UPSC Mains 2018 · GS IV · Q8 · 20 marks · 250 words · Case study

As a senior officer in the Ministry, you have access to important policy decisions and upcoming big announcements such as road construction projects before they are notified in the public domain. The Ministry is about to announce a mega road project for which the drawings are already in place. Sufficient care was taken by the planners to make use of the government land with minimum land acquisition from private parties. Compensation rate for private parties was also finalized as per government rules. Care was also taken to minimize deforestation. Once the project is announced, it is expected that there will be a huge spurt in real estate prices in and around that area. Meanwhile, the Minister concerned insists that you realign the road in such a way that it comes closer to his 20 acres farm house. He also suggests that he would facilitate purchase of a big plot of land in your wife’s name at the prevailing rate which is very nominal, in and around the proposed mega road project. He also tries to convince you by saying that there is no harm in it as he is buying the land legally. He even promises to supplement your savings in case you do not have sufficient funds to buy the land. However, by the act of realignment, a lot of agricultural land has to be acquired, thereby causing considerable financial burden on the government, and also displacement of the farmers. As if this is not enough, it will involve cutting down of a large number of trees, denuding the area of its green cover.

Faced with this situation, what will you do ? Critically examine various conflicts of interest and explain what are your responsibilities as a public servant.

हिन्दी में

अपने मंत्रालय में एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी होने के नाते आपकी पहुँच महत्त्वपूर्ण नीतिगत निर्णयों तथा आने वाली बड़ी घोषणाओं, जैसे सड़क निर्माण परियोजनाएँ, तक जनता के अधिकार-क्षेत्र में जाने से पहले हो जाती है । मंत्रालय एक बड़ी सड़क निर्माण योजना की घोषणा करने वाला है जिसके लिए ख़ाके तैयार हो चुके हैं । नियोजकों ने इस बात का पूरा ध्यान रखा है कि सरकारी भूमि का अधिक-से-अधिक उपयोग किया जाए ताकि निजी भूमि का कम-से-कम अधिग्रहण करना पड़े । निजी भूमि के मालिकों के लिए क्षतिपूर्ति की दरें भी सरकारी नियमों के अनुसार निर्धारित कर ली गई हैं । निर्वनीकरण कम-से-कम हो इसका भी ध्यान रखा गया है । ऐसी आशा है कि परियोजना की घोषणा होते ही उस क्षेत्र और आसपास के क्षेत्र की भूमि की कीमतों में भारी उछाल आएगी । इसी बीच, संबंधित मंत्री ने आपसे आग्रह किया कि सड़क का पुनःसंरेखण इस प्रकार किया जाए जिससे सड़क मंत्री के 20 एकड़ के फार्म हाउस के पास से निकले । इसके साथ ही मंत्री ने यह भी सुझाव दिया कि वह आपकी पत्नी के नाम, प्रस्तावित बड़ी सड़क परियोजना के आसपास एक बड़ा भूखण्ड प्रचलित दरों पर जो कि नाममात्र की हैं, क्रय करने में सहायता करेंगे । मंत्री ने आपको यह भी विश्वास दिलाने का प्रयास किया कि इसमें कोई नुकसान नहीं है क्योंकि भूमि वैधानिक रूप से खरीदी जा रही है । वह आपसे यह भी वादा करता है कि यदि आपके पास पर्याप्त धनराशि नहीं है, तो उसकी पूर्ति में भी आपकी सहायता करेगा । लेकिन सड़क के पुनःसंरेखण में बहुत-सी कृषि-योग्य भूमि का अधिग्रहण करना पड़ेगा, जिससे सरकार पर काफी वित्तीय भार पड़ेगा, तथा किसान भी विस्थापित होंगे । केवल यह ही नहीं, इसके चलते बहुत सारे पेड़ों को भी कटवाना पड़ेगा, जिससे पूरे क्षेत्र का हरित आवरण समाप्त हो जाएगा ।

इस परिस्थिति का सामना होने पर आप क्या करेंगे ? विभिन्न प्रकार के हित-द्वन्द्वों का समालोचनात्मक परीक्षण कीजिए तथा स्पष्ट कीजिए कि एक लोक सेवक होने के नाते आपके क्या दायित्व हैं ।

Conflict of Interest Pressure and Loyalty Corruption

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “Government has issued a tender for a mega road project. As a senior official in the Ministry, you are responsible for issuing the notice, examining the prospective tender offers and selecting the final vendor for providing the services. You are an upright officer. One of your relatives owns an infrastructure company and his company have applied for the above mentioned contract. After preliminary examination, you have reached the conclusion that your relative's offer best suits the government requirement. Initially, you had taken enough care that you are not at all instrumental in helping your relative. The Minister in charge of the Ministry wants you to allot the contract to the company of his choice-Company B. The said company has no previous experience in the field of Infrastructure. For contract to be allotted to company B, even the pre-established criteria may have to be changed. Therefore, you suspect the promoters of the company have made generous donations to ruling political party. The Minister is promising your career advancement in lieu of complying with him. a. Critically examine various conflicts of interest and explain what your responsibilities as a public servant are. b. Faced with this situation, what will you do?”

Pratyush PandeyAIR 21 · CSE 2019 · 350 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

This situation involves a contract tender, where most qualified company is of my relative, and Minister wants me to favour another company.

Body · points and prose

Conflicts of Interest

Personal Interest V/S Social welfare → I have an interest to favour my relative's company - may give rise to suspicion, even if it is most qualified.
Public duty V/S Career progression → Duty to public demands best firm gets contract, but I may be punished by minister for disobeying him.
Official Duty V/S Public Good → Duty of civil servants to obey elected representatives conflicts with duty to act in public interest.
Personal Integrity V/S Career Goals → Favouring company will go against my conscience, but refusing will be a setback in my career.

Responsibility as Public servant

Priority List (1) Most important consideration is to act for welfare of public → their interest is my primary responsibility. (2) My own values and conscience require me to fulfil my duty of acting for public good. (3) As civil servant, I must obey elected leaders for effective political admin relationship for governance. → disobeying will lead to loss of faith of leaders in bureaucracy.

Options

Obey Minister
Ask another official to do my duty
Disobey Minister

Obeying Minister → Against impartiality. → Betrayal of public trust. Hence rejected.
Disobey Minister → Undemocratic - he is elected leader. → Can lead to loss of public faith if it becomes public.
Recuse, ask another official → will not solve problem - he/she may give in to pressure.

Solution

Diagram

Clearly Mention my conflict of Interest -> Independent committee to develop objective criteria -> Transparent Bidding Procedure -> Allocation of Contract (In case of pressure, recourse to lokpal)

Specify conflict of interest so that there is NO scandal later.
Objective criteria by independent committee to eliminate conflict. → I will NOT be part of committee.
Transparent bid to allocate contract.
Inform Minister that I cannot favour his chosen firm. → it is in his interest, as it can lead to corruption charge if it leaks out.
If I fail to convince him, I will inform Lokpal about the fraud to ensure best firm gets contract, in public interest.

Close · no separate close

None written.

How toppers approach this question, and more on its topic: open the question.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper IV, Q8. The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.