UPSC Mains 2021 · GS IV · Q1(b) · 10 marks · 150 words

Identify ten essential values that are needed to be an effective public servant. Describe the ways and means to prevent non-ethical behaviour in the public servants.

हिन्दी में

उन दस आधारभूत मूल्यों की पहचान कीजिए, जो एक प्रभावी लोक सेवक होने के लिए आवश्यक हैं। लोक सेवकों में गैर-नैतिक व्यवहार के निवारण के तरीकों और साधनों का वर्णन कीजिए।

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “Why do civil servants have a special obligation to uphold ethical standards? What are the main areas of concerns for implementation of an effective ethical standard in civil services? In this context, suggest measures to remedy these concerns.”

Akshat JainAIR 2 · CSE 2018 · 170 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Civil servants must uphold ethical standards for -

Body · points

  1. Fulfilling their duties with utmost integrity, guided by
  2. Take decisions impartially and based on merit
  3. Build public trust
  4. Uphold the constitutional values and ensure dignity of the individual
  5. Preserve the rich tradition of the services
  6. Opening themselves up for scrutiny for their actions

The main areas of concerns include -

  1. Political interference
  2. Red-tapism within bureaucracy
  3. Conflict of interests
  4. Huge scope of discretion
  5. Civil servants being unempathetic

towards the citizens

Remedial Measures

The 2nd ARC calls for a code of ethics and conduct for public servants, that should -

i) Reduce the scope of discretion ii) Simplify rules and procedures by business process re-engineering iii) Risk profiling and preventive vigilance iv) Declaring conflict of interests v) Value-training of servants and ways to handle ethical dilemmas vi) Ethical framework for Ministers to re-define the politician-civil servant relationship

Close · a way forward

The change must come from within the civil servants, who should uphold the spirit of service.

7 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper IV, Q1(b). The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.