[UPSC Interview 2022] – Transcript #198 : Smita Nagraj Board, Bihar Home State, Geography Optional, Sports Hobby

Date of Interview: 3rd March, Forenoon, 3rd to go
Board: Smita Nagaraj Ma’am
Optional: Geography (No direct Qs asked)
College: IIT Delhi, Mech (No direct Qs asked)
Work Experience: Data Scientist at Axis Bank
Hobbies: Analysing Indian Equity Market, Exploring Online Maps, Following domestic and international cricket. (1 question each on the first two).
Home State: Muzaffarpur, Bihar

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Chairman

1. So you have worked for quite some time at Axis Bank. Why did you leave it?
2. Young civil servants, is it good to give them so much power?
3. But Power corrupts…
4. Short monologue on Migration. What are the losses to both the in-migration and out-migration states?
5. What about the remittances received by the out-migration state? Does it not benefit the state?

Member 1

1. Are you an Individual first or a community first person?
2. So, you might be posted in the archives section or xyz, then what would you do as a civil servant?
3. You may have been managing the region/zone after a level in your previous job, and might have a change of roles there, then what is the problem? (Ma’am misunderstood the nature of my previous job, I clarified that I would be posted in corporate office only).
4. Work done by Ramakrishna Mission/Math in Itanagar. (Based on school)
5. How has it changed the social fabric of Arunachal Pradesh?

Member 2

1. Narayana Murthy has called VC model of investment a ponzi scheme. Why so?
2. What is Ponzi scheme?
3. Do you concur?
4. Where does corporate governance come into picture?
5. What is the market cap of Tesla?
6. It is more than the market cap of all the conventional automobile companies combined, why so?
7. Where should we focus, private sector banks or public sector banks?

Member 3

1. Private sector banks NPA vs Public sector banks NPA?
2. If the GNPA and NNPA is at historic low, then why so much debate about NPAs in public and media?
3. Small banks vs large banks. Where should India focus more?
4. What is the significance of Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks then?
5. Where should I open my account, a Private Sector Bank or a Public Sector Bank?
6. If I go to a bank which has a very good balance sheet, P&L, etc. but the building is old, should I bank with them?
7. Have you read the annual report of Axis Bank?
8. What image is there on the first page of the Report?
9. Google pay, Phone Pay and other entities, how do they earn?
10. What is an Account aggregator?

Member 4

1. There was a very famous English novelist born nearby your town, who was it and where was he born?
2. Have you read 1984?
3. 1984- dystopian world and its relation to where he was born.
4. Is the world moving towards authoritarianism?
5. What is this hobby of yours- exploring online maps. Tell us something about it.
6. What do you gain out of the exploring maps?
7. What are the two things Deoghar is famous for?

Chairperson – Your interview is over, you may leave now.

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Comments:
1. Interview experience is substantially different from the mocks. The flow of questions is very natural.
2. Enjoyed the experience to the core, so much so that, wanted to sit for some more time. Whatever be the results.
3. The board was overall cordial, especially M4. M1 was expressionless. M2 and M3 delved too much into banking and equities and were listening very carefully. That boosted my confidence.

O2O mocks: None
Panel mocks:
1. Shankar (DAF based- helped a lot in preparing for DAF based Qs)
2. Chahal (DAF based- being the last candidate for the day, panel made an extra effort to understand and provide solutions for the way I expressed myself in the mock, super impressed)
3. KSG (DAF + CA- good mix, suggested too many changes, could inculcate only half of them)
4. Vajirao (CA based- last one, got butchered)