IAS Interview Experience

Board:
I was assigned to the board of Prof. David R Syiemlieh. After verifying my documents, I proceeded to the waiting hall.

• Hobbies: Music, movies, traveling, football, cooking, and learning about new innovations.
• Optional subject: Zoology.
• Qualification: B.Tech in Biotechnology.
• Duration: Approximately 35 minutes.

[ All questions are not in sequence but that is what I remembered & all answers are not exact as I was given, Some of the answers were pretty spontaneous, don’t seem to remember much of them. ]
Interview:
ROUND1
Me: May I come in, sir?

Chairman: Please come. 🙂
Me: Good afternoon, sirs and ma’am.

Chairman: Good afternoon to you too, and to the other members.

Chairman: Can you tell me the names of essential amino acids?
Me: Histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, and phenylalanine.

Chairman: And?

Member 2: Threonine and valine.
Me: Yes, sir. |

Chairman: Why are these amino acids essential?
Me: Essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body, so they must be obtained from food, sir.

Chairman: Very good! Please have a seat and be comfortable. 🙂

Chairman: So, you’ve previously been interviewed by UPSC for IFoS, which means you’re dedicated to Civil Services. 😀

Member 2: You love football, so can you tell me the name of the first football club in the world?
Me: The Sheffield Football Club in England, ma’am.

Member 1: In what year was it founded?
Me: I’m sorry, sir, I don’t remember the year.

Member 1: What is a dummy run in football?
Me: A dummy run is a move made by a player without the ball, designed to distract defenders and create space for the ball carrier.

Member 1: (smiles with satisfaction)

Chairman: So, you like movies. Which movie have you seen recently that made you think about it for days?
Me: Sir, Aligarh.

Chairman: What was the underlying message of the movie?
Me: Aligarh is based on the life of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who faced discrimination and prejudice due to his homosexuality. The movie highlights the importance of values like privacy and dignity.

Member 2: Do you support Article 377?
Me: It is a matter of great concern that the state is regulating the sexual preferences of consenting adults. I strongly believe that we should legally recognize the notion of equal rights for the LGBT community. The right to equality is already a fundamental right, and no person should be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, race, caste, or sex. The Delhi High Court’s judgment reasoned that the word “sex” in Article 377 includes not only gender but also sexual orientation. Therefore, the court held that Section 377 is discriminatory with regard to consensual adult sex. I believe that this is a very progressive judgment, and the honorable judges have provided fine legal reasoning.

Member 3: What are the silent features of the National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-2020?
Me: Ma’am, the strategy aims to establish India as a world-class bio-manufacturing hub.

Member 3: Could you explain it?
Me: The strategy intends to launch a major mission, backed with significant investments, for the creation of new biotech products, establish a strong infrastructure for R&D and commercialization, and empower India’s human resources scientifically and technologically.
Member 2: What are biotech incubators?
Me: Biotech incubators are active programs designed to provide services and infrastructure that help initiate and develop scientific inventions and contribute towards the formation of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources.

Member 3: So, your optional subject is Zoology. Can you tell me the names of five crustaceans?
Me: Crabs, crayfish, shrimp, krill, and barnacles.

Member 3: Seahorses are not crustaceans.
Me: Sorry, ma’am.

Member 4:What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
Me: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free-trade agreement being negotiated between 11 countries of the Pacific Rim.

Round 2

Member 4: How important is the Trans-Pacific Partnership to India?
Me: The TPP seeks to vastly reduce tariff levels among member countries and standardize policies on various issues, including safeguarding intellectual property rights.

Chairman:  Should India join the TPP?
Me: India is not in a position to undertake obligations finalized under TPP with respect to intellectual property rights such as the evergreening of patents. Therefore, we should wait for some time.

Member 2: What is IPR?
Me: Intellectual Property (IP) refers to the creations of the human mind for which exclusive rights are recognized. Intellectual property (IP) is a monopoly assigned to designated owners by law.
(Other members don’t seem convinced by the answers.)

Member 1: Suppose you are the District Magistrate of Darbhanga. What will you do for public health improvements?
Me: I will try to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation, population stabilization awareness, proper implementation of government schemes and funds, health awareness at all levels, reducing the impact of climate change and disasters on health, improving community participation, and organizing health camps at various intervals.

Member 2: Why are educated Indian youth getting attracted to extremist organizations such as ISIS?
Me: The handlers of ISIS are active on various social media channels, and they lure youngsters, even the most promising and educated ones, with the promise of being able to attend heaven by serving the divine cause. These radical elements are supposedly well-versed in convincing young and gullible minds to join their cause. The Sunni group has already taken thousands of lives to establish its caliphate or kingdom.

Member 2: So, what should be done about the issue of educated Indian youth getting attracted to extremist organizations such as ISIS?
Me: Increasing the community’s access to skill courses, health and education, better sanitation, and water supply can improve social and physical infrastructure in Muslim-dominated areas. As a “confidence-building” measure, “soft interactions” of the Muslim community with the police will be undertaken, and personnel will also interact with religious leaders to reach out to a larger constituency. The police will also be imparted “soft skills” to aid their interface with the people. This will build trust.

Member 4: Is India becoming intolerant?
Me: A nation is intolerant when its constitution and institutions are intolerant. The unfortunate existence of a few intolerant Indians does not make India intolerant.

Member 3: Your hobby is cooking. What do you cook – veg or non-veg?
Me: Mam, both. (smiley)

Member 3: Seems like you are very talented. Your wife will be very happy. She will get help in her kitchen.

Chairman: Similarity between biotechnologist and Civil Servant.
Me: Sir, both biotechnologists and civil servants aim to utilize the best possible resources from various fields and apply them to achieve the best outcomes for mankind.

Member 2: According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) data for the period of September 2015 to January 2016, which is the most polluted city in India?
Me: Sir, Varanasi, and Muzaffarpur are the most polluted cities in India, with air quality indices of 409, indicating ‘severe’ levels of pollution.

Member 2: What is the safe AQI value?
Me: I am sorry, sir, but I do not have the information about the safe AQI value.

Round 3:

Member 2:­ What are Air Quality Indices?
Me:­ AQIs are determined based on the concentrations of seven pollutants, including PM2.5 (fine, respirable
particles), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO).
Member 2:­ What is the Zika virus?
Me:­ Sir, Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.

Member3:­ What is microcephaly?
Me: Babies with microcephaly have unusually small heads.

Chairman:­ Why does India need a bankruptcy law?
Me:­ Sir, The failure of businesses impacts employees, shareholders, lenders, and the broader economy.

Chairman:­ Anything More.
Me:­ Sir, In a country like India particularly — because of delays in making decisions on the viability of businesses, tactics employed by company promoters to delay reorganization or attempts to sell off assets, changes of management, or litigation that goes on and on — the drag on new business units, jobs, income generation, and economic growth can be significant.

Chairman:­ Ok, Your interview is Over. You may leave. Best Of Luck. :­)
Me:­ Thank You Sir’s, Thank You, Mam. :­)

Note:­ Can’t remember any more questions as of now.
!!! Fingers Crossed !!!