 Sir, may I come in? Good morning sir. Good morning madam. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Thank you. Faizan Ahmad. Swaimadopur. Your father is in railway. Yes sir. Having or retired? Currently serving. Tell me something about your father's job. How it has changed over the last 30 years or so since your father started working. So my father joined the Indian Railways as an assistant station master in 1992 and has been working since then. Currently he has been promoted to the post of station superior attendant and he is the chief in charge of the station where he is working and under him three assistant station masters and one station master works. With regards to how his work has been changed there has been a lot of modernization and digitization of the working of the stations to reduce human errors. Earlier for example most of the things that had to be done were done manually with the help of appointments on the stations and that led to some human errors or human discrepancies could have been crept in. But due to increasing digitization of the railways the new traffic signal systems with regards to the train working etc. More and more safer the Indian railways have become when it comes to the running of the station. Where he is posted? Currently he is posted in Anta Railway station near Kota itself. So his services have been mostly in Rajasthan? Yes mostly I think four or five years ago he was posted in Madhya Pradesh also at the station of Dannaabada. But generally it is a zone allotted? Yes sir, Jabalpur zone. Okay during your father's time any event mis-happening? Yes sir, from what I can recall around 8 to 10 years ago due to the negligence of one of the pointsmen at the station working at that time there was a small mishap when one of the wagon trains they derailed from the railway tracks. So that is one of the incident. But no casualties? No casualties were there sir, fortunately. Apart from that nothing has happened. Have you gone inside their system and seen? Yes sir, when I was small I think when I was 8 to 10 years old I had once visited the railway station with him and after that due to my studies and all I didn't get much time to visit the station. Social media? Yes sir. What was your phone? Sir, I was responsible for running the social media page and the website of our tech-fest and I was also responsible for promoting the fest I was heading the main team that was designating other students who would go to different colleges of the university and create awareness and role participation of the students over their colleges and handling of the Facebook pages etc. that was being done by me. As per Indian tax laws an Indian what all types of taxes is liable to pay? He may not be required to pay depending on his income but suppose he is having lot of income what all taxes is liable to pay? Sir, the taxes that an Indian has to pay are divided broadly into two categories. First is the direct tax and the second is the indirect tax. The indirect tax amounts to taxes like the GST and the direct taxes can include the income tax, capital gains tax, dividend tax and I think sir these are the some... Wealth tax, wealth tax, gift tax. Sir, wealth tax has been abolished in India, it is no longer there. Gift tax. I am sorry sir regarding... Property tax. Pardon sir, which tax? Property tax. Yes sir, I think property tax is there from what I can recall. And in the indirect it is only GST, nothing else? Sir, apart from GST there are taxes, the vat on fuel, on alcohol, these are also there. What are the security challenges for India? Internal as well as external. Just give me count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There are several challenges both internal and external that India faces currently when it comes to internal security we have challenges like the insurgency in the northeast then we have the problem of naxalism and Maoism in central India, communist strongholds then we have the problem of terrorism in places like Kashmir and when it comes to external security... Cyber security, cyber is no problem. Yes sir, thank you for reminding me that. Cyber security is a major threat that has been emerging in recent days. For example the attack on the Kundakulam power plant there have been talks about the Pegasus spyware also and other spyware that has been running in the country. So yes, cyber security is a major internal security threat. It can also be covered under the heading of external security threat also. For example, the attacks on the Kundakulam power plant that was carried by the North Korean hackers. When it comes to external security threats we have the challenge of an assertive and a dominant China on our borders then we have the state sponsored terrorism of Pakistan. These are two of the major challenges that we are seeing and I think Nepal and other regional neighbours are also there. Which is the largest union territory? Sir, by area wise or by... Area. Sir, from what I can recall I think Delhi is the largest union territory. Delhi? For 100 months? Sir, I am not sure about that. I will go and read about it. Can you find Delhi in the India map on a small page? Yes, sir. It is very small. It is stuck between the states of Rajasthan. And which is the smallest? The smallest I think Damanandu is there. Lakshadiprija is the smallest. Okay, thank you sir for enriching my knowledge. You have been a mechanical engineer? Yes, sir. I mean, railways and mechanical engineering. Not common, no? Yes. Have you visited any railway workshop? Yes, sir. I... Sir, the wagon repair shop in Kota. I had pursued my final year graduation training, the internship from wagon repair shop in Kota. You must be knowing something about ICF? Yes, sir. Integrated coach factory. Sir, why is it called Indian now? Kapurthala also, we have a coach factory. It is not called like ICF. Why is it ICF? What exactly does it mean? What is the integration involved? It is an integral coach factory, right? Yes. Sir, I am sorry. I am not actually aware about that. Integrated coach. Sir, I think... It is not only coach making. The other things also they do. Okay, sir. Engineering, sir. Unlike Kapurthala. Thank you, sir. I think of bullet trains. Is it going to be a viable proposition? First, tell me about bullet train. Some specifications, speed, is that... Sir, bullet train... The concept of bullet train actually emerged from the Shinkansen train that was running in Japan. The actual speeds may vary from place to place, but from what I have read about the topic, it should be at least having the speed of 300 kilometers per hour. And with regards to India, we have been constructing the bullet train corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. That will be the first one. And yes, sir, since the last 60 to 70 years, as India has developed as an economic powerhouse and a business hub, in that regards, bullet train is important for faster travel between the two industrial hubs of Mumbai, financial hub of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. In that context, bullet train will help reduce the travelling time, will help faster transportation and logistics between the two cities. And I think that will very much help... What is the fare like it will be? Will it be more than airfare or less than airfare? Sir, the fare of the bullet train is definitely a challenge. It is not very less. It is from the route of Bombay to Ahmedabad. It will be more than the airfare between the two cities. Given that, do you think people will prefer to travel with bullet train? Because it may take 6-7 hours at least while air is 40 minutes. Yes, sir. Sir, one of the benefits of the bullet train will be that it will not directly run from Ahmedabad to Mumbai itself. It will serve various intermediate stations and destinations also. For example, if someone has to devote at some station between Bombay and Ahmedabad, that will not be possible with airfare because of air transport. That will be a plus point of bullet trains. If they are to go to Bharata, Bombay-Bharata, flight is there. Bombay, Surat also, now we have flights. Anyway, but there is also some other city will also be connected by bullet train. Are you aware of that? Something in the pipeline? No, okay, no problem. Second problem is IFS, Indian Foreign Service. Very good. Over IPS and all that. Tell me very basic things. Now, what is the difference between Ambassador and High Commissioner? Is there a difference? Yes, sir. What is the difference? Sir, the foreign diplomat that is posted in the embassies of the Commonwealth countries, he is referred to as High Commissioner as far as my debut knowledge goes. And the diplomat who is posted to other countries other than the Commonwealth countries, he is called an ambassador. Very good. Now, two ex-foreign service officers are already cabinet ministers. Can you name them and the departments they are holding? Sir, one of them is Honorable Mr. S. J. Shankar, who is currently serving as a foreign minister. And the second name, I am not able to recollect the moment. Deep Puri. You can recall. Yes, sir. Deep Puri. Thank you, sir. He is... No. Yes. Plus. Plus. Very important portfolio. Petroleum. Keep that. So, if you become IFS officer, maybe one day... Yes, sir. ...you can hope to, huh? Yes, sir. Hopefully. There are a number of bureaucrats who have become ministers. Can you name others? Power minister. Who is the power minister? He sent a railway minister, Mr. Aishwan Kumar. He was also a former bureaucrat. The health minister? Anyway, so what do you think of this? Tendency of bureaucrats becoming ministers. So, will it not send some signal that to an end of their career, just before two, three years before retirement, their loyalty may change? They may not be neutral. So, the Indian bureaucracy has been referred to as the steel frame of the country by... Sir, developed by Patel. And as such, I believe they hold great ideals, which they abide by like impartiality, political neutrality, and the perspective of joining the ministerial services after the retirement or even post-retirement will not hamper the prospects of their political impartiality. Very good. That is the standard you should take. And that is probably the reality also. They are all outstanding in their own way. Don't say that it's a route, passport, sir. Let's not talk about even security concern. Who is the president? What's that? India has been holding the presidents of the United Nations. Do you have address then? Yes, sir. So, three points he made. Can you recall? Sir, although the focus of the prime minister's address to the Security Council was maritime security, apart from that he also talked about counter-terrorism and maintaining global peace and security, which has to be the agenda of today's Security Council. Very good. But on maritime security, what did he say? Sir, with regards to maritime security, the Honorable Prime Minister was talking about the rules-based international order and freedom of navigation that has to be respected by the countries of the world, particularly, for example, in the South China Sea. He also talked about building maritime infrastructure that has to be strengthened, but it should not be at the cost of causing financial constraints or financial problems to the island countries over which these structures are being built. And thirdly, he was talking about some global norms and standards that has to be recognized apart from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Very good. You are from Kota. Yes, sir. Three important things from Kota. Who would you say, Kota, we think of three things, what are those three? The first thing that usually comes to mind is the coaching factory or the coaching industry of the Kota that has become famous these days. Apart from that, Kota is really famous for the Kota Doria Sardis. One stone is also there, the Kota stone, which is also very famous. And when it comes to cuisine, the Kachoris of Kota, they are also world famous, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Yes, ma'am. Social media and promotion team head in RTO Tha College. Yes. Okay. So, you just said that, you know, you were basically working on social media, two or three social media platforms. Which were those social media platforms? Basically, we were working primarily on Facebook and Instagram at that time with limited activities on video. So, which platform is better for which kind of purpose? Between three of them. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Ma'am, all the three platforms today has their own importance and usages in various fields. For example, when we have to reach a global audience of important dignitaries and personalities, for that regards, Twitter holds great significance. Instagram is primarily was conceived as a photo sharing app and with that regards for traveling tourism, sharing of photographs, event participation, for that Instagram can be used. Facebook today is seeing loss of its fame and significance in the current market when Twitter and Instagram has been overtaking it. So, Facebook, I believe, it caters to most of the rural audience especially when it comes to India and when we have to reach them, Facebook can be a better medium. When you say that Facebook is losing in front of these two, are you talking in terms of numbers or what exactly do you mean by that? Because if you talk in terms of numbers, so who has a maximum number between Facebook and Twitter and Instagram? Mostly, when we talk about numbers, Facebook still has a very massive user base all around the world. Ma'am, the outreach of Facebook that has been declining, the significant personalities that has been, especially in the urban areas, that has been using Facebook due to the recent accusations of laws of privacy and snooping allegations against Facebook. In that regards, it is losing its significance. Let's talk about Twitter. How do you promote yourself on Twitter? How to get more people on your Twitter followers? I am presently, I am not a Twitter user and I am not aware about how things work on Twitter but some of my friends who are engaged in Twitter they believe some tweets that can go viral by sharing and retweeting other posts that can be some of the measures that can be used to promote yourself on that platform. But since personally I am not a user of that platform, I am not aware. Fine, that's okay. In table tennis, can you name some prominent Indian tennis players, table tennis players? Ma'am, Sharath Kamal has been one of the faces of Indian table tennis over the past year. We have been seeing the rise of players like Manika Batra who performed really well at this Tokyo Olympics 2020. Then we have Suthirtha Mukherjee, Swamiji Ghosh has been there. So these are some of the players that have been rising international rankings in the past few years. And where do you see table tennis as a sport in India? How is it placed at the moment? Table tennis has gained huge popularity in the last around decade or 10 to 15 years. When I started playing the game in 2010 and 11 there were not a lot of academies. The interest was not there but with the launch of tournaments like the ultimate table tennis league the lines of IPL opening of new academies bringing of foreign coaches the interest of people in table tennis has been increasing and I am hopeful that in the coming Olympics, table tennis will be able to provide India with a medal. Okay, so why do you study anthropology important for IAS? Anthropology has a significant sub branch in it that is known as applied anthropology and action anthropology which involves the administrators to be using the knowledge of anthropology and applying it for various problem solving and other issues. For example, the knowledge of linguistic anthropology can help an IAS officer who is posted in the ministry of culture to conserve and promote various endangered languages of the country the knowledge of various tribal and their cultures can help us promote and preserve the culture of those places and bring in even tourism for that regards. IAS is an institution for administering and governing the country. Anthropology provides the methodology of field work since an IAS officer is expected to work on the field and understand the problems first hand Anthropology also works on that methodology and it can help. Okay, one last question can you name some key initiatives in the last 7-8 years which has transformed India's transport sector? I think the first initiative that comes to mind is the Bharat Malaparyojna that has been working on building of new highways and improving the already ones that we are having the second one is the fast tag that will reduce the time taken stopping for the vehicles at the toll booths and ensure smoother and faster connectivity the third initiative that I can recall ma'am is Okay, fine Thank you ma'am Are you familiar with the IACC report? Yes sir So the intergovernmental final of the plan was the IACC report that has been recently released that has been the fixed assessment and it has projected dire future for the our planet earth for example, when it comes to globally it said that the climate change that the increasing temperatures of 1.5 degree Celsius will be achieved not now in 50 years but in the coming 2 decades the extreme weather phenomena like wildfires, droughts, cyclones and extreme participation that we have been witnessing in India this monsoon in various places that is going to increase if some solid actions by the various global communities and the countries on the international level are taken the global warming phenomena and climate change is going to worsen and the countries need to increase their commitments in that regard Can you establish the political impact of climate change? So when we talk about the anthropological impact of climate change we have to study the various human impact that has been happening when it comes to economy the developing economy the setting up of various industries building up of dams that is disturbing the ecological balance of that places resulting in more and more global carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases that is leading to climate change worsening the climate change phenomena So when it comes to the rights of the indigenous people also with regards to climate change and anthropology anthropologically causing that that is also a significant event which is happening so this is some of the things what I can recall right now There are some species which will go extinct and some species which is likely to survive longer compared to other species Uniform Civil Code What do you think? Article 44 of the Indian Constitution calls for implementing a Uniform Civil Code throughout the country to ensure the secular credentials and progress in the country however the recent law commission report of 2018 has pointed out that it may not be the right time to implement the Uniform Civil Code through a top-down approach The initiative for that should be coming from within the people themselves and it should be a bottom-up approach Gradual steps can be taken for progressive achievement of the Uniform Civil Code and in the future sir Uniform Civil Code implementing in our country will lead to overall growth and progress for the people as well as this Electric vehicles Is there any amount of electric vehicles in public transport? Sir, as we talked about the sixth assessment of the IPCC report which is saying that the global carbon dioxide emissions are increasing and bound to increase with that regards electric vehicles can play an important role in curbing emissions although not on their own for example, we have to make sure that the electricity that is produced that has also been produced by renewable sources So sir India is having a various policy initiatives also for promoting the electrical vehicles for example the flame policy, the Delhi government's policy for subsidizing the electrical vehicles that has to be done but apart from electrical vehicles we have to explore other forms of transports also which is focusing on the biofuels ethanol and other fuels which are less harmful for the environment Now you have fake news What are social media what do you call the particles like Facebook and Twitter doing to address the problem of fake news The fake news has become a growing menace with the proliferation of internet in India and the user accounts on Twitter and Facebook With regards to tackling them Facebook and Twitter are making self regulatory regimes that have been using the artificial intelligence to identify posts that may be fake and Twitter is even tagging them on the time for example the posts, various posts of former US president Donald Trump had been post as manipulative and fake these are some of the initiatives that they have been taking apart from that they are collaborating with governments also and other platforms to curb the menace of fake news What historical documentaries do you watch? So basically I I am very interested I get very interested in watching the documentaries which are based on the ancient history of Egypt I watched documentaries based on World War I, World War II also When it comes to India sir I like watching about the ancient NSTs like the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley So what did you learn something new from these documentaries? Let's say Indus Valley civilization There is a lot of content in books So by watching documentaries what new thing did you learn? So first of all documentaries are an audio visual aid and a person through that learns more than just by reading books Secondly sir we can through a documentary actually experience, engage in that I am not asking advantage of documentaries I am asking you whether you learn something new from watching the documentary Yes sir So for example when I was watching a recent documentary on the Indus Valley civilization with regards to deciphering of the script I found out that some encouraging work has been taken place in that with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms The researchers have been trying out to decipher the patterns of the script was being used in that which I did not learn from the books Okay Hajaan your interview is over