Topic: Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
Q1) Administrative discretion can be a blessing if used correctly, however its misuse can prove to be a curse. Discuss with examples. (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction:
- Administration has undergone a rapid expansion as we progress further into the 21st century, the range of activities that are being left to administrative control are ever increasing.
- More and more discretion is being given to administrative authorities to arrive at decisions without interference from other bodies.
Main Body:
- If the administrative discretion is used correctly by the authority, it can be a blessing:
- Parliament cannot legislate on all aspects of a certain matter and simply vest authority in the executive to implement the same allowing them to act on a case-to-case basis.
- It allows them to look at various alternatives that the authority can choose to take in a situation which can give better results depending on local conditions and resources.
- It helps authorities in case of any gaps or lacunae in statutes. Administrators may act upon their wisdom for larger public good. It may also lead to efficient utilisation of resources at the disposal of the civil servants.
- It helps an individual bureaucrat to grow more confident as well as keep him or her motivated and brings out leadership qualities, which are very important characteristics required from civil servants.
- It invites out-of-the-box thinking, which is the need of the hour in the Indian bureaucracy as the level of complexity grows in administration.
- Discretionary power if misused can prove to be a curse:
- It can act as a source of corruption, nepotism and favoritism as the decision lies in the hand of an individual with mala fide intentions.
- For e.g. while granting a tender, he may show favoritism or bias, which may lead to the misuse of public resources and hamper larger public interest.
- It can lead to a culture of lethargy and impose bureaucratic hurdles which can hamper the ongoing process.
- For e.g. in absence of rules/regulations/guidelines, a public official may refrain from acting on a matter, leading to administrative delays.
- Some discretionary powers exercised with mala fide intentions can have a cascading effect on the system of administration and demotivate other efficient bureaucrats.
- It can act as a source of corruption, nepotism and favoritism as the decision lies in the hand of an individual with mala fide intentions.
Conclusion:
- It is not the discretionary powers, but their misuse, which creates the problems in the system. So, it is imperative that there shall be a Code of Ethics prescribed for civil servants in India.
Q2) While civil servants have the legal right to undertake post-retirement jobs, this raises key ethical issues. Comment. (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- One of the foundational values of civil services is political neutrality and non-partisanship. Post-retirement jobs are seen in contradiction to such values.
Main Body
- Legal right to undertake post-retirement jobs
- Under the All India Service Rules, bureaucrats are allowed to accept jobs after the expiry of one year from the date of retirement.
- Also, they are permitted to seek waiving-off of this cooling off period.
- There could be a financial need to continue in a government job as the pension is only equivalent to half of the last pay drawn.
- The government itself enables and calls for applications for such assignments.
- Such appointment of bureaucrats raises ethical issues
- Conflict of interest: routinely join private companies with which they had dealt as government servants.
- It raises questions on decisions made by them while holding official positions.
- Malfeasance: It creates the perception that bureaucrats make policies either for a quid pro quo or a post-retirement job, which is dangerous for governance.
- It leads to loss of public trust in government institutions.
- Promotes inefficiency: It is viewed that post-retirement jobs are not necessarily offered on the basis of the experience or the competence rather as a reward for ‘services rendered’.
- Therefore, officers with efficiency and integrity remain out of the race and convenient and pliable officers hold important positions.
- Seeking political patronage: Civil servants restrict themselves from airing free and frank views in favor of public interest under the apprehension that their personal interest could be adversely affected post-retirement.
- It results in erosion of civil service values.
- Conflict of interest: routinely join private companies with which they had dealt as government servants.
Way Forward
- Civil servants gather enormous knowledge and experience within their long careers. Their enormous expertise can be put to use for the betterment of the nation through post-retirement assignments.
- However, the criteria for their selection for a post-retirement assignment should be their competence and integrity and not servility and/ or allegiance.
- It should be done in a manner that ensures that decisions taken by the bureaucrats in office are not under any greed for a post-retirement job.
- For example, an institution like the UPSC can be tasked with shortlisting the candidates for post-retirement assignments.
- The officer will then not feel beholden to the government for the assignment and it may erode the quid pro-quo attitude that is currently the order of the day.
Conclusion
- While on the one-hand post-retirement jobs help in the utilization of expertise, they also hamper public trust as Objectivity and Neutrality are brought under question.
- It becomes important that a rule-based mechanism is established for such jobs, which can ensure transparency in the process of providing Post-retirement jobs.
Q3) Which corporate leader has inspired you the most and what moral lessons have you learnt from their life? (10 Marks)
Model Structure
Introduction
- There are multiple corporate leaders in India as well as across the world, who have been a source of huge inspiration for people. Few such names include Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Azim Premji, Anand Mahindra and many others.
Main Body
- I have been hugely inspired by Mr. Ratan Tata. The reasons behind my choice are:
- Visionary leadership he not only took his business abroad but also successfully helped acquire global brands like Jaguar Land Rover.
- As a result half of Tata’s revenues come from overseas.
- His ability to take risks and innovate, helped him launch products like India’s first ‘People’s Car’ – Tata Nano with a starting price of just one lakh rupees.
- He is not only hard working even at the age of 75, but also motivates social startups and young entrepreneurs to build companies which can build a better India.
- Visionary leadership he not only took his business abroad but also successfully helped acquire global brands like Jaguar Land Rover.
- I have learnt following moral lessons from him:
- Humility:
- He started out working as a blue-collar employee for Tata Steel.
- He often interacted with workers at the grassroots, which help him understand their needs better.
- Philanthropy:
- He donated Rs. 500 Crore to fight COVID-19.
- and had been donating earlier in the fields of education, medicine and rural development quite generously.
- It is substantiated by the fact that two-thirds of the Tata group is owned by philanthropic groups.
- Value-driven businesses:
- Tata does well because its employees and management adhere to its values.
- He ensured that the mission of his company is “to improve the lives of the communities we serve globally.”
- Empathy and care:
- After the attack of 26/11 at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, he personally overlooked the assistance being provided to the victims.
- He made sure that the families of the staff who were killed or injured were provided all kinds of relief and met all of them to show solidarity.
- He once remarked, “One should always think how he/she can do good for the people or society and should never compromise when it comes to upholding moral values.”
- Humility:
Conclusion
- He stands by his beliefs and is driven by principles that are rooted in responsibility than in self fulfillment.
- He sets a glaring example of what we could achieve if we overcome our personal limitations, retain our humility, and stay true to our values in spite of all odds.
Q 4) “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” Comment in the light of the ongoing international crises. (10 Marks)
Introduction
- In 2025, India conducted Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Other than this there are several boundary disputes going on between different countries for e.g. Boundary disputes of China with many countries. These tense situations may escalate into a full-fledged war if not kept under check. In this light it has become important in the modern era to be prepared for war which creates deterrence and preserves peace.
Deterrence is created by being prepared for war -
- Deterrence is the threat of force in order to discourage an opponent from taking an unwelcome action. As long as both sides act “rationally”, i.e. according to a cost-benefit calculus, and if none of them is suicidal, their military potentials do keep each other in check.
- For e.g. nuclear powers keep each other in check and hence, peace is maintained. The enemy nation is less likely to attack any state if it knows the might of military and losses it may suffer in a situation of war. After that diplomacy takes the bigger role in solving crises.
- However, deterrence has not always been successful in averting the wars. History shows that in spite of deterrence nations have attacked each other and there are cases in which the weaker side attacked the stronger.
- For e.g. The military leadership of Imperial Japan, for example, was fully aware of US military superiority yet they attacked USA’s Pearl harbour and brought USA to war. Many studies about human behaviour demonstrate that people who fear to lose something valuable are ready to take greater risks than those who hope to make a gain. If the opponent’s interest in achieving a certain objective is higher than one’s own, deterrence may fail.
- Another example is the Vietnam War. Although the United States was militarily far superior, it ultimately had to withdraw because the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong were willing to make much greater sacrifices to achieve their goals than the US.
Nuclear Deterrence -
- So far, nuclear deterrence has been successful in averting wars and maintains peace. But, even in the nuclear domain, deterrence depends on the interests that one seeks to protect. If a nation’s existence is at stake, the use of nuclear weapons is credible. E.g. no army and no alliance has deterred Russia from annexing Crimea and destabilising Eastern Ukraine.
Conclusion -
- Deterrence may not always be successful in avoiding wars. But being prepared for war all the time along with boasting capabilities of armed forces does help in maintaining peace in the world. Any great war at this period of time may perish humanity from the earth therefore, It is important that nations take their decisions rationally and create an atmosphere of peace all over the world.
Q 5) How ethics should be incorporated into important government policies such as health and education? Illustrate. (10 M)
Model Structure
Introduction
- The government policies impact all the citizens and decide how the public resources are to be used to further societal goals. Hence, the highest levels of ethical standards must be incorporated in government policies.
Main Body
- Ethical obligations of the practitioners must be clearly specified, and any transgressions punished. In India, MCI specifies the code of medical ethics for doctors which must be strictly adhered to.
- Education and healthcare are essential public goods. If an individual is not able to afford education, s/he can become a burden on society by becoming a misfit or an unproductive member of the society. Hence, equity in government policy will ensure the welfare of the entire society.
- All members of the society are not at the same level. Hence, government policies must be compassionate to help the weaker sections of the society. For e.g. not taking school fees from students below BPL.
- Since public institutions run on public funds, they must be completely transparent in their way of functioning.
- To decide how the limited public resources have been used against many competing requirements, requires an ethical decision making. For example, deciding whether the resources have to be used for providing free vaccines to all children or for opening a new stadium.
- Every individual must be treated with respect and dignity, and must not be discriminated against in any form. For instance, teacher must ensure Dalit children are not subjected to discrimination or harassment both inside and outside the class.
- Protection of privacy of citizens. E.g. doctor keeping the information revealed by patient as confidential.
- The practitioners should not exploit the relationship of trust with students or patients for personal gain or advantage. For e.g. doctors prescribing unnecessary procedures when there is no requirement, should result in cancellation of license.
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