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(Getting Started) All About UPSC Interview Panel Board and Profile

All About UPSC Interview Panel Board and Profile

The UPSC has come up with the tentative dates for the Civil Services Personality Test (May 2015 onwards). Those selected must have started their preparations for the interview stage. After giving the general overview of the Personality Test, for the candidates, we now present a picture of the UPSC Board and its members, who would be chairing the IAS interview panels.

Why Should I Know about the UPSC Members?

Having a brief knowledge about the interview panel can prove very helpful for the IAS aspirants. Knowing about the educational and professional background of the Interview Panel members can give you an edge in the interview process. It might help you in knowing what kind of questions might be asked by a particular interview panel. Also, knowledge of the background of the interview panel can help you in communicating better. Once you have a rough idea about the members of the interview panel, you can express yourself tactfully.

Thus, with the aim of the welfare of the Civil Services Aspirants, IASEXAMPORTAL.COM presents a brief overview of the UPSC Board members.

Along with the general profile of the UPSC members, we are also providing the area of expertize of the members, to help you in deducing the areas to focus.

The Union Public Service Commission as on 15-01-2015

9. Arvind Saxena

:: CHAIRMAN ::

Shri Deepak Gupta:

Deepak Gupta took charge as UPSC chairman on 23 November 2014. Gupta replaced Rajni Razdan, who completed her term on 22 November 2014.He is the first non-UPSC member to be appointed as UPSC chairman. He is a retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre. He is younger brother of former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta. Traditionally, UPSC chairman is appointed from the serving members of the Commission.

Points to Focus:

Retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre
First non-UPSC member to be appointed as UPSC chairman
Supported online examinations
In favour of major structural changes in the pattern and number of papers of Civil Services Examination

:: MEMBERS ::

1. Smt. Alka Sirohi

Mrs. Alka Sirohi joined the Indian Administrative Service in July, 1974. She has served in various capacities in Madhya Pradesh, as SDM, Collector and District Magistrate, Additional Secretary, Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Training and Additional Secretary, Housing and Environment, along with Executive Director, Environmental Planning & Coordination Organization and Director General Disaster Management Institute.

She has also served as Commissioner Higher Education and has been Secretary/Principal Secretary in the State Government over a span of 15 years from 1991 to 2005, playing a key role in policy formulation in vital sectors of government like Agriculture, Cooperation and Command Area Development, Women and Child Development (where she drafted the first state policy for empowerment of women), Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection; Health and Family Welfare and Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation; Commercial Taxes. She also served as Development Commissioner and ex-officio Principal Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development, where a number of systems were devised for ensuring a high quality of rural roads, which were subsequently adopted in other states also.

In the course of her career with the State Government, she took up a number of new innovations in the field of health including the very successful programme of universal immunization in her District in 1981 which aimed at coverage of all children below 5 years of age, against five vaccine preventable diseases including polio. The approach adopted was similar to that subsequently adopted in the modern day national Pulse Polio Programme.
In Government of India she has served in the Department of Defence Production and subsequently as Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, where she was closely associated with the designing and launching of a multi media campaign for consumer awareness titled ‘Jago Grahak Jago’. She has been Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution in Government of India from September, 2008 till October, 2010, and prepared a comprehensive draft of a Food Security Law. She was Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training from November, 2010, which charge she was holding till January, 2012. During this period, she was closely associated with the drafting of several anti corruption legislations.

Area of Expertise:

Experience in Administrative Reforms, Housing, Environment, Disaster Management.
Took initiative in the field of Women Empowerment, Irrigation and Agriculture.
Initiatives in Panchayati Raj system, Rural Development, and Pulse Polio Programme.
Involved in the Consumer Awareness Campaign.

Areas to Focus- Administrative Reforms, Environment and Disaster Management, Women Empowerment and Health, Consumer Rights.

2. Prof. David R. Syiemlieh

David Reid Syiemlieh is an Indian academician. He was born on 22 January 1953 in Assam. He taught undergraduates in St. Edmund's College (1977–1979) before joining the Department of History, NEHU, in 1979. He rose in the profession to become Professor in the Department of History. He held numerous positions in the University, including Dean of Students' Welfare; Head Department of History; Controller of Examinations; Registrar and Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Prof. Syiemlieh, is a former Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University, Doikukh, Arunachal Pradesh.

He was Honorary Director of the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), North Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong ;Member of the Indian Council for Historical Research, New Delhi and Member, Indian Council for Social Science Research,New Delhi. The President of India in her capacity as Visitor, Rajiv Gandhi University,Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, appointed Prof. David R Syiemlieh as Vice-Chancellor of the University. He took charge on 5 October 2011.

Area of Expertise:

Academic Background. Taught as a Professor of History.
Occupied High posts in several Universities and Research Institutes.
Area of Focus- Historical heritage of India, History of India and the World; Educational Reforms in India; Developments in North-East.

3. Shri Manbir Singh

Former Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, took the oath of office and secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission.

An officer of Indian Foreign Service of 1976 batch, Shri Manbir Singh has held several important positions which includes Counselor (Commerce & Economics) in former USSR and later the Russian Republic, Minister at the Embassy of India in the United Arab Emirates, Chief of Protocol at Headquarters, New Delhi, Ambassador of India in the countries of Hungary, Iran and Netherlands. Shri Singh has also served as India’s representative to ‘Convention on Prevention of Chemical Weapons’ and the ‘International Court of Justice’.

Area of Expertise:

Experience in the Economic Sector.
Ambassador of India to a number of countries.
Represented India at the Convention on Prevention of Chemical Weapons, and International Court of Justice.
Area of Focus- Indian Foreign Relations; International Affairs; Disarmament; Developments in Asia.

Read about the Candidate’s Interview Experience with Sh. Manbir Singh

4. Vice Admiral (Retd.) D.K. Dewan

An alumnus of National Defence Academy (Pune), Dewan was commissioned in the Navy on July 1, 1973. He had held key appointments including the Chief of Personnel from July 2007 to July 2009 and the Vice Chief of Naval Staff from August 31, 2009 to Aug 31, 2011 during his 38-year-career.

Points to Focus:

New Member.
Navy background.
Area to Focus- Defence issues; Maritime developments;

5. Shri Vinay Mittal

Vinay Mittal is the former Railway Board chairman and 1975 batch retired Indian Railway Traffic Service officer.

In his long career in Indian Railways, Mittal had worked as general manager of North Western Railway, additional general manager, Central Railway, divisional railway manager, Bilaspur, chief passenger transportation manager, chief freight transportation manager, chief commercial manager and chief operations manager of Central Railway and executive director, Traffic Transportation (Movement) in Railway Board.

He was a member of the Indian delegation which visited USA and China in 2005-06 in connection with wagon designs and freight operations. Mittal is also credited with improvement in freight loading and punctuality performance in Central Railway and North Western Railway.

At a personal level, Mittal is known to be honest, soft-spoken and highly well-mannered. In many ways, aspirants facing the UPSC interview should feel happy if they spot Mittal in the panel.

Points to Focus:

Experience of Working in the Railways.
Member of Indian Delegation to USA and China.
Known as a soft-spoken, high well mannered person.

Areas to Focus- Transport sector in India; developments in Railways;

6. Dr. (Mrs.) P. Kilemsungla

Dr. (Mrs) P. Kilemsungla is the first Naga to be appointed as a Member of the UPSC. It may be mentioned that after having become the first Naga woman member of Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC), Dr. (Mrs) P. Kilemsungla had retired as the acting chairperson of NPSC in January 2013. Dr. (Mrs) P. Kilemsungla graduated from Lady Keane College, Shillong and did her M.A (Education) from Guwahati University. She then did her Ph. D (Education) from NEHU.

Points to Focus:

First Naga Woman to be appointed as a member of the UPSC.
Acted as a Chairperson of the Nagaland Public Service Commission.
Educational Background- Ph.D in Education.

Area to Focus- Horticulture; Education reforms and developments in India; Issues related to North-East.

7. Shri Chhatar Singh

Appointed as the member of the UPSC on 02.09.2013, Shri Chhatar Singh, earlier, worked as the Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He joined the civil services as a Dalit IAS Officer of Haryana cadre, and held several key positions in the state government. He would retire on 04.03.2018.

Points to Focus:

Belong to the Dalit community.
Area to Focus- Social Welfare Initiatives.

8. Prof. Hem Chandra Gupta

Known educationist and former professor of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, Hem Chandra Gupta has been appointed as member of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

He worked as Assistant Professor between April 1981 and March 1990, as Deputy Director (Administration) between April 2006 to June 2009, and Professor between March 1990 till his appointment in the IIT, Delhi.
Professor Gupta also was Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, between July 2011 and September 2011, among others. 62-year-old Gupta will have tenure till February 17, 2017.