Topic: Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service
- While objectivity and neutrality are often used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. Comment. (10 Marks)
Model Answer
Introduction:
- Objectivity and neutrality are two principles that play a crucial role in the actions and decision-making processes of civil servants. However, they are not identical and serve different purposes.
- Objectivity is making judgments or decisions uninfluenced by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.
- On the other hand, neutrality implies not taking sides in any situation, conflict, or decision-making process.
Main Body:
Difference between Objectivity and Neutrality
Conclusion:
Both objectivity and neutrality are vital in the conduct of civil servants and help in promoting fairness and equality, enhancing decision-making, mitigating conflicts and preserving integrity.
- Some crises demand that the administration take unpopular short-term decisions to prevent long-term disasters. What values must a civil servant have to implement such decisions and tide over popular opposition? (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- Whenever a crisis occurs, it snowballs into a bigger crisis and catastrophe. Hence, it is required to nip the crisis in the bud. One way of preventing this magnification of the crisis is to take short-term decisions to prevent long-term disasters.
- For example, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was imposed to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus. Though it attracted popular opposition, it was required to prevent the long-term disaster.
Main Body:
Value required by the civil servant to take such decisions:
- Courage of conviction: The civil servant must have courage to bear the opposition and yet go ahead with the right but unpopular decision to curb the crisis.
- This involves taking harsh decisions, such as lockdowns during the pandemic.
- Motivation: The right motivation is required towards the public service. Then only he/she will gather the energy to implement such a decision.
- For example, working tirelessly during demonetisation.
- Selflessness: A civil servant must be selfless. This would help him to be unshaken by appreciation and criticism, which is attached to such strict decision-making.
- Aptitude: To implement a short-term, strict decision, the right aptitude is required, which will help the civil servant to take innovative measures in implementation.
- For example, the use of drones to challenge violators of lockdown restrictions.
- Leadership: Such decisions often demand an active and dedicated workforce which works continuously. For this, a good leadership quality is needed in civil servants who can motivate their team in such circumstances.
- For example, imposing Section 144 during a law and order situation.
- Fortitude: The right aptitude, along with the right mindset, is required. Fortitude helps a civil servant in dealing with the setbacks associated with such short-term decisions and in changing the means of implementation.
Conclusion:
- Hence, taking short-term decisions is necessary to prevent long-term disasters. However, these short-term decisions should be guided by the foundational values of civil services as laid down by the Nolan committee.
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- While tolerance is widely regarded as a commendable virtue in general, particularly for fostering harmonious coexistence, it is often asserted that for a civil servant, this attribute assumes a non-negotiable significance. In light of this assertion, what insights can you provide to shed light on the unique and indispensable role that tolerance plays in the realm of civil service? (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- Tolerance is defined as a fair and objective outlook towards those whose lifestyle differs from a person's. It teaches us to exercise restraint in sensitive matters. Tolerance comprises allowing people to exercise their religious or constitutional rights.
- For example, a vegetarian might never eat meat, but he may not force others to eat meat.
Main Body:
Importance of tolerance for a civil servant:
- Taking care of the needs of weaker sections: Tolerance and compassion make a civil servant lead with not only the head but also the heart.
- They are the fundamental components of one’s character and of a positive relationship, which is essential to meet the needs of weaker sections like SCs, STs, and Transgenders.
- Promoting Sarva-dharma-sambhav: Indian society is multi-religious and multicultural. To prevent conflicts caused by religious bigotry and intolerance, Gandhiji suggested "Sarva Dharma Sambhav".
- To inculcate this, A civil servant in the role of a police officer or administrator must grow tolerance in him.
- Preserving democratic ethos: A civil servant must fulfil constitutional obligations, one of which is the preservation of democracy. Gandhiji identified ‘intolerance’ amongst the enemies of correct understanding, which hampers the democratic ethos.
- Maintaining a healthy work culture: Tolerance also helps in promoting inclusivity at the workplace. It helps the civil servant in leadership roles to maintain equality between different genders, races, and religions, etc. It leads to acceptance and healthy competition from diverse colleagues, thus reducing the superiority complex.
- Tackling Societal evils: Virtues like tolerance, appreciating diversity can promote Social Harmony and can tackle issues like Communalism, Gender Biasness, etc. These virtues can be applied by civil servants to maintain peace and harmony in society.
- Preserving fundamental rights of citizens: In the words of Socrates, “tolerance is about the pursuit of truth.
- It is about being prepared to see the value of another person’s perspective, which is about equality and the right of people to believe what they believe.” Understanding this tolerance helps a civil servant in strengthening the rights of citizens.
- Reducing Internal disturbances: In the issue of disturbances in J&K, Naxalism, etc cannot be dealt exclusively with coercion.
- A long-term solution is only possible via tolerance and dialogue.
Conclusion:
- Former Indian President P. Mukherjee once remarked that “Intolerance and violence is a betrayal of the letter and spirit of democracy." As followers of our constitution, we must strive to develop a scientific temper and build a tolerant environment.
- “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. (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- Independent India's first home minister, Sardar Patel, contemplated civil services as the 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 disinterested about any ideology while making 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 in mind 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 favour towards a particular group. It also shuns VIP culture and ensures resources are used efficiently to benefit all equally.
- Enumerate the foundational values for civil services and explain why they are called foundational? (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 has 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 the rule of law is maintained and the law of the land is held supreme.
- They serve as a guiding light for civil servants who have discretionary powers in certain matters.
Conclusion:
- These foundational values are like the foundation of a bedrock, which helps achieve social, political and economic justice.
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