UPSC Mains 2019 GS4 Q12 — Civil Service Ethics
In recent times, there has been an increasing concern in India to develop effective civil service ethics, codes of conduct, transparency measures, ethics and integrity systems and anti-corruption agencies. In view of this, there is a need being felt to focus on three specific areas, which are directly relevant to the problems of internalizing integrity and ethics in the civil services. These are as follows : 1. Anticipating specific threats to ethical standards and integrity in the civil services, 2. Strengthening the ethical competence of civil servants and 3. Developing administrative processes and practices which promote ethical values and integrity in civil services. Suggest institutional measures to address the above three issues. (250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Suggest
- Scope keywords
- internalizing integrity and ethicsAnticipating specific threatsStrengthening the ethical competenceDeveloping administrative processes and practicesinstitutional measures
- Implicit sub-parts
- What are the emerging/specific threats to integrity in a digital and complex governance era?
- How can institutional training move beyond theory to build practical ethical competence?
- What specific systemic reforms (processes) can minimize human discretion and automate integrity?
- How do we bridge the gap between having a code of conduct and 'internalizing' ethics?
- Common pitfalls
- Providing a generic list of anti-corruption bodies (CVC, CBI, Lokpal) without linking them to the three specific areas mentioned in the prompt.
- Ignoring the word 'institutional' and suggesting individual-level moral sermons or spiritual advice instead of structural reforms.
- Failing to address the 'anticipating threats' part, which requires discussing risk-mapping and predictive monitoring rather than just post-facto punishment.
- Overlooking 'administrative processes' by not mentioning tools like e-procurement, social audits, or citizen charters.
- Dimensions required
- Predictive/Risk ManagementCapacity Building/PedagogicalStructural/ProceduralLegal-Institutional Framework
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate approximately 75-80 words to each of the three specific areas provided in the prompt. Use the first 20-30 words for a crisp introduction on why internalizing ethics is superior to mere compliance, and conclude with a 20-word forward-looking statement on the shift from 'Rule of Law' to 'Rule of Ethics'.
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