALL BELOW MY MINIMUM MARGIN ie 165-170 marks.

JAIII HIND. Prelims preparation begins soon.

PS- DON’T EVEN ASK ME WHAT I SAID AS MY PERSONAL OPINION ON KASHMIR IN LAST..I WILL NO TELL TILL MY FINAL RESULT COMES. ATB to others !!

#HumHongeKamyaabEkDinJ ?

Source: Forum IAS