UPSC Mains General Studies Solved Paper (2014) - "Paper-5 : Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude"

SECTION - A

1. (a) All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with examples. (150 words) 10

Answer:

It is indeed true that all human beings aspire for happiness. Human action and behavior are guided by pursuit of happiness. Aristotle enshrines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself.

To me, happiness is the experience of joy, contentment or positive well being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile. Though a genuinely happy life requires the fulfillment of a broad range of conditions including physical well being, the ultimate happiness originates from mental well being. We see people caring for numerous physical amenities and material things, but fulfillment of such material desires does not ensure mental well being. On the other hand a relatively less affluent person can be happy and satisfied as he considers mental and spiritual happiness as more important.

Also, pursuit of happiness should not be narrow and short term. Rather, it should be continuous process leading to perfection of human nature and cultivation of virtues. It is only through cultivation of virtues that we can attain happiness. Often the lesser good promises immediate pleasure and is more tempting, while the greater good is painful and requires some sort of sacrifice. For example it may be enjoyable to spend the night watching television, but we will be better off if we spend it researching for our paper. Another example is the taking of drugs and alcohol. These things can give us short pleasure but it will lead to long term pain. So, for me happiness is not synonymous to instant gratification, rather it is lifelong pursuit of mental will being.

Q1 (b). What does ethics seek to promote in human life? Why is it all the more important in public administration? (150 words) 10

Answer:

Ethics is a set of standards that society places on itself and which helps guide behaviors, choices and actions. Ethics seeks to improve human lives. The ethical principles help one to attain what is best. It helps a person to perfect himself/ herself as a moral being.

For functioning of any society we need certain rules and regulation. The institutions which are designed to make life easier and better for humankind cannot function without certain ethical principles. Ethics aims to provide us with a common point of view from which we can come to agreement about what all of us ought to do. It tries to discover a more objective standpoint of evaluation than that of purely personal preference.

Ethics has a pivotal role to play in public administration. Ethical public service is considered a prerequisite of well functioning democracy. Public administration based on sound ethical framework is a precondition for g goad governance that ensures sustainable development and equitable public policy. Ethics helps improve the performance of public service delivery and prevents corruption.

The primary concern of the citizens in a good civil society is that the administration must be fair and good. For an administration to be fair and good, it is essential that the administration is equitable and ethical. The lack of ethics in administration not only reduces the effectiveness but also leads to many negative effects. If leads to wastage of resources and undermines the confidence of people in governance systems.

Several rules, regulations and laws exist to ensure impartiality, honesty and devotion among the public servants. But sill there remains a vast area of administrative activity which cannot be controlled by formal laws, procedures and methods. In such cases ethics plays a central role in guiding the thoughts and actions of administrators.

2. (a) In the context of defence services, 'patriotism' demands readiness to even lay down one's life in protecting the nation. According to you, what does patriotism imply in everyday civil life? Explain with illustrations and justify your answer. (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

Q2 (b). What do you understand by 'probity' in public life? What are the difficulties in practicing it in the present times? How can these difficulties be overcome? (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

3. (a) "Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, but knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." What do you understand by this statement? Explain your stand with illustrations from the modern context. (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

Q3 (b). "Human beings should always be treated as 'ends' in themselves and never as merely `means'." Explain the meaning and significance of this statement, giving its implications in the modern techno-economic society. (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

4. (a) Which eminent personality has inspired you the most in the context of ethical conduct in life? Give the gist of his/her teachings. Giving specific examples, describe how you have been able to apply these teachings for your own ethical development. (150 words) 10

Answer:

The eminent personality that has inspired me the most in the context of ethical conduct in life is Gautam Buddha. Buddha talked about enlightenment that is knowledge. Sufferings of human being can be ended and happiness can be brought only through pursuit of knowledge. Besides, Buddhism prescribes for an eight fold path for ethical conduct in life. It consists of Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Buddha also taught about five precepts – No Killing, No stealing, No sexual misconduct, No lying, No intoxicant. One of the most important teachings of Buddha is the ‘Middle Path’. In advocates a middle course between extreme self-denial and excessive pursuit of material pleasures.

Out of all the teachings of Buddha, the one I have tried to emulate is that of ‘Middle Path’. I have tried to strike a balance between hedonism and asceticism. Whenever I get into an ethical dilemma, I try to find a middle course of action. I also try to balance between the physical needs and mental well-being. I try avoiding extreme of human conduct. For example, at one hand I try to be idealistic but on the other hand I try to bring in pragmatism whenever required without compromising ethical principles.

Q4 (b). There is a heavy ethical responsibility on the public servants because they Occupy positions of power, handle huge amounts of public funds, and their decisions have wide-ranging impact on society and environment. What steps have you taken to improve your ethical competence to handle such responsibility? (150 words) 10

Answer:

The authority vested in public servants makes it necessary for them to be ethical in their conduct. The decisions of public servants are directly related to the betterment of society and country and thus there is a huge ethical responsibility on part of the public servants.

I have tried to enhance my ethical competence thought several means. I have tried to understand various ethical principles and how they can be used to solve ethical dilemma. I have tried to learn and inculcate human values by reading about the teachings of philosophers, administrators and other great leaders. I have tried to develop an apolitical and non-prejudiced viewpoint so as to act objectively and without any bias.

I have also tried to develop compassion and empathy for people as it will help in better understanding of people’s problems. I have tried to develop a habit of debate and discussion as well as respecting other’s viewpoint.
Apart from this, I have tried to balance the emotional aspect of my personality with reasoning and intellect. Constitutional ideal and principles are also a source of ethical lesson. I have tried to understand these ideals in a comprehensive way so that my action and thought are in consonance with laws and constitution.

5. (a) The current society is plagued with widespread trust-deficit. What are the consequences of this situation for personal well-being and for societal well-being? What can you do at the personal level to make yourself trustworthy? (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

Q5 (b). It is often said that poverty leads to corruption. However, there is no dearth of instances where affluent and powerful people indulge in corruption in a big way. What are the basic causes of corruption among people? Support your answer with examples. (150 words) 10

Answer:

It is often argued that poverty leads to corruption. But and evidence suggest that these is no direct linkage between poverty and corruption. A poor person can lead his life with honesty and integrity. On the other hand, an affluent person can indulge in corruption because of greed.

2G spectrum scam and coal allocation scam are few examples which testify that affluent and powerful people indulge in corruption. So, the basic cause of corruption is not lack of resource, rather it is lack of virtues. Corruption results where an action is not based on a virtuous basis. In a way corruption represent moral failure of individuals. They are unable to follow official rules, social norms or their own conscience. There is however more apart from individual’s moral failing. Political, economic and social environment can create an atmosphere of permissiveness and laxity. Further the gains from dishonesty may far outweigh the risks of detection or punishment. Other causes of corruption include administrative delays, scope for personal discretion, cumbersome procedures, over-regulations, lack of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms etc.

Q6. What factors affect the formation of a person's attitude towards social problems? In our society, contrasting attitudes are prevalent about many social problems. What contrasting attitudes do you notice about the caste system in our society? How do you explain the existence of these contrasting attitudes? (150 words) 10

Answer:

Attitude is a learned tendency to see and evaluate things in a certain way. A person’s attitude towards other persons or things is determined by various factors such as personality, values, stereotypes, experience, emotional state, intelligence, social background, education, gender etc.

Because of the above factors, contrasting attitudes are prevalent in our society about many social problems such as caste system. Many people justify caste system in the absence of knowledge and information or because of prejudice. For many cast system is obsolete as it has only negative effects on our society. Many favor caste-based reservation as they feel it can bring about equality. While many others feel that caste-based reservation undermines equality and justice. Many perceive caste system as a necessary condition to unite people of lower strara and for political representation.

As discussed earlier, these contrasting attitudes are the result of various personal and societal values, prejudices and stereotypes. For example, a person from ‘upper caste’ can consider caste based reservation as unnecessary while a person from under privileged caste may consider caste based reservation as a tool for his upliftment.

7. What does 'accountability' mean in the context of public service? What measures can be adopted to ensure individual and collective accountability of public servants? (150 words) 10

Answer:

Administrative accountability means to be answerable for one’s action and behavior while carrying out public duty. It is an instrument to evaluate performance in terms of goals.

Individual accountability for a public servant can be ensured through adherence to code of conduct rules, supervision by the seniors, inspections of official discharge of functions, annual confidential reports, departmental inquiry, promotions / demotions / suspensions, vigilance and annual / monthly review meetings are few mechanisms to ensure individual accountability of a public servant.

Collective Accountability implies that a leader or head or superintendent or controller or commission ought to take the responsibility for the deeds of their subordinates in their respective department or positions, in collective fashion.

Since public servants are vested with vast discretionary powers, privileges and authority they might tempt to misuse them by bypassing the appropriate channels of hierarchy and withholding the flow of information in the channels. This is where the creative accountability comes into play to purge corrupt behavior of public trustees.

Collective accountability rests on the doctrine of ‘unity – solidarity and secrecy’. This aspect of accountability can be ascertained through both internal and external instruments, like annual auditing of accounts of every govt. department, judicial review and evaluation by media.

Besides legislative surveillance, electoral process and strengthening of public scrutiny through debates and participation on government platforms can improve the collective responsibility of civil servants.

8. We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace. (150 words) 10 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

SECTION-B

Q9. Now-a-days, there is an increasing thrust on economic development all around the globe. At the same time, there is also an increasing concern about environmental degradation caused by development. Many a time, we face a direct conflict between developmental activity and environmental quality. It is neither feasible to stop or curtail the developmental process, nor it is advisable to keep degrading the environment, as it threatens our very survival.

Answer:

Mahatma Gandhi once affirmed that there is enough for everyone’s need but not enough for anyone’s greed. This statement signifies the need for sustainable exploitation of our environment for economic development. Over exploitation of natural resources has led to enormous degradation of environment (land, water, and air), green house gas emission, climate change, ozone layer depletion etc. There is a need to strike a balance between economic development and environmental conservation. Some feasible strategies that can be employed are as follows.

1. Environmental Impact Assessment should be made an integral part of every developmental activity and should be carried out efficiently and in unbiased manner.
2. Technologies that protect environment should be encouraged and used. Resource efficient and eco friendly technologies needs to invented and used.
3. Green accounting should be done to measure the cost of ecological destruction arising out of economic development.
4. Use of renewable energy resource should be intensified. On the other hand fossil fuels should be discoursed whenever possible.
5. Local people should be engaged in development and conservation efforts as they know about indigenous methods for conservation of environment.
6. Inculcation of human values related to environmental conservation in our children though change in curriculum can go a long way in tacking environmental degradation.
7. The principle of ‘There Rs’ of the environment should be encouraged. This implies reduce, reuse and recycle. There should be reduction in the waste generation accompanied by reuse of things discarded and recycling of the resources whenever possible.
8. Recourses should be utilized based on the supporting and assimilative capacity of the environment.

Discuss some feasible strategies which could be adopted to eliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainable development. (250 words) 20

10. Suppose one of your close friends, who is also aspiring for civil services, comes to you for discussing some of the issues related to ethical conduct in public service. He raises the following points:

(i) In the present times, when unethical environment is quite prevalent, individual attempts to stick to ethical principles may cause a lot of problems in one's career. It may also cause hardship to the family members as well as risk to one's life. Why should we not be pragmatic and follow the path of least resistance, and be happy with doing whatever good we can?
(ii) When so many people are adopting wrong means and are grossly harming the system, what difference would it make if only a small minority tries to be ethical? They are going to be rather ineffective and are bound to get frustrated.
(iii) If we become fussy about ethical considerations, will it not hamper the economic progress of our country? After all, in the present age of high competition, we cannot afford to be left behind in the race of development.
(iv) It is understandable that we should not get involved in grossly unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gratifications and doing small favours increases everybody's motivation. It also makes the system more efficient. What is wrong in adopting such practices?

Answer

(i) It is a true that in the present times, sticking to ethical principles may cause a lot of problems in one’s career. This is exemplified by harassment of many upright officers. Being pragmatic and following the path of least resistance will help lead a normal life. But on the other hand it will not be ethically correct. Apart from being accountable to laws we also need to be accountable to our conscience. For that we need to raise our voice against what is wrong. In such cases we need is follow what Gandhiji once said, “Non-Cooperation with evil is an much our duty as cooperation with good.

(ii) It is wrong to think that a small group of people cannot bring change by being ethical. Then are many example before us which testify that people can bring about many positive changes. People like Mother Teresa, Kiran Bedi, Verghare Kurien are some example who fought against all odds but were successful due to their efforts and leadership skills.

(iii) It is not rational to think that ethical consideration will hamper economic progress of our country. It has been proved that unethical practices and corruption not only reduces efficiency and lead to wastage but also leads to economic and social inequality and subversion of law and justice. Ethical values and principles are not just for idealistic reasons rather they have practical impact.

(iv)There is no such thing called small or big corruption. Every unethical practice is unjustified no matter how big or small it is. Giving and accepting small gratification will lead to ignoring of one’s self-conscience and once it is done, people get involved in large unethical activities. Moreover, such things may enhance the efficiency of the system in short term but it will undermine the efficiency in the long run along with undermining of values like equality, justice, rule of law, etc which are important for any system.

Critically analyze the above viewpoints. On the basis of this analysis, what will be your advice to your friend? (250 words) 20

Q 11. You are a no-nonsense, honest officer. You have been transferred to a remote district to head a department that is notorious for its inefficiency and callousness. You find that the main cause of the poor state of affairs is the indiscipline of a section of employees. They do not work themselves and also disrupt the working of others. You first warned the troublemakers to mend their ways or else face disciplinary action. When the warning had little effect, you issued a show cause notice to the ringleaders. As a retaliatory measure, these troublemakers instigated a woman employee amongst them to file a complaint of sexual harassment against you with the Women's Commission. The Commission promptly seeks your explanation. The matter is also publicized in the' media to embarrass you further. Some of the options to handle this situation could be as follows: (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

(i) Give your explanation to the Commission and go soft on the disciplinary action.
(ii) Ignore the Commission and proceed firmly with the disciplinary action.
(iii) Brief your higher-ups seek directions from them and act accordingly.

Suggest any other possible option(s). Evaluate all of them and suggest the best course of action, giving your reasons for it. (250 words) 20

Q12. (i) Suppose you are the CEO of a company that manufactures specialized electronic equipment used by a government department. You have submitted your bid for the supply of this equipment to the department. Both the quality and cost of your offer are better than those of the competitors. Yet the concerned officer is demanding a hefty bribe for approving the tender. Getting the order is important both for you and for your company. Not getting the order would mean closing a production line. It may ay also affect your own career. However, as a value-conscious person, you do not want to give bribe. (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

(ii) Valid arguments can be advanced both for giving the bribe and getting the order, and for refusing to pay the bribe and risking the loss of the order. What those arguments could be? Could there be any better way to get out of this dilemma? If so, outline the main elements of this third way, pointing out its merits. (250 words) 20 (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

Q13. Rameshwar successfully cleared the prestigious civil services examination and was excited about the opportunity that he would get through the civil services to serve the country. However, soon after joining the services, he realized that things are not as rosy as he had imagined. (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

Q14. In our country, the migration of rural people to towns and cities is increasing drastically. This is causing serious problems both in the rural as well as in the urban areas. In fact, things are becoming really unmanageable. Can you analyze this problem in detail and indicate not only the socio-economic but also the emotional and attitudinal factors responsible for this problem? Also, distinctly bring out why (for Answer Join Online Coaching for IAS Mains Exam)

(a) Educated rural youth are trying to shift to urban areas;
(b) Landless poor peiople are migrating to urban slums;
(c) Even some farmers are selling off their land and trying to settle in urban areas taking up petty jobs.

What feasible steps can you suggest which will be effective in controlling this serious problem of our country? (250 words) 20

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