UPSC Mains 2024 GS4 Q18 — Resource Management Ethics
With the summer heat being eñceptionally severe this year, the district has been facing severe water shortage... (a) Discuss all options available to the District Collector as a District Magistrate. (b) What suitable actions can be taken in view of mutually compatible interests of the stakeholders? (c) What are the potential administrative and ethical dilemmas for the District Collector? (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Discuss
- Scope keywords
- District Collector as a District Magistratesevere water shortagemutually compatible interestspotential administrative and ethical dilemmassummer heat
- Implicit sub-parts
- Legal powers under CrPC/IPC and Disaster Management Act to manage water resources.
- Categorization of stakeholders into conflicting vs. converging interest groups (e.g., industry vs. domestic).
- Short-term emergency relief vs. long-term sustainable water infrastructure.
- Prioritization matrix for water allocation during scarcity.
- Common pitfalls
- Failing to distinguish between 'Collector' (revenue/development) and 'District Magistrate' (law and order/emergency powers) roles.
- Focusing only on technical solutions like rain-water harvesting which are ineffective during an active summer heatwave.
- Ignoring the 'mutually compatible' part of the prompt by only suggesting zero-sum solutions where one group loses.
- Generic ethical points like 'integrity' without linking them to the specific dilemma of 'Right to Life' vs. 'Industrial Productivity'.
- Dimensions required
- Legal-RegulatorySocio-EconomicEthical-MoralAdministrative-PragmaticHumanitarian
- Marks allocation hint
Spend approximately 60-70 words on part (a) focusing on DM's statutory powers. Use 90-100 words for part (b) to propose collaborative solutions like CSR funding and rationing. Reserve the final 80-90 words for part (c) to address the conflict between duty and utilitarianism.
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