Subject: GS 4
Syllabus: Probity in Governance
Questions
- What do you mean by ‘probity in governance’? Discuss whether the dearth of ‘probity in governance’ is a hindrance on the road to development. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
- “The administration must be passionate about service and be dispassionate about the profile of the people it is serving.”- Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Discuss how this quote promotes the value of non-partisanship. (150 words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
- What do you mean by ‘probity in governance’? Discuss whether the dearth of ‘probity in governance’ is a hindrance on the road to development. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Probity connotes adhering to moral values like honesty, uprightness and integrity. It is a basic prerequisite for governance and socioeconomic development as it ensures ethical behaviour of the highest standards.
Main Body
- Probity as a value focuses more on means rather than outcomes. The processes, procedures and systems involved in completing any public welfare work find a central position.
- This can be exhibited by examples like the Delhi Metro, which has many times established new standards of excellence under the guidance of E Sreedharan, who is also known as Metro Man. With efficient systems, people of Delhi NCR find it affordable to travel in the Delhi Metro on a daily basis.
- But lack of ‘probity in governance’ can certainly hinder the development process as it can lead to:
- Increased corruption and misuse of public funds because there will be no integrity to put a check on various misdemeanours.
- Lack of behavioural change means that even if there is an institutional mechanism to check corruption, people will find loopholes and a way out to exploit the system.
- Delays in taking actions, which make instruments like RTI, social audits, citizen charters, etc., meaningless.
- Corruption in policy making by catering to vested interests by lobbying and criminalisation of politics is a result of decreasing probity in governance.
Conclusion
- To ensure there is probity in governance, a code of ethics needs to be made enforceable and the Public Service Bill must be enacted as soon as possible. For righteous officers following the path of probity, there has to be a reward system so that a culture of integrity and uprightness is cultivated.
- “The administration must be passionate about service and be dispassionate about the profile of the people it is serving.”- Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Discuss how this quote promotes the value of non-partisanship. (150 words, 10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- Independent India's first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, contemplated the civil services as a steel frame of India's administrative setup. This is because of the values it is bound to imbibe, and non-partisanship is one such example, which makes civil servants an important part of the administrative setup.
Main Body
- Non-partisanship is a quality to keep oneself away from any ideology, political party, interest group, etc. It ensures administrators are uninterested about any ideology while taking administrative decisions. It promotes the value of non-partisanship by
- It is different from impartiality because the latter involves neutral decision making, while non-partisanship means not belonging to any group or ideology. The idea of the social contract means upholding the rights of all sections of society.
- The above quote sheds light on the idea that duty or service is the only thing that matters, rather than who is being served. Because when this idea comes to the minds of administrators as to who they are serving, there is scope for impartiality to creep in.
- The ideals of the constitution and fundamental rights also promote equality and justice, which leave no space for partisanship.
- This was evident in land revenue policy during British times, which catered to only a few vested interests, because of which inclusivity was absent.
- This ensures values like equity, tolerance, impartiality, fraternity and due process in the administration.
Conclusion
- Thus, it can be said that the value of non-partisanship is a sine qua non for ethical decision making as it puts all the citizens on the same pedestal without any favor towards a particular group. It also shuns VIP culture and ensures resources are used efficiently to benefit all equally.
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