Subject: GS 4
Syllabus: Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service
Questions
- Responsibility and discipline are important traits for civil servants to discharge their duties without fear or favour. Discuss the attitudes which help develop these traits. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
- Enumerate the foundational values for civil services and explain why they are called foundational. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
- Responsibility and discipline are important traits for civil servants to discharge their duties without fear or favour. Discuss the attitudes which help develop these traits. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Civil services is a service of vocation and a duty with the highest level of dedication. It requires attitudes like sincerity and ownership to public interest which brings in a sense of responsibility and discipline.
Main Body
- To ensure traits like responsibility, dedication to public life and discipline are nurtured in civil servants, below mentioned attitudes are very important.
- Selflessness helps an officer become compassionate and full of empathy which helps in working off the track to serve society and ensure public interest. Armstrong Pame built a road with crowdfunding to ensure ease of commuters in his native village of Manipur state. Prasanth Nair led his own operation Sulaimani in Kozhikode district to fight hunger.
- Courageous attitude helps face adversities and challenges like corrupt systems, political pressure and an unruly mob. Bureaucrats like Ashok Khemka and Durga Shakti Nagpal have exhibited this character.
- Truthful attitude guarantees honest work and commitment to duty. This further translates into responsibility and discipline which prevents misuse of public funds.
- Compassion and empathy helps develop an objective attitude which is important to discharge duties impartially and ensure welfare of marginalized sections of society.
Conclusion
- There has to be a wholesome atmosphere which must include role models like superiors and periodic training cum assessment to ensure highest ethical standards are maintained in civil services.
- Enumerate the foundational values for civil services and explain why they are called foundational. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model structure
Introduction
- Civil services were called a steel frame of governance by India’s first Home Minister Mr. Sardar Patel. For societal development, civil services are pivotal as they have responsibilities of decision making as well as policy implementation.
Main body
- Foundational values for civil services -
- Integrity: It empowers any person to make a judgment about right or wrong because it is value-driven.
- Impartiality: Actions of a bureaucrat towards the public have to be merit-based which result in fair, equitable and efficient decisions.
- Non-partisanship: It means that a non-partisan civil servant is responsible to the constitution and law of the land. The officer executes his task without fear or favour.
- Dedication: It means devotion to duty for work full of purpose and action. It results in continuous actions even when motivation is missing.
- Compassion and tolerance towards the weaker and marginalised: Service before self requires a humanistic attitude and smartness to interpret the rules objectively to advance the public interest.
- Objectivity: It means that truth remains true universally irrespective of mindset and ideology.
- These values are important because -
- Upholding these values means that gaps of trust deficit between citizens and government are bridged.
- They ensure honest and efficient civil servants which is essential for a developing country.
- They ensure that rule of law is maintained and law of land is held supreme.
- They serve as guiding light for civil servants who have got discretionary powers in certain matters.
Conclusion
- These foundational values are like the foundation of a bedrock which helps achieve social, political and economic justice.
