 Please, good afternoon madam, is this your first return to 2018, why do you wish to join civil service? Sir joining the civil service was a childhood dream for me, initially my parents motivated me but then when I grew up and I started reading the newspapers I realized that civil servants have a huge impact on the society so I think it is the best way to fulfill my aspirations, that of my family and also meaningfully contribute to the society Any other motivation? Sir the respect that the civil servants derive from the society That is one of the factors, not the primary one Yes Ananya, you belong to Alhabad, a very important festival held at Kumbhela, what is the significance of this? Sir the economy of Alhabad of Prayagraj revolves around the Kumbhela because it brings a lot of tourism to the city Mythologically, Kumbh means pitcher, it was believed that when the demons and the gods were created nectar then it fed four places that is Ujjain, Nasik, Haridwar and Alhabad and hence the Kumbhela is held So has it led to any development of the city? Yes Over all the infrastructure and all? Sir in the last Kumbhela which was held in 2019, there was a widening of roads, installation of CCTV cameras, traffic lights were improved So there were a lot of infrastructural improvements Good Now the right to information act was recently in the news because the Supreme Court had issued certain directions relating to the act Are you aware of that? Sir the CGI said that the office of the CGI comes under the RTI act However he also said that there is a need to balance the right to privacy of the judges with the right to information So basically he said that the Supreme Court is subject to the provisions of the right to information act Now what is the RTI act? Sir the RTI act basically gives the right to the citizens to demand for the information that the officers have because they hold that information in the trust of the citizens and every public authority has to appoint a public information officer who has to give the information within 30 days and the appeal lies to the Central Information Commissioner or the State Information Commissioner So what is the constitution of the Central Information Commission? Sir it has the Central Information Commissioner and the Information Commissioner and it is appointed by a body which consists of the Union Cabinet Minister, Prime Minister and leader of the opposition of groups So it is basically an appellate body and it also oversees the effective functioning of the right to information acts Now the act itself has certain exemption clauses under which you can deny information Are you aware of that? Yes sir What are those? So section 8 of the act has certain exemptions Okay Which is You know about Now the Sabarimala issue Why is the Supreme Court they have constituted a 7 member bench and why aren't they reviewing their own judgment now? The one reason was that there was a lot of unrest in Kerala after the judgment Police protection had to be provided to the women who were entering the temple So has this bench which has been formed, will it only look after the Sabarimala issue or other issues also? No sir it is going to look into the general questions of the exclusionary practices in religion For example apart from Sabarimala it will look into the Parsi women issue who are not allowed to visit the temples As the Muslim women Because there is a petition pending that the Muslim women are not allowed equal rights access to the mosques Now very few days back the all day Muslim personal law board has submitted its effort ever to the Supreme Court Have you read about it? What did it say? Okay now let's see you know in the northeast the issue of the blue population The resettlement of the bruce has been decided In which state is that? Sir from Tripura to Mizoram No they have to be resettled in Tripura but who are the bruce and how did they land up in Tripura? So there was ethnic discrimination against the bruce and which is why they had to go to Tripura But they are going to be resettled to Mizoram the government is going to give them a reaction The government is going to resettle in Tripura 34,000 of them will be resettled in Tripura Which is a big move because they will be settled there Now another issue which pertains to that side is Rohingyas Now we have our own problem Rohingyas have come into India But the Rohingya issue was recently under the International Court of Justice Did you read about that? Sir Gambia had put up this petition before the International Court of Justice Where the Myanmar representative came and gave her view Thank you You have given IS's first choice, IS's second choice, why is that? Sir my main focus is towards IS because I want to be in direct contact with the people Second because I think the policy making parameters are fulfilled in these two services the best Therefore I have put them as my priority But of all the schemes of government, which do you think is the best? In any sector Sir I think Ayushman Bharat is one scheme that I think can bring a lot of change in our society In terms of the health parameters Because India is not doing as well in the Human Development Index Our progress has been slow And in order to channelise the demographic dividend it is very essential That first we give to our people the right to health Since you are on the health issues and government schemes You might have heard of sustainable development codes How do you think India is doing? Sir Nithya Ayog recently brought about an index to measure India's performance I think so though we are making schemes and going in the direction of fulfilling them But a lot of financial investment is also required So that we can actually achieve the goals by 2013 What is the first of these goals? First is ending of hunger Second is ending of poverty Third is about education and fourth is about health First is ending of poverty Tell me why India has not become a member of the UN Security Council? India has been trying to become a member of the UN Security Council But because of the veto power the entry of India has been denied So a consensus needs to be made in the UNSC and the General Assembly To allow India to enter the UNSC Does India have the criteria to become a permanent member of the security council? Sir I think so because of India's economic heft India's place in the global order right now The importance of Indo-Pacific in the scheme of affairs Global affairs right now I think India does have the credentials to become a member of the UNSC I think India's population, economic strength Depends on nuclear powers It has got all the ingredients So the UNSC should be reflective of the contemporary world And that brings me to writing on contemporary social issues What have you written the latest on? The last thing that I wrote was on LGBT rights But it was long back at that time Section 377 was not decriminalized by the Supreme Court What do you think is the reason for the statement in WTO? Sir I think USA President's America first policy And the fact that he imposed unilateral sanctions on China and other countries Also the appellate body is dysfunctional right now Because the appointments have been delayed by USA So that is why WTO right now is in trouble So the last part is important to become dysfunctional And see in the semi-finalist of the 30-memorial debate So what topic did you debate on? Sir there were several rounds There are almost 5-6 rounds in the debate So I don't clearly remember the exact motions You used the term demographic dividend What does this mean? Demographic dividend means the stage in a country's population transition When the working age population that is 15 to 59 years Is a very large component So can we say that this demographic dividend may become a demographic disaster? Yes ma'am very well can If we do not give employment, education and health to our citizens So are we able to give employment to our citizens? Ma'am right now we are facing a bit of a problem Because the periodic labour force survey said that employment is at 6.1% Which is a 45 year high However the government is taking steps for example Formalization of the economy Giving more secure jobs to the people to encounter this problem Now tell me what are the qualities which you possess Which would make you a very effective civil servant? Ma'am I think I am diligent I am focused towards my goal I have integrity and empathy Anything else? Are these not leadership jobs? So do you have any leadership qualities? I think I have moral courage to stand up against injustice And I can motivate people to do the same You also write poetry I used to write in school In school? If I asked you to recite a few lines, would you remember? No ma'am Okay so since you have written it You better remember Just remember two or three lines Alright now tell me something about society Why is our society becoming so intolerant? The Indian society Ma'am you see it as becoming intolerant? I cannot make a blanket generalization But I do think that in some parts We can have more tolerance I do it in some parts For instance give me examples Ma'am I think the identities in India are very strong Be it caste or religion So I think when these identities are politicized For vested interests Then the fissures in the society they deepen But otherwise in itself these identities are not bad But only when they are politicized What about road rage? Every day we read in the paper about road rage Isn't that intolerance? Why is it happening? Can you think of an Englishman? Scarecity of his resources Less resources Then there is more information What are your views on capital punishment? Ma'am I support the current position of India Which is that in the rarest of rare cases Capital punishment is given For example in the Nirbhaya case right now Or in the case of Ajmal Khasab Where the signs of remorse Or reformation of the guilty are very less In those cases I think capital punishment is justified So does capital punishment really act as a detriment? Ma'am I think it does Because it is irreversible Death penalty is irreversible But if it was so why is it that crime still is rising? Especially heinous crime Ma'am I think along with the punishment There has to be a certainty of punishment There has to be a well functioning criminal justice system And speedy justice Okay my last question We hear lots of subsidies And now subsidies for pilgrimages What is your view on that? Ma'am I think subsidies need to be rationalized About the pilgrimage subsidy I have limited information But about food subsidy, fertilizer subsidy I think that can be converted to direct benefit transfer Thank you Ananya tell me about the Belt and Road Initiative of China What are our concerns with this initiative? So the Belt and Road Initiative is an attempt by China To revive the Silk Route And to connect Europe, Asia and Africa Our main objection to this is the China-Pakistan Economic corridor because it passes through Park-occupied Kashmir, Jiljit-Baltistan Which we claim as our own And on the other hand we also see countries Falling into debt trap And because China gives soft loans For example it happened in Sri Lanka These are our main concerns Do you think it is good for the recipients To receive assistance from China For various projects under the Belt and Road Initiative? Sir I think in the short run it can give economic benefits But in the long term like in the Humboldt-Otah port Since Sri Lanka could not pay back With the China took the lease for 100 years So soft loans are fine in the short run But in the long run they can turn into trouble I think economists tell us what are your thoughts On the economic survey that we have conducted yesterday Sir I think So if it is good or do you feel that Where we are going to Sir I think we will get the opportunity To read the survey Probably you should read out And of course on the budget policy This year we are going to have 77th anniversary Of the establishment of the United Nations One of the objectives has Of the United States We have the prevention of war and conflict How far do you think it has been successful? Sir I think in the present situation When we are seeing escalation in the US-Iran conflict Or the Yemen war We see that UN Though has prevented a large scale third war But still preventing conflicts Localized conflicts it has not done that well And what about the objective Of equality of human beings? Sir I think Recently the Oxfam report was released Which talked about the glaring inequalities In the world The top 1% Command 70% of the wealth in the world So I think inequality is something That all of us as countries And in the international forum need to work towards You have made a statement When I strictly ask your question That India is not doing well On health parameters Right? There is a WHO report And also there is a NITI IO report What are those specific Areas of concern Which NITI IO has pointed out Sir the NITI IO report I think Talks about the burden of the non-communicable diseases They talk of Poor parameters I am not aware of the exact details Stunting Underways Any idea on that? That is a very serious thing So how much they say What is the percentage we are starting with? Sir I think 47% of children in India Are stunted That's a guess Sir maybe I don't remember it correctly Then how many percentage of women are Anemic? Almost 50% These are the NITI IO reports It's important to know these Specific you know What specific problems exist in our country You said Ayushman is a You know Arath is a great scheme You mentioned yourself Somehow you linked it to Democratic dividend How? Sir because the first thing that we need to ensure So that our population can be employed To contribute to the economy is their health We see that As far as the poor households are concerned There is a catastrophic burden of disease Whenever they encounter a tertiary Like a problem in the tertiary health sector They immediately drop below the poverty line So in that case they can either Educate their children Nor can access employment So I think right to health is very basic Have you heard that Government has decided To make some changes In the termination of Provenancy Act What specific Provision they are going to have Sir the limit for abortion has been increased Is proposed to be increased from 20 to 24 weeks Is it a goodness Sir as the objective Of the act is I think it gives Agency to the women And also the limit of 20 weeks Was problematic because a lot of fetal Abnormalities can be Founded You write on Global social issues Okay Now the convicts of Nibbahak is You must be reading What they are doing What is your view on this Are they doing the right thing Is the state Doing the right thing Sir I feel that Certain legal loopholes are being Used but I think it is a part Of the rule of law However I feel that certain changes can be made For example the mercy petition Can be set a time limit in which It needs to be decided What has the chief just said on this Mr. Bobbade He made certain important remarks By addressing somewhere I think 2 hours Sir I am not aware What are the global threats In this Climate Global threats So one is climate change Okay And the other is Terrorism Yes very good So economic global Slowdown Alright we can Accept that what else Sir I think these are the things That we think of right now Pandemics Coronavirus is threatening to become A pandemic It is also Have you heard of a Expression called global commons Yes sir Names? Global commons So Antarctica I mean the No one wants it I think That's all Yes sir Internet You've been a debater You've heard of the controversy over CAA Yes sir You have 2 points against it 2 points very briefly So 2 points For CAA It is going to do justice to the Persecuted minorities in our neighboring Countries and it will bolster India's image as the homeland Of these minorities Is in the prerogative of the government To decide who to let in the country And who not because we face a resource constraint It is constitutionally justified Because under article 14 We have reasonable classification So these are for it Cons It is being argued that it Violates the principle of secularism Because it is using religion as a metric To judge who comes in the country And who doesn't It has affected the global image of India Of countries for example the European Union Framed resolutions You've heard very good You've heard it You are an economic system What do you understand by macroeconomic indicators And in India's context What are those major ones Some macroeconomic indicators include The GDP growth The inflation that is CPI WPI Fiscal deficit Current account deficit It would include the amount Of FDI coming into the country Exports FDI is not what Forex reserves Forex reserves Of these which is favourable Today Which is favourable Only one is favourable Forex reserves There is no more which is favourable There is an economic system Current account deficit How much is it now Very good What do you understand By engines of growth Economic growth in India So engines of growth Which are those three engines of growth Refer to private investment Consumption Engines of growth are three sectors Agriculture Industry The closed sector here Thank you sir Now How many you have handled this So I think it went well We also think so We've done quite well You think there were some areas Where you need to study hard Which are those areas So basically economics I think The survey I should have worked We've asked you a large number Of questions Based on your bio data Some of the areas where Of course you started talking Also with SDGs You were asked about SDGs India's health parameters You must study that Social issues in India What are the burning issues What are the views What are the important Judgments of the Supreme Court On some of these issues Like LGBT Supreme Court has Ruling Suicide Supreme Court has decriminalised Then Demographic dividend Very important Subsidies Which are the three subsidies Food, fuel and fertilizer How much it is Then you were asked about BRI, India's Objections There is CPC And then there is also CMPC China, Myanmar The new development The importance of you and all These are some of the important areas I would suggest you So you will get a video You can look at it Look at the quality of your replies And build upon those We have asked you a large number of questions It will help you India's economy budget has been presented That will become a very important issue for you Good luck And press the bell icon to never miss an update