UPSC interview of Mr. Vikas Singh

My interview was scheduled in the fore noon session of 3rd of April 2007. I was interviewed by the board of Prof. D.P Agrawal, an ex dean of IIT, Delhi. The other members were M1, M2, M3 and M4.

The conversation started with Prof. D.P. Agrawal

DPA (Work related)

Vikas tell me about your present company?

How many years weather data you take?

Where did you do your pilot projects for weather insurance?

Is it for rain fed areas or irrigated areas?

So you collect weather data from the field?

Does Hardoi have a weather statation?

Do you think the farmers will understand your questionnaire?

What questions do you ask?

How many questions are there in the questionnaire?

Tell me the important questions?

So, on a 10 point scale how do you rate plant growth?

What discussion do you have with the district officials?

What is a crop cutting experiment?

M1 (IRMA)

What is PRM?
Why rural management? I never heard of Urban Management

Why so many IIMs and so few Rural management? Should the government not open many rural management institutes?

Is the government doing enough for rural sector?

What is the concept of PURA?

Did you ever live in rural areas?

What did you do in Kutch?

DPA:What subjects you had at IRMA? How were they different from normal B-schools?

Did you study about health sector?

What is the health structure in India?

Do you know of any health schemes?

Do you know of any education schemes?

What earlier schemes have been merged in Sarva Siksha Abhiyan?

M2 (Literature)

Who has got the Nobel Prize in literature from India? What was his contribution?

Have you heard of Osama bin Laden? why is he so antagonistic to America?

How are you creative in your writing?

What knowledge do you have about painting styles?

DPA: Don’t you know of any painting styles? Name famous Indian painters

What was Raja Ravi Verma’s painting style?

What is SUPW? Isn’t it compulsory in schools? How is it extra curricular activity?

M3 (Administration)

What is the reason of backwardness of Jharkhand despite rich resource endowment?

But what about corruption? What is the definition of corruption?

What is the effect of corruption?

Who is a public servant? Is he a servant of the people?

If a person from public comes and directs you to allocate resources what will be your response?

Suppose he is an MLA/MP?

What if a cabinet minister of a different ministry asks you to transfer people of your department?

What if your senior officer orders you to do something which your conscience does not allow?

Why do you want to join IAS?

You can have diverse experience elsewhere also, why specifically IAS?

What posts will you get as an IAS officer?

What role will you have as an SDM?

M4
Which two nations are the most recent members to join Eurpean Union?

What problems did you come across in your study in Kutch?

How are these problems being overcome?

Do you think blogs will replace mainstream media?

What do you blog about?

DPA

Tell us one personal experience of yours which can motivate the youth to come forward for rural development?

Why did you criticize the relief and rehabilitation work of Kutch as a reflex action?

What disaster has been predicted by India’s disaster management cell?

If you can not predict a disaster, won't relief always be a reflex action?

Which agency re-built the houses in kutch? I think it was a successful example of Rehabilitation, wasn't it?
What will you do if you don’t get into administrative services?

Will you be able to contribute to rural development if you are placed in some department other than the rural development department?

DPA:Vikas, Your interview is over.