GS4 · 10 marks · 150 words

While civil servants have the legal right to undertake post-retirement jobs, it raises key ethical issues. Comment.

Answered by 14 toppers · CSE 2020–2023

Conflict of InterestEthical Dilemmas in GovernmentCivil Service ValuesProbity in GovernanceCorruptionAccountability and Ethical GovernanceIntegrity

Syllabus: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

How toppers approached it

From all 14 answers · about 200 words · 14% drew a diagram.

Opening

  • No separate opening86%
  • A date or context7%
  • A constitutional or legal provision7%

Body

  • Points79%
  • Points and prose21%

Close

  • A way forward93%
  • No separate close7%

The toppers’ answers

Shubham KumarAIR 1 · CSE 2020 · 184 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Civil servants are 'agent of change' They have the legal right to undertake post-retirement job as :-

Body · points

  1. He/She has right to work even after retirement
  2. It is a good way to engage with world positively

But it raises many ethical issues :-

  1. People place trust in the offices which are manned by civil servants
  • They might feel that their trust has been betrayed as people think that civil servants may collude with organisation to guarantee a post-retirement job. Eg- when Chief Justice of India (former) joined as Member of Parliament, questions were raised by many
  1. As serving civil servant → his/her decisions might get impacted if he/she think about post retirement job.

Compromise his rational thinking → Public service & delivery would suffer

Way forward

  1. Providing a cooling off period Eg → 2years as suggested by ARC 2
  2. Declaring assets of civil servant & his family
  3. Placing all conflict of interests before public domain.

Close · a way forward

With increasing nexus between Bureaucrates ↔ government ↔ corporates, we need reforms so that, civil services remains impartial & objective.

More on Conflict of Interest

A private interest bearing on a public duty, and the disclosure or recusal that answers it.

All GS4 questions on Conflict of Interest