Rajnath Singh turns professor at LBSNAA, asks maths question to 600 IAS trainees, gets correct answer from 1

Rajnath Singh | File Photo

What may be considered as a rare occasion at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing IAS probationers, posed a mathematics question -- which seemed fairly easy at first, but seemed difficult going sheerly by the response it elicited. Only one out of 600 trainee officers  could come up  with the correct answer.

He was addressing the valedictory ceremony of the 100th Common Foundation Course at the LBSNAA. During his address, Rajnath Singh asked: “A person had so much money that he gave half to A, one-third to B, and the remaining amount of 100 was given to C. Tell me the total amount.”

The hall fell silent. Even after repeating the question, no one responded confidently. After about eight seconds, a trainee IAS officer attempted an answer: “3000.” Rajnath Singh shook his head with a smile. “Wrong, try again,” he said.

After nearly 49 seconds, someone from the crowd said: “600.” Rajnath immediately asked, “Who said 600?” When a trainee raised his hand, the Defence Minister smiled and said, “Yes, this is correct.”

Singh called upon the young civil servants to understand their crucial role in safeguarding national interests and, like the brave soldiers, always stay ready for such critical situations, as per a release by the Ministry of Defence.

"Operation Sindoor is a brilliant example of civil-military fusion where the administrative machinery worked seamlessly with the Armed Forces to communicate vital information and build public confidence," Rajnath Singh said.

The Defence Minister asserted that, during Operation Sindoor, the Armed Forces destroyed the terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in a balanced & non-escalatory response. Still, it was the misbehaviour of the neighbouring country which did not allow the situation along the border to return to normal.