 Sir, although I have been inclined to a civil service since childhood, my interest in foreign services began when my father spent his two-ten years in the UN Peacekeeping Force and in college also I had a Japanese roommate and an Australian warden. Plus, a lot of distinguished alumni from college came to give lectures on the foreign service so that inspired me. Also, sir, I am a huge fan of the adventures of the big ten. So, that was the first inspiration. Where was your father posted as the Peacekeeping Force? Sir, he did a tenure in Ethiopia and another one in South Sudan. Did you visit those places? No, sir. You go. Your family is allowed there or not? No, sir. So there is a station in Djibouti for families but you can't go further. So, foreign services is your first question. So please explain to me what is the issue over the brexit? They are talking of a backstop clause. What exactly is it? So, backstop clause is regarding the agreement of the Britain with Ireland. So, their territory in Northern Ireland should have, they are trying to avoid a hard border with Ireland because Ireland wants to, is a part of the European Union. But according to the Brexit referendum, Northern Ireland territory actually voted to remain in the EU which was different from the popular opinion of the British people. That's why, so a backstop agreement allows them to trade freely and move across the border. There is no part of the customs union. Yes, yes. In the US? Yes, sir. Now, what is this, they had something called a federal shutdown. What was the situation, the circumstances which led to that? So, the United States, in the United States you have a separation of powers model. So, legislature is different from, it has separate powers from the executive. So, presently in legislature, the weight of the Democrats is more than, though they still have the Senate. But because, according to the president who wanted his, he wanted to build a wall and wanted a budget for 5.7 million dollars and the legislature didn't agree to do it. So, it was his privilege to hold a shutdown through the executive because the president is there. And basically, when you go out and round and round, basically the finance bill as it's called in India, that has to be proposed by the House of Representatives. It has to have the signature of the US president. The president was saying that if you do not give me this money, I will not pass the budget. And hence the resolution. Now, they also added this problem of, you know, a special council has been appointed there. Are you aware of that special council, Robert Mueller? That should be the collusion. So, what is that case also? So, it's regarding the 2016 elections, presidential elections. The Mueller probe is about the collusion between Russian authorities and the campaign for the president. Now, let's come to India. You know, we keep on hearing this theory of string of pearls. What is the string of pearls? So, string of pearls is a strategy of China, suppose it's a strategy of China to counter India's influence in the Indians through a network of ports. For example, China's string of pearls, they have a military base in Djibouti to their influence in Maldives to the Hambandota port in Sri Lanka. Then we have the Chittagong port in Bangladesh, which, and they are also discussing a Kyoc view port. I'm not sure if that's the correct answer. In Maldives, they don't have a port. In Hambandota, you are right. You have forgotten, you have not completed the string yet. After Djibouti, you move further north. What is the water? Water is the thing. Now, water is a part of what? Sea peck. Sea peck. When does it start? So, it starts from Kashgar and extends to the port of Maldives. The Chinese are spending about 55 to 60 billion dollars on this sea peck. Why are they spending so much money? What is the strategic significance of sea peck for China? So, it directly connects the territory and counters India's influence through the Gilgit-Vartistan route also from Kashgar. That is the cause of concern for us. What is the strategic significance of this? So, sea peck also cuts off India's alleged influence through the Chavahar route. We don't have a naval base there. We are just trying to release the oil now. Think about it. What is the distance? How do Chinese carry their goods, their crude oil now? How do they carry it to China? What is the route they take? To the Gulf? To Guadalcan? No, not now. Before Guadalcan comes up. How was China acquiring the resources from the rest of the world? The sea route. The sea route route where? Indian Ocean right from Malacca. Malacca states from the south China seas and then to the eastern port. That's over 10,000 kilometers. And the distance between Guadal and Lingjai is about 3,000 kilometers. That is the recent thing. And the choke point which was there. That, of course, that problem is no longer there. That will take a solution while they have been watching this. Now, the papers are being reported today that the Chinese have said that they are again with the world as support to India's case violence sheet. Why is that? So NSD is a consensus based organization. So even if one member blocks it, then the entry to a new member is blocked. And India is opposed to primarily the project of the world. What is the Chinese stand? I mean, what is the supposed stand in denying this to us? So they say that India has not signed the NPT. They have not signed the NPT. Thank you. Biltro. No, no, no. History is your option. Yes, sir. Tell me the social reforms which took place in India in the 19th century. Yes, sir. Sir, the 19th century is considered to be the age of renaissance for India when it comes to social reforms. It started with Raja Ramamandurai. What happened? So he basically tried to reinterpret and sort of come with the synthesis of Western and Eastern elements together to basically conciliate colonial ideas as well as India's own original ideas from the Upanishads and the Vedanta philosophy. And it also led to two basic strands of reformation and revivalism. What are the reforms? So reforms started with the abolition of Sati and there was the Thuggy Act brought in by Lord William Bentin. It went on to the abolition of child marriage in 1846, if I'm not wrong. Then it also led to establishment of various social reform institutions and so on. Then you go on. Yes, sir. Ramamandurai. Yes, sir. There was a change in attitudes regarding widow remarriage brought on by Ishwarya Chandra Vidyasavadji. And there was sort of renaissance in the Western coast as well under Deccan Savar and a lot of other organizations working also under... Oh, see. Yes, sir. There were a number of reform movements. Yes, sir. So you are not able to recollect. Yes, sir. Who? Dhyayana and Saraswati. Yes, sir. Saraswati. Brahma Samas. Yes, sir. New Brahma Samas case of Dhyayana. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Then of course Ishwarya Chandra Vidyasavadji. Yes, sir. Then Swami Vivekananda. Yes, sir. And Parthna Samas. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So all these you have to, you know, history otherwise also for GS you should be knowing. Yes, sir. You have read all this. Yes, sir. Isn't it? I wasn't able to read it. Hmm. Okay. Tell me. Yes, sir. You know, though Britishers had left us. Yes, sir. But there are some British legacies, which we are still enjoying, you know, the fruits of those legacies. Yes, sir. Hmm. Yes, sir. Just name one or two. What are those legacies? Which, you know, we Indians after independence, those British legacies helped us in growing nation, in furthering our character. Yes, sir. So among the most important legacies would be the development of civil services, the armed forces, which carry a colonial legacy and their present structure is also very similar to what began during the war. Of course. You said that they're civil service, but civil service is. You know, the main important ones you've also said, because. So the constitution is the biggest problem in legacy. Yes, because this 19th act of time was what? Government of India. Government of India. Yes, sir. So our constitution was adopted on those legs. Yes, sir. So that is one. Yes, sir. Then I would say, sir, even though. So you're a British student. Yes, sir. You should be able to say. Regarding the socio-cultural aspect, even the monuments which were built on. Monuments. Mughal monuments were also built. No. Education. This question, education. Yes, sir. So very secular education. Yes, sir. Constitution is one. Yes, sir. Which is this thing. Then this education. Then the system. Yes, sir. Do you know after independence how much broadband we have added? No, sir. You should read all this. Yes, sir. Only less than 10 percent. What there? When was the railway introduced in India? So 1850 to. 1853, sir. 1850, sir. 1850, sir. Yes, sir. So during that time whatever the railway, they had commercial interests. But it is a great benefit to us. Okay. Tell me something about Udaan. Sir, the regional. Udaan. Yes, Udaan. Sir, Udaan is the regional connectivity scheme of Ministers of Civil Aviation. And it basically enables low cost travel to, especially the middle class of Indians while increasing in the percentage. And plus the infrastructure development of tier 2, tier 3 cities is also happening. And a lot of airports having developed. And it is a phase-wise scheme. So recently Udaan, 2.0 and 2.0, 3.0 is also. No, no, sir. Thank you. You mentioned, you see it is like regional connectivity scheme where on-sub and under-sub. Yes, under-sub and under-sub. Under-sub, airports are connected. And then there is a subsidy component. Yes, sir. That up to one hour. Yes, sir. 2005. 2005. Yes. How could they do this? I mean, you know, because it requires some subsidy component. Where from that fund comes? Sir, I am not aware, sir. Why will it be gap funding? You read about. Yes, sir. Why will it be gap funding? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So those airlines which will go for this Udaan scheme and for this amount, they will be given from this. Why will it be gap funding? Budget, there is some amount kept for this. Yes, sir. Okay. There is another Udaan scheme. Do you have any idea? Sir, it's regarding Kashmir, sir. Yes, Jaman Javashmi. Education of girls and girls. No, no, not that. For IIT. Those who were technically for giving them schemes after plus two. Yes, sir. Making them more employer. Yes, sir. Okay. Yes, sir. So this is a scheme by Ministry of Commerce. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Welcome, Stephens. Yes, sir. Stephens was accredited recently. Yes, sir. So they got a rating of 8,000. Yes, sir. And on the basis of that it was said that all colleges which got this rating would go for autonomy. Yes, sir. So has Stephens opted for autonomy? Yes, sir. They unilaterally proposed to go for autonomy. So they also now talk of contract teachers. Yes, sir. Not regular teachers but taking teachers on contract. What are your views on this? I personally have not found an opinion on this. Regarding autonomy, I think the DU Act mentions that, DU Act 1922 mentions that only engineering, medical, and music and arts, performing arts colleges can be given autonomy. Otherwise these colleges... But now you just said that these colleges can opt for autonomy and sleep in size opt for autonomy. Yes, sir. Though there's a lot of protest amongst the faculty that they have from the head. All right, now you've also directed documentaries and short films. Yes, sir. So what is the difference between a documentary and a short film? A short film according to Indian standards is one which is less than 70 minutes. If we talk about film, it's less than 2,000 meter of film. A documentary is a film which can be a short film and can be a feature film also. But it's like a non-fiction film. But even a short film can be a non-fiction? Yes, ma'am. Then what's the difference? It will be a documentary short film. All right, so what were the documentary issues that you took up in your film? Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, the first film which I made was Kashmir Defense Paradise. It was a travelogue on Kashmir Valley. And the second one was History of the Horses, which was a college project on Moscow's history. All right. Now you've also written that you published three books. Yes, ma'am. What were these books on? What were the issues? Yes, ma'am. First was a novel which was based on, it was a superhero fiction. Okay, so you wrote a novel. All right. And you published it? Yes, ma'am. It was published by Diamond Pocket Books. Okay. I originally wanted to be a comic, but I realized they also published scripts earlier. They used to publish comics only. It's answers are all the same. So is it an illustrated novel? No, ma'am. All right. So the second one? The other two are self-published poetry collections. Poetry? Yes, ma'am. If I asked you to recite a poem from your collection, one stanza would you be able to recite? Yes, ma'am. Let's hear. One of the collection is called Ink and Solitude. So it's regarding the two basic things the writer needs to develop or something. So it's ink I need to realize on paper, the thoughts before wandering free, and solitude around I-COVID to find the worst hidden enemy. Good. Now I come to something more concrete. Yes, ma'am. There's an attempt to rewrite history in our country. Yes, ma'am. So what are your views? Well, I think history rewriting would be good if it's based on historical evidence and facts, and if it provides a good perspective based on historical evidence. Otherwise, if it is communally motivated or it's a non-academic practice, then it will be a disservice to the subject. Okay. You've heard of the NetEIU? Yes, ma'am. Tell me something about the NetEIU? NetEIU replaced the Planning Commission after the new regime came into power. What is its role? It's a thing that other than just planning and documenting schemes and indexes regarding different aspects, it also undertakes projects like utter tinkering lab, small incubation centers, which... So we also have a term known as cooperative federalism, especially associated with the ILO. Why is that so? And because it has a balance of exo-fissure and governing members from different states. All CMs are also a part of the governing council. So they together can brainstorm, which would lead to co-operation. My last question, you're from Punjab? I'm from Haryana. You're from Haryana? Yes, ma'am. All right. Tell me something about this tube sex ratio? Very briefly. Yes, ma'am. In 2011 census, we... Haryana scored really low on child sex ratio at 871, which was very disappointing. And it also highlighted the great issue of patriarchy, which was becoming deep. But after certain projects, like... Recently, a report came that the child sex ratio has increased to 922 from 871. And even one speech by the chief minister, he claimed that it has gone up till 950. All right. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. You take up... Yes, ma'am. Agriculture sector is under a lot of stress. Yes, ma'am. Many of the state governments, you know, they come up with different schemes. Yes, ma'am. What exactly is the problem of the agriculture sector? So agricultural sector, just like you said, many states have come up with different schemes, which also highlights their agricultural problems, which have been seen as a monolith right now. They have different problems in different regions. For example, if we consider the schemes themselves only, like Bhavanthir, Bhaiyusna and Haryana, it basically is a price-deficiency scheme, because farmers over there do not face such problems as basically landlessness, but they face market... Many of the states have resorted to low levels. Is that the right kind of strategy? So farm loom waiver is a very short-term measure, which can have long-term consequences, which are bad for the economy. For example, it discourages compliance in the farming sector, and it also basically benefits only 20% of the farmers. Okay. Now, there is a lot of talk going on about you must be reading in the news papers, universal basic income. Yes, ma'am. What is this concept? Will that provide an answer to just... So universal basic income is basically an unconditional cash transfer, which is given to the people of territory, regardless of their economic status. UBI came into news after the second chief minister said that... Ma'am, earlier 60 minutes I was going about the kind of money that is required. Yes, sir. It can't solve all our problems, sir, because we are a developing country, but... How much this is proposed to be implemented? So there are different models, sir. For example, there was, I recently read, Co-opry, Q-U-A-D-R, which was quasi-universal, I mean, rural income, basically. The exchange subsidies could be drawn. Yes, sir. India-Israel relationship. Yes. How do you look at that? Sir, India-Israel relationship has been quite deep since independence, but because of our solidarity with the Palestinian cause and our huge Muslim population in our country, we couldn't explicitly say that Israel is a key partner in our development. But since the new regime has come up, a lot of visible diplomatic breakthroughs have been reported. There is a lot of collaboration in agricultural sector and drone technology and weapon systems, like... Okay. Yes, sir. Now, in the international sphere, multilateralism is your business, right? Yes, sir. What do you call it? So multilateralist sector has been facing a problem with the supposed rise of the protectionist tendencies in various countries. For example, western countries have been keen on withdrawing their presence in the West-like-oriented countries because they think that globalization is now slow and dense. Yes, sir. That would also be a... Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Last question. Yes. How do you look at India's balance of payments? Yes, sir. India's balance of payments? Yes, sir. So, Indian balance of payments, since 1991, has been in a quite stable position. We have... No, it is under stress right now. Yes, sir. Because of the falling rupees. The falling rupee value is one reason. And all imports? All imports, yes, sir. No, what is the latest price of all that? So, it was $60 per package. But it had gone up to $80. Yes, sir. Last year. That significantly brokered our import bill. Yes, sir. Also, sir, the trade war between China and India that has also affected the balance of payments. So, that's a matter of concern for the economic fund. Right? Yes, sir. It is a concern also as well as an opportunity if we can increase our exports and replace certain sectors like Sorabin has a very good potential. If U.S. has increased tariffs on Chinese, I mean, so India can increase its export in that sector. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Okay. Right. So, Mr. Neval, your mock interview comes to an end. Now, a bit of feedback. Yes, sir. This is your first attempt? Yes, sir. First attempt. Are you bringing a master's also after that? Yes, sir. Are you preparing for this? Yes, sir. Okay. Now, see, it is our experience that in the bulk of the questions in the interview would emanate from your task. Right? Now, you have given your, probably you were born in philosophy. So, you have given philosophy and Punjab. Yes, sir. The fact that you now belong to Haryana. Yes, sir. Some questions may come from Punjab. Yes, sir. Right? And obviously, the most important issues are that, you know, the Kathakur Kordakas and all that. Yes, sir. Attempts to rely on militancy. Yes, sir. Yeah, sure. Please. Attempts to rely on militancy there, the drug issue. Yes, sir. These are some of the things from the top of my head. Yes, sir. Then, of course, on Haryana, my colleague asked you very important reading questions on Haryana. Yes, sir. You could be, something could come from there. In your hobbies and all, you mentioned your short films. Yes, sir. So, something on this. Yes, sir. Then, you have written some two books. Yes, sir. You write poetry. Yes, sir. So, you could be asked as to what are the books you read. Yes, sir. Generally, you are reading. Yes, sir. Then, you know, scuba diving. Yes, sir. Then, of course, tennis and swimming. Yes, sir. So, you have said that you have a keen interest. Yes, sir. So, you know, the recent Australian book on swimming. Yes, sir. Who are our players in India? What are the players? Yes, sir. Why are we not able to compete at the international level in these two events? Swimming and particularly tennis. Yes, sir. Right? Yes, sir. Okay. Then, you studied in Jammu. Yes, sir. So, some questions may come from, you know, the militancy in Jammu and Krishna. Yes, sir. Why did it start? Yes, sir. What about the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri pundits? Yes, sir. That's a major issue. Recently in Delhi, there was a demonstration held by the Kashmiri pundits. And they have been demanding that a special township should be created for them. Yes, sir. While there is no position to that from the juniors and theaters in the valley. Yes, sir. Okay. And now, there are, of course, current events. Yes, sir. Current events, you know, your interview is on the 19th. So, yes, sir. Almost there. Now, current events, you know, go through newspapers, it's very, very good. Yes, sir. Since you're given foreign services, your first choice. Yes, sir. We have to date on what's happening around you. Yes, sir. In the U.S., what about U.S. and North Korea? Yes, sir. A second round of talks are like, you need to get more days. I think the defense minister more days is likely to come to India. You know, with China, with Pakistan. And by the time you have to interview, the budget must have been presented. So, on the budget. Yes, sir. Then, you know, my colleague asked you certain questions on the, you know, the flagship schemes of the government, like ULA. Yes, sir. Basically, you know, what he was asking you was that where, when the companies are giving a subsidized rate. Yes, sir. How do they make up? It's because of the biometric app funding by the government. Plus, there are many other flagship schemes of the government. Just, you know, have an idea on those issues. Yes, sir. Right? Yes, sir. Now, the other thing was that, you know, I asked, you know, why the foreign service? Yes, sir. Don't go into a lot of details that in college you had friends and all. Just say that, you know, these are the previous services. Yes, sir. And it would be a matter of personal satisfaction. Yes, sir. An achievement for you. Yes, sir. To join the services. Yes, sir. And of course, you know, they're an opportunity to serve the nation. Yes, sir. Okay. Yes, sir. It's only if they ask you something like, you know, what does their father do or something, then bring it in. Otherwise, you don't bring all those things. Yes, sir. It should be just these two issues in your own words, whatever you want to say. Yes, sir. Now, the other thing is that, you know, you'll be getting a CD at the end of this interview. Yes, sir. Go through that very carefully. Yes, sir. And see the kind of questions that you asked. Yes, sir. Where you felt that you didn't have complete information. Yes, sir. So try to cover up. Yes, sir. The basic thing is that you must be solid on information. Yes, sir. The more information you have, the better you will do a thing in your interview. Otherwise, I think you're...