UPSC Interview Experience 2016

Interview Location: UPSC Bhavan, New Delhi
Interview Date: 4th May 2016
Interview Board Chairman: Shri Vinay Mittal, Former Railway Board Chairman
Interview Board: 1 Chairman, 4 members
Interview Duration: 40 minutes

Round 1:

CHAIRMAN: So xxx, you have a decade of experience in the private sector and you are currently working with XXX. What is that do you do exactly?
Me: Sir, I am the product manager for the pharmacy application of XXX.

CHAIRMAN: What is the product?
Me: Sir, we provide transparency solutions to the user sir. Whenever a user searches for a drug, we show the drug price, whether it’s a generic version, mail-order pharmacy, etc.

CHAIRMAN: So, it is like a search tool, I can go and search for drug prices.
Me: No sir. A company has to buy our product sir. Then we take the claims of all employees under that
company, run our algorithms, and generate prices based on their insurance provider.

CHAIRMAN: OK. So, it’s more restricted.
Me: Yes Sir.

CHAIRMAN: But how does this help anybody?
Me: Sir, in the US healthcare system. A person moves through three phases, sir. Out of Pocket, Coinsured, and Covered. By allowing the users to choose cheaper options, we ensure that the employee stays within his out-of-pocket limit. This helps the employee, as well as the employer, to bear the cost whenever an employee crosses out of pocket limit.

CHAIRMAN: OK. Now in the US, there was a change in the healthcare system. It was called Obama Care. What is it and what is the criticism against it?
Me: Sir, in the US, the health care system is completely privately owned sir. The government does not have any hospitals and the patients access the health care system through insurance. It was observed that many of the poor were not able to access the healthcare system as they could not afford insurance. The Affordable Health Care Act introduced by President Obama states that no insurance provider can reject providing
insurance whether due to past health problems or affordability. This has resulted in the health care costs going up across the country and this is the main criticism against the act.

CHAIRMAN: So, basically, it’s like a cross-subsidy where the rich have to bear some costs due to the poor.
Me: Yes sir.

CHAIRMAN: So, there has not been any pushback?
Me: Sir, several states filed cases with the US Supreme Court stating that the act infringed on the federal structure. But, the Supreme Court upheld the act, sir.

CHAIRMAN: Acha. So even now the government is not paying anything, it’s the rich that are getting affected.
Me: Yes sir.

CHAIRMAN: How many companies are there that do what your company does?
Me: This is an emerging sector, sir. We are the leaders in this industry.

CHAIRMAN: Tell me in your career have you done anything innovative in your work:
Me: Told about something in my previous company.

CHAIRMAN: Nothing in your current organization?
Me: Sir, I have been here only for a year and the product I am working on is already in the market. So, there is not much scope for innovation.

CHAIRMAN: Oh, but there must be still some new things.
Me: Of course sir and told me about a complex project I am working on. Chairman seemed satisfied.

CHAIRMAN: Now tell me something. You are in a very high position. You earn more than I do. You seem to love your job. Why civil services?
Me: Sir, actually I applied for civil services when I passed out of college, but, I moved into the private sector and lost sight of my goal.

CHAIRMAN: But, why so late? You will not even reach the highest position by the time you retire?
Me: Sir it was my dream to enter civil services.

CHAIRMAN: interrupts: Was na.
Me: Yes sir. But all through this time I had a regret that I could not pursue my dream, sir.

CHAIRMAN: But, you have filled all services, not just IAS, and IPS. You will work in any of the government departments?
Me: Yes sir.

CHAIRMAN: But, why? Why this interest in civil services?
Me: Sir, I believe civil services is one of the few avenues where one can serve the nation while discharging official duties. I also serve the nation in my current job by paying taxes and helping the IT industry grow. But, civil services is much nobler sir.

Round 2:

CHAIRMAN: When you have so much passion for civil services, why did you go into the private sector at all?
Me: I had family compulsions, sir. With this chairman indicated member 1 to ask questions.

MEMBER 1: You have just now talked about the healthcare sector. What is the status of health care in our country now?
Me: Madam, we have a mixed model where both the private sector and government healthcare facilities run together. All healthcare facilities are provided free of cost in government hospitals while patients have to pay in the private sector.

Member 1: So, what is the problem ailing this sector if the government provides everything for free?
Me: Madam, the government hospitals are in a dilapidated condition and many of them don’t even have proper facilities. There is no equipment available and there is chronic absenteeism.

Member 1: What will you do to change this?
Me: Madam, the spending on health care is only 1% of our GDP, a lot more needs to be invested to increase the facilities.

Member 1: No, but what would you do as an officer to change this?
Me: Madam, I will try to ensure that hospitals are maintained cleanly so patients can access the same. I will also reduce absenteeism among the doctors.

Member 1: What else?
Me: Madam, I will try to buy the required equipment so hospitals have all the facilities. I will also try to get the people in my district insured so they don’t have to pay out of their pocket.

Member 1: In your career, have you ever faced a situation where a mistake was committed by you or there was a crisis:
Me: Yes Madam. Talked about some examples from one of my projects.

Member 1: So how did you motivate the team to get over the crisis?
Me: Blah blah blah.

Member 1: What was the takeaway from the experience?
Me: To always communicate in the clearest manner so there are no ambiguities. (Everyone nods in agreement)

Member 1: OK. Tell me 5 ways you can use a pencil other than for writing.
Me: Totally Shocked. Tried to think.
Madam, the pencil can be used as a scale to draw something. It can be used to dig something from the ground. Can be used as a paperweight (chairman laughing, not an effective paperweight). Me too laughing.

Member 1: That’s fine. Thank you.
The chairman points to member 2 to ask questions.

Member 2: So xxx. You explained the Obama care act beautifully. You talked about technology and your work. I will ask something else.
Me: OK Sir.

Member 2: What is BRICS?
Me: Sir BRICS is a term coined by a Goldman Sachs analyst.

Member 2: interrupts: Was it called BRICS?
Me: No sir, it was called BRIC referring to the countries Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa was added later.

Member 2: OK
Me: These were the developing economies at that time and it was said that these economies would become economic giants in the decades ahead.

Member 2: China is a developing economy.
Me: It was a developing economy when the phrase was coined sir.

Member 2: When was the phrase BRICS coined?
Me: Sir, late 90s or early 2000s sir.

Member 2:OK go on.
Me: Sir after that these economies formed into an organization and had summits etc. and now we also have a
BRICS Bank is called the New Development Bank.

Round 3:

Member 2: What is the purpose of this bank?
Me: Sir it is estimated that more than a trillion dollars are required to cater to the infrastructure needs of these countries. But, such funding is not coming from the existing institutions like the ADB or the World Bank. Hence, this bank is needed, sir.

Member2:How are they funded?
Me: They are funded by contributions from the member countries sir.

Member 2: Are the contributions equal?
Me: Yes Sir.

Member 2: Are you sure?
Me: Sorry sir I am not completely sure about the level of contributions.

Member 2: The major contributor is China right?
Me: Yes sir.

Member 2: So, are you comfortable with India taking money from China
Me: Sir, China has surplus capital which it wants to invest, we need money for our infrastructure needs. As long as our sovereignty is not compromised, I don’t see anything wrong in taking the money.

Member 2:So, if you become a diplomat and you are posted there, you will try to make India more authority over the bank.
Me: Yes sir.

Member 2: As an IAS officer, you will be posted in rural areas. How will you live there? You won’t have AC and all these facilities?
Me: Sir, I am a small-town boy. I have spent the majority of my life in small towns like Chittoor, and Anantapur. So, I have no problem serving in small towns.

Member 2: But, it was more than a decade ago right? Not in the past few years.
Me: No sir.

Member 2: Kept on prodding on challenges I would face in rural areas.
Me: Answered how that is not the case and how I will manage.

Member 2: OK. Other than your job, how have you diversified in the past few years?
Me: Sir, other than my job, I have learned a lot about my country in the course of UPSC preparation sir. Earlier I was a typical IT guy who complained about traffic jams and a lack of facilities. But, over the past few years, I have learned the constitution of our country, I have learned what unemployment means, and what poverty means, I have studied the history of our wonderful country right from ancient times to the present day, and that has enabled me to learn so much. Chairman pointed to the next member to ask questions. This member was very very serious. The only guy who did not smile.

Member 3: You won an essay competition in school. What was the topic about?
Me: Sir it was in school, I don’t remember the topic.

Member 3: Ok no problem. If you write an essay now, what would be the topic you would choose?
Me: Sir, international relations.

Member 2:OK. Would you be comfortable with internal security topics?
Me: Sure sir.

Round 4:

Member 3: There was a recent attack on Pathankot. What was it?
Me: Sir, insurgents from Pakistan moved into Pathankot. They kidnapped an SP, his friend, and his servant. They made calls to Pakistan using the SP’s cell phone. Then they moved into the Pathankot air base.

Member 3: What is the takeaway from this incident?
Me: Sir, the insurgents made calls to their handlers in Pakistan. The intelligence agencies must be tracking calls made from India to Pakistan, yet the information was not passed quickly enough. The terrorists taking advantage of the growth of shrubs and trees were able to hide in the air base and we were able to flush them out only after an extended operation.

Member 3: What can we learn from this incident about actionable intelligence?
Me: Sir even though the SP informed the authorities that terrorists had kidnapped them and then let them go, nobody took any action. We had to call in the NSG from Delhi when we had armed forces available nearby, this led to a delay in the mission.

Member 3: There was an army in the air base?
Me: No sir. They were nearby and they could have been called in quicker than the NSG.

Member 3: Me: Sir the Maoists have been almost completely eliminated from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are
now restricted to Member 3 interrupts: Uttarakhand?
Me: Sorry sir, Jharkhand. They have been restricted to Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, and certain parts of Maharashtra. As stated by their senior leadership, they are not able to attract anyone from the urban areas and are now restricted to tribal belts. The government has been able to successfully restrict their activities and their influence has been reduced.

Member 3: How is their influence reduced?
Me: Sir, I will explain by taking the example of Andhra Pradesh.

Member 3: Yes, go ahead.
Me: Sir, in Andhra Pradesh, a special force called greyhounds was raised by DGP Vyas (M3 nodding in agreement). The police officers joining the greyhounds were given greater incentives and greater pay, and in the case of loss of life, their families were supported as well. Also, the police moved into the villages and counseled people on the dangers of joining the Maoists. This also had a great effect. In addition, sir, when the late chief minister Shri Y.S. Raja Shekhar Reddy invited the Maoists for talks, the police identified the route taken by the Maoists to come out of the jungle. When the talks failed, they went through the same route and were able to shrink the area of Maoists’ influence. During the peace talks, the Maoists also organized huge sabhas and went on a recruitment drive. The police were able to insert a lot of information and were able to eliminate a lot of their high-ranking leaders. Chairman pointed to the last member to ask questions.

Round 5

Member 4: Does India have Trade Secret Law?
Me: I am sorry sir. I do not know.

Member 4:So, you have worked on so many projects, how did you manage the intellectual property-related items?
Me: Sir, I never encountered intellectual property-related work.

Member 4: But surely there must be some kind of IPR the products you built had.
Me: Of course sir. I am sure my company has patents on the products we developed. But, I was never
personally involved in it.

Member 4: How have you empowered women employees?
Me: Blah blah blah

Member 4: But, that’s managing their work efficiently, how have you empowered them?
Me: Sir, the IT industry itself has women empowerment, sir. There is no discrimination against women employees. I have only ensured that I allocate work based on their abilities and capabilities and not based on their gender.

Member 4: How do you manage sexual harassment against women in the workplace?
Me: Talked about company policies. Protection against sexual harassment etc. etc.

Member 4: But how did you manage sexual harassment cases?
Me: Sir, thankfully there has never been any sexual harassment case in my teams. So, I did not have to handle it till now.

Member 4: The government has passed certain rules regarding sexual harassment, what are those?
Me: Told them.

Chairman: Thank You. Your interview is over.
Me: Thank you, sir. Thank you, madam. Thank you, sir, Thank you, sir, and Thank You sir to each and every member.