Interview candidates
You want to test the depth and balance of your thinking before the Personality Test, especially around DAF-linked, governance and public-policy questions.
IAS
Portrait will be published with mentor consent
Founding mentor · 1976 batch
Dr Anita Chaudhary
Retired Indian Administrative Service Officer · Haryana Cadre
Dr Anita Chaudhary is a retired IAS officer of the 1976 batch of the Haryana cadre. Her accomplished career of more than three decades spans public administration, rural and urban development, food security, land reforms, internal security, police reforms, Centre–State relations and public-sector management.
ExperienceOver three decades in public service
Session fee₹3000 for 60 minutes
AvailabilityLimited, confirmed after enquiry
1976-batch Haryana-cadre IAS
Former Secretary to the Government of India
Policy, programme and project leadership
Experience across the breadth of public administration.
Dr Chaudhary’s service gave her the opportunity to work across public administration, rural and urban development, food security, land reforms, internal security, police reforms, Centre–State relations and public-sector management, among other fields.
She has extensive experience in policy formulation, programme implementation and project management. Institutional reforms in rural and urban development, land, police, jails, the public distribution system, agricultural marketing and standardisation have been her forte.
A service perspective
Bringing the examination back to its public purpose.
The Civil Services Examination is not only a test of recall. At its best, it looks for people who can reason under pressure, hold competing interests together and act with constitutional responsibility. A career in the IAS gives Dr Chaudhary a long view of those qualities—from selection through service.
Academic background
DoctoratePhD on “Right to Information as a Management Tool to Improve the Public Distribution System—a Case Study of Haryana”
Master’sMaster’s in Social Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
PostgraduatePostgraduate qualification in English Literature, Fergusson College, University of Pune
Training across management, technology and public finance.
Dr Chaudhary undertook training programmes on different aspects of administration and management at IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Delhi, the Administrative Staff College of India in Hyderabad and TERI in Delhi. Her international training included rural marketing at a university in South Korea and public financial management at Harvard.
Leadership across the Government of India.
Agricultural marketingWhile serving at Deputy Secretary level, held additional charge for two years as Agricultural Marketing Adviser to the Government of India—a Joint Secretary-level post responsible for granting AGMARK certification to agricultural goods.
Food & distributionServed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution.
Home affairsServed as Additional Secretary and later Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. During her tenure, the Crime and Criminal Tracking System was initiated in collaboration with TCS.
Land resourcesRetired as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Land Resources. During her tenure, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was drafted.
Public-sector managementWas selected as Managing Director of the Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India, a Government of India public-sector undertaking under the Ministry of Textiles. She led the computerisation of the corporation’s activities, resulting in significant profits.
Ministerial officeServed as Private Secretary to a Union Minister while maintaining political neutrality.
Continued contribution to institutions and public service.
EvaluationMember of committees on the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System (PMES) for public-sector undertakings and government departments.
2015–2018Independent Director, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
2016–2019Independent Director, Engineering Projects (India) Limited (EPIL).
2017–2020Independent External Monitor, Ministry of Home Affairs, appointed by the Central Vigilance Commission.
2017–2020Independent External Monitor, Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI).
External monitorIndependent External Monitor, Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
External monitorIndependent External Monitor, Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited (HSCC).
SelectionMember of the Staff Selection Commission interview board.
Capacity buildingConducted capacity-building programmes for foreign civil servants at the invitation of the National Centre for Good Governance, Mussoorie.
MentoringMentored new recruits to various services at the invitation of the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA).
Work on transparency, governance and public administration.
Doctoral research“Right to Information as a Management Tool for Improving the Public Distribution System—Case Study of Haryana”, examining how taking RTI to its logical conclusion can improve transparency, accountability and service delivery in the rationing system.
Article“Wastelands Mapping in India”, published in Management in Government.
Article“Issues and Challenges in the Right to Information Act”, published in the journal of the Indian Institute of Public Administration.
Publication“Development in Public Administration and Governance”, published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in association with the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, Brussels.
Career profile“Cottage Experience”, featured in Women of Influence: 10 Extraordinary IAS Careers.
Professional strengths shaped by service.
Public administration
Governance reforms, administrative leadership and institutional innovation.
Rural development
Self-employment and wage-earning schemes, programme design and implementation.
Land policy
Land reforms, acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement.
Food security
Public distribution systems, transparency, accountability and service delivery.
Internal security
Internal security administration, police reforms and jail reforms.
Policy leadership
Policy formulation, implementation, project management and monitoring.
Inter-governmental coordination
Centre–State relations and coordination across public institutions.
Public-sector management
Institutional reform, computerisation and organisational performance.
A strong fit for aspirants seeking reflection, not scripts.
DAF-focused aspirants
You want a serious conversation about your background, choices, home state, work, interests, service preference or gaps in your story.
Aspirants considering the IAS
You want a grounded understanding of administrative work, institutional reform, responsibility, uncertainty and the personal implications of the career.
Newly selected officers
You want to enter training and early service with a clearer sense of conduct, learning, leadership and long-term professional judgement.
Examples of what you could discuss.
- Interview · Public issuesHow can I discuss a controversial issue firmly without sounding rigid or politically partisan?
- DAF · Self-awarenessWhich parts of my DAF are likely to reveal the most about my judgement and self-awareness?
- Governance · ImplementationHow should I evaluate whether a well-intentioned policy can work in practice?
- Public administration · ReformWhat makes institutional reform durable when systems and stakeholders resist change?
- Career · Service preferenceHow should I think about service preference beyond prestige and popular perception?
- Early service · LeadershipWhat do newly selected officers often misunderstand about authority, staff and field responsibility?
- Judgement · EthicsHow can I preserve empathy and integrity when administrative choices involve real trade-offs?
What this conversation can—and cannot—do.
A mentor can help you identify blind spots, refine judgement and think with greater context. They cannot predict the board, guarantee marks, secure selection or replace disciplined preparation. The best enquiry names a real question rather than asking for a general success formula.