Suppose you are an officer in-charge of implementing a social service scheme to provide support to old and destitute women. An old and illiterate woman comes to you to avail the benefits of the scheme. However, she has no documents to show that she fulfils the eligibility criteria. But after meeting her and listening to her you feel that she certainly needs support. Your enquiries also show that she is really destitute and living in a pitiable condition. You are in a dilemma as to what to do. Putting her under the scheme without necessary documents would clearly be violation of rules. But denying her the support would be cruel and inhuman.

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “The onslaught of the Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in loss of many lives. Many families were left without anyone to take care of children and many parents lost their beloved children. This situation left an environment of misery. Taking this situation into consideration, the Chief minister of a state declared a scheme under which Rs 5 Lac will be provided to a family who had suffered a loss of life during the Covid-19 onslaught. Vikram Singh is a responsible district level officer, who enjoys the trust of his higher officials. Knowing his honesty, the government entrusted him with the responsibility of identifying the beneficiaries under the declared scheme. The criteria to be a beneficiary are the following: (a) Aadhar card of the deceased. (b) Belonging to a reserved community. (c) Family income of less than 1 lakh per annum. (d) Valid death certificate which mentions Covid as Primary cause of Death. One day, an old couple visited Vikram's office with their application. They have been the residents of a village in his district since their birth. The old man informed Vikram that his Son has died due to the Covid. His son was the sole breadwinner and after his demise they have been left helpless as there is no income and now he has to provide for the future of his three grandchildren. Whatever money has been left with them, they are using it to fund children's education and other expenses and are hopeful that the recently declared scheme would benefit them greatly. The Old couple fulfills all the criteria except criterion 'a' and 'd'. However, any financial aid would certainly make a significant difference in their quality of life. How should Vikram Singh respond to the situation?”

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

• Gopal is an 80-year-old man living in a remote and an underdeveloped village in a Central Indian state. He had been residing in a small mud house for years. When he came to know about the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), he saw a glimmer of hope for a pucca house in the last phase of his life. However, the village sarpanch and panchayat secretary told him that to be eligible under the scheme, he must first demolish his existing house so that during a site inspection, no structure would be visible at the location. Subsequently, Gopal demolished his shelter and began living under a babool tree. For nearly six months, he has been staying in the open, braving harsh weather conditions. During this time, he has repeatedly visited the panchayat office but has been told that his application cannot be processed as he lacks the necessary documents. You are the officer-in-charge of implementing PMAY-G in the district. The case of Gopal reaches you through a prominent newspaper report. You personally visit him to understand the situation on the ground. After meeting him and listening to his account, you feel that he certainly needs support. Your enquiries confirm that he is truly destitute and living in a pitiable condition under the open sky. It is also established that he demolished his house based on a faulty interpretation of the scheme by panchayat officials. However, he has no documents to show that he fulfils the eligibility criteria under the scheme. Now you are in a dilemma. Including him under the scheme without the necessary documents would clearly be a violation of rules. But denying him support would be cruel and inhuman. a. Can you think of a rational way to resolve this dilemma? b. Give your reasons for it. c. What are the ethical issues involved in the above case?5 answers
• You are working in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and posted in a rural area. There are many government programs being run by your Ministry under which people are given financial help after verification of the required documents. Every day you encounter some cases, in which people from weaker section are not able to avail the benefits due to faulty or insufficient documents. However, there are also some instances of people trying to forge documents, which makes verification important. What will be your approach towards cases wherein those from the weaker section are not able to avail the benefits due to insufficient documents - will you go by the rule book or exercise discretion in selected cases based on your experience. Discuss both options available to you and evaluate them.4 answers
• In a region of a northern state, the distribution of an old-age pension system has been criticised in a report, and it was found that there were inconsistencies in the process. According to the report, the procedure for identifying beneficiaries was not carried out correctly. The recipients of benefits provided by the programme were not ascertained in a manner that was stipulated by the procedure. The allowances were granted to people belonging to higher caste or those who had not completed the age of 60 years. According to the terms of the programme, they are ineligible to participate. A significant number of complaints were received regarding the withdrawal of funds by individuals who were not eligible to do so. You are the Divisional commissioner in the state responsible for its implementation through District Social Welfare Officer. Government seeks details of action taken by you to root out such practice in future and also disciplinary actions against the responsible officials. Some of the options to handle this situation could be as follows: a) Summon the District Social Welfare Officer, seek clarification on the report and suspend him. b) Suspend the District Social Welfare Officer and order an enquiry. c) Recommend the disciplinary action against the District Social Welfare Officer on the basis of enquiry. d) Take the stock of the situation personally by interacting with local people and then act accordingly. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these options and finally suggest the best course of action you would like to take, giving reasons.1 answer