5th April, Afternoon session
Board: Dr. TCA Anant
Optional: PSIR
College: Miranda House, University of Delhi
Hobbies: Madhubani Painting, reflective writing
Chairperson: Dr. TCA Anant
● You did your summer school on Global Health from the University of Sussex
○ Yes Sir
● When was this?
○ Sir, 2016
● So you were in your second year then?
○ Sir, I was transitioning from second to third year.
● Okay so tell me about the summer school
○ Sir it was a one month residential programme with seminars, interactive classes and term end essay paper.
● What were your primary learnings from the course
○ Sir firstly that primary and local health care centres need to be the most robust link in global health
○ Secondly Sir there has to be a chain of communication between the primary health care centres and the apex health organisation which is WHO.
● Okay, and with COVID, in the last two years how do you assess the global response
○ Sir when I was at Sussex the case study we had was of the SARS outbreak, the response to which was fragmented and inadequate. However with COVID, we had cooperation between countries, Solidarity trials, fast-tracked vaccine development, travel bans, bio bubbles etc.
● But I have a very different perspective. I think with SARS we identified patient X, imposed travel bans and did so well that it did not become a pandemic. While with COVID, China delayed putting the information out, WHO response was delayed and we had a pandemic. What do you have to say to this?
○ Sir, that could also be a valid perspective to look at it.
Lady member 1 :
● So why did you not pursue your higher education and in Political Science what is your special area of interest?
○ Ma’am I didn’t pursue my Master’s because for me it would have been like travelling in two boats since I always wanted to write this examination. My area of interest is International Relations.
● Okay, so your area of interest is IR. Tell me what is more important economic power or defence?
○ Ma’am I think both are important, one cannot be achieved without the other.
● After the second world war, there were countries that did not focus on military power.
○ Yes Ma’am
● Can you name them?
○ I said USA and USSR (She meant Japan and Germany)
● You mean USA and USSR did not militarise themselves a lot?
○ Ma’am they did, as a deterrence, and that is how they avoided a hot war.
● What about Japan and Germany? The fact that they did not militarise themselves a lot, did that undermine their power?
○ No Ma’am it did not. Today Japan is a major power in the Indo-Pacific While Germany is an important power and has developed competencies in green energy and responding to climate change.
● So coming back to the original question, what is more important, defence or economy?
○ Ma’am I think the trade off is difficult to make, they are both important
● Okay, tell me, what is it that you bring to the table?
○ Ma’am I bring my leadership qualities, problem solving approach and values of empathy and compassion that shall make me a good officer.
● Okay, in your district, if there is a scenario that you have two options—you either choose community welfare but then few individuals will have to deal with negative consequences or you choose individual welfare but the community welfare will suffer, what will you choose.
○ Ma’am I will choose Community welfare but also ensure that even if there is no positive gains for the individuals, the harms are mitigated.
● You have mentioned reflective writing as a hobby, what is it?
○ Ma’am it is a form of writing, where I sit with my thoughts and emotions and write about it. It helps me understand myself and offers me an opportunity for self correction.
● Do you write everyday?
○ No ma’am, I write when I am feeling overwhelmed or some important event has happened.
● What have you understood about yourself with reflective writing?
○ Ma’am recently when Mains results where out, I wrote about what success meant to me. I realised it is a balance of my academic-professional achievements and my personal relationships and family. In the past I have also realised that when I am doing my duty, I find my peace, like the Bhagavat Gita says, work is the response to most of our troubles.
● Is hard work always enough?
○ No Ma’am it is not, but it still gives us the satisfaction that we are trying and doing our part.
Male Member - 1 :
● I can see you were born in Bihar, but all your educational credentials are from Delhi.
Why is it that most of the people who make it to this stage has a similar background?
○ Sir, we moved out of Bihar because my father got transferred.
○ Generally, however, this is because people are moving out for a lack of good educational opportunities, particularly in higher education
● But you know schools like Netrahaat are also there, and people across the country take pride in studying there
○ Sir, there are good schools. I myself studied from Notre Dame Academy, Patna which is a good school. But Sir, there are not enough numbers of them. And particularly in higher education, there is a lack of professional degrees and the most reputed courses are often found in Metropolitan's like Delhi.
● As an administrator, what would you do about it?
○ Sir infrastructural expansion, ensuring availability of seats.
● What more can be done?
○ Sir, an atmosphere can be created which will provide education and also retain them. For example job opportunities in the IT sector, food processing sector can lead to livelihood creation. Academia-Industry linkage can be created.
● Okay, do you know about the social contract?
○ Yes Sir, it is the idea that the state and the citizens come together in a contract because of the problems of state of nature, where there was no executive, judiciary or legislature. It was developed by Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau.
● Was the social contract compromised in Bihar at any stage?
○ Yes Sir, one of the ideas of social contract is that law and order is the responsibility of the state, like Hobbes asserted. When sections of society took it under their control, social contract was compromised.
● What is national interest?
○ Sir it is the priorities of different nations and can mean different things for different people, like economy, security, people.
● With your political science background, I want a more specialist answer?
○ Sir, Morgen Thai defined National interest in terms of security, territorial integrity, sovereignty and prosperity of people.
● So you think India Nepal’s national interests are different?
○ Sir India Nepal relations are based on consanguineous ties of roti beti, and the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty. There are convergences in our national interest.
● You were working on something since morning and you have come back home and you’re tired. But a new work has come up, but the Tehsil Dar can also do it and go on your behalf. Will you still go and do it?
○ Sir if it requires my presence I will
● No, you have the choice to go or to not go? You’re also tired and somebody else could do it.
○ Sir Civil services is not a 9 to 5 job, I will go even if I am tired
Lady Member - 2 :
● With your special interest in health, tell me about ASHA workers.
○ Ma’am the 9 lakh ASHA workers in India are at the front line of healthcare delivery. During COVID they were involved in community tracing, providing medicines door to door and overall community health. They act as the interface between the primary health care centre and public at large.
● Have you heard about AYUSH?
○ Yes Ma’am
● What does it stand for?
○ Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy
● Do you think government efforts for AYUSH are relevant?
○ Ma’am we have all grown up with the household remedies and knowledge of our mothers and grandmothers, so the effort to streamline it and scientifically record it is good. It can complement the allopathic medicines and treatment.
● Can you tell me some schemes of government for the same?
○ Ma’am I cannot recollect at the moment
● Okay, tell me how the reservation for women in Panchayati Raj has helped?
○ Ma’am the 33% reservation has increased public visibility of women, given them leadership roles, and diluted patriarchy. We have Chhavi Rajawat from Rajasthan And Bhakti Sharma form Madhya Pradesh for example, who are doing good work.
● How can the presence of a woman leader impact and influence the community?
○ Ma’am, women leaders can improve society. For example when a woman leader talks about the importance of health or nutrition especially the first 1000 days from a child’s conception, it is bound to have greater acceptance. Similarly, in education they can play a positive role.
● As a lady officer, or a woman becoming a District Magistrate, what differentiates you from a man holding the same position?
○ Ma’am, I bring my lived experiences to the position. Being a woman, I have at different points of time felt like a second class citizen and that has given me more empathy and understanding. That makes me a better listener and in turn a better leader. Other than this, I don’ think I would be different from a male officer in terms of productivity or competency
Male Member - 2 :
● In the housing sector, why is it that we have so many houses, but they are vacant?
○ Sir, sometimes houses are made in the outskirts of cities, people find it difficult to travel to places of work.Other times people want to live in their community, even if it means living in slums.
● No but I mean there are houses in places where people want to live but too many are lying vacant
○ I said something similar to my earlier answer
● Have you heard of the Model tenancy law?
○ Yes Sir
● What is it?
○ Sir it is a model law that seeks to streamline the relation between landowner and tenant, for example about the rent, maintenance, period of occupancy.
● Okay, and what else has the government done for home buyers and customers.
○ Given them greater powers under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Act proceedings.
Was about to say RERA, before which he himself asks—have you heard of RERA?
■ I said, yes Sir, it is the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
● Okay, tell me there are customers whose concerns are not heard by developers. What Can be done?
○ Sir that is because of the mismatch in economic power. Buyers can come together and form something on the lines of Resident welfare association. Their collective voice will certainly be heard by the developers.
● Why is India lagging behind in R&D?
○ Sir, lack of adequate investments, particularly from the private sector. We also need to expand the existing institutions.
