[UPSC Interview 2025] – Transcript #145: Lt General Raj Shukla Board, Anthropology Optional, Kerala Home State, Cycling Hobby

Date of Interview: 19 Jan 2026 Afternoon
Board: Hon. Lt General Raj Shukla
Optional: Anthropology
Home State: Kerala
Hobby: Cycling

DAF details asked: R&D (work experience), Kerala, Electronics Repair camp

Other DAF details: EEE, NITC, Cycling, Robotics, Optional: Anthropology (Nothing asked from Hobbies, etc.)

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Chairman

So Minerva are you working? Where was it? Post? Why left?
1. How is the R&D sector in India? (Only 1 question and entire discussion surrounding it. I was trying to put my points in between his monologues as he was saying all the points I was going to answer  all the following are part of that – I mentioned about failure of Micromax due to neglect of R&D – only time he nodded )
2. Is there any startup in India which focuses only on R&D? (I said about one robotics startup which college sewage and it has R&D, he said not to say the ones which focuses on products – I said don’t know specific ones)
3. Have you heard of BYD
4. What is their R&D expenditure? Tesla’s expenditure? (Said sorry sir, didn’t know)
5. What about your company’s R&D expenditure? (Didn’t know that too )
6. What’s the status of your company in the automotive industry of the world? It maybe good in India, but it’s not much in the rest. In my childhood, it was one of the largest in the world. Now see that status (disappointed face )
7. Why private sector contribution is low and how it can be improved – don’t say ANRF or support from government
8. Do you think these will make Ambanis Adanis would invest on R&D through these? (didn’t allow to answer, passed to next person)

Member 1

1. Kerala is known for its backwaters. Which is the water way in Kerala?
2. Why waterways are not much developed in India?
3. Your points are mostly negative impacts. I was asking challenges
4. Is there a north south divide in India?
5. But isn’t the Southern states arguing about their controlled population & delimitation

Member 2

1. Einstein once said that the most complex thing in the universe to understand is income tax. Did the government recently do anything to reduce this? (Had only one point, they were searching for some recent act – which I didn’t know, so they changed the topic)
2. (An electronics repair camp is in my DAF) People are not repairing their gadgets nowadays. Mostly it is use and throw. Why is it so?
3. What exactly did you do in this camp?
4. Did you really have any impact?

Member 3

1. In your R&D position, tell me something you did which had drastic impact on increasing the efficiency of the team. (Completely blank on this  I think they understood that and when I was going to say something, changed the topic)
2. How can Kerala’s tourism success be emulated in other states?
3. There’s a decline in foreign tourists to India, like we see in Goa. Why is it and how can we improve?

Member 4

1. What are the reasons for success of the Kudumbasree?
2. Did it really help in empowerment of women?
3. Say about animal rights in India (very open ended, didn’t know how to start or stop, so said whatever came to my mind related to it)
4. What about Jallikkett? If you’re SDM would you ban Jallikkett? (I said no, but try to reduce chances of injuries)
5. But isn’t injuries happening? What you’ll do then?

Chair: Your interview is over

Felt it finished too soon. I thought chair would ask something. Shukla sir was having disappointed face. All others were cordial and smiling and laughing some times. Shukla sir weren’t listening when others were asking.

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