[UPSC Interview 2024] – Transcript #16: Suman Sharma Board, PSIR Optional, Gujarat Home State,

Date of Interview: 25 March, 2025 (Forenoon session, first to go)
Board: Suman Sharma
Optional: PSIR
Home State: Gujarat
Background: B.Tech, Electrical, IIT
Key DAF details: B.Tech, Electrical, IIT, Gujarat, PSIR, Blogging on Indian Foreign Policy
Duration: ~30 minutes.

• To view all IAS Interview Transcripts 2024, visit this page

Chairman

1. India has 500GW RE target, what are the issues?
(Mentioned grid stability, harmonics, storage, load shedding etc)
2. What can be done for storage?
(mentioned PSP, Battery storage, flywheel)
3. Issues in PSP? (long gestation)
4. Issues in battery storage, no lithium availability?
5. What else can be done? (decentralised storage systems)
6. GJ excelling in rooftop solar adoption, but why not the rest of India?
7. India poor rank in WHR. what can be done?
(told the ranking is flawed with Pak, Gaza above India. Talked about meditation, Yoga)
8. Will there be no financial angle? What about people in rural areas?

Member 1

1. Why do you write on IFP?
2. Why Trump backflipped from Biden’s policy in Ru-Ukr war?
3. Russia Ukr War, and then Hamas attack on Israel to divert attention. What is the linkage?
(Sir was looking for RIC axis but I couldn’t tell, I told them they are separate issues in volatile geopolitics)
4. Hinted on who is backing Hamas?
(Talked about octopus and its tentacles)
5. Hinted on Iran China relations
(teapot refineries, RIC is becoming single strategic space)
6. He wanted to show the coordination of RIC in diverting attention from Ru-Ukr war. Gave monologue.

Member 2

1. Constitution talks about scientific temper then why state funds for activities like dipping in high E 2. Coli water? Isn’t it a hindrance towards rationality?
3. How spirituality helps in developing rationality?
4. Why is India’s research output bad, compared to China?

Member 3

1. What is Act east policy of India?
2. What is India doing under it?
3. Is quad a military alliance?
4. Purpose of quad then?

Member 4

1. What can be done to improve school and higher education?
2. NEP 2020 provisions for that?
3. Did we have 3 lang formula before NEP?
4. Any benefit of regional language learning in higher education?
5. India’s higher education enrollment? Told ~47%(which is wrong), he asked if sure, I said I have to check it.

Chairman: Thank you, your interview is over.

Mocks: gave lots of them, found Samkalp, Vajirao and Reddy, JICE very useful
Special thanks to Utkarsh Shukla sir (Sriram) and Brijesh Patel sir (SPIPA)