Ethics, integrity and aptitude

Bhuvan-ultra is a famous real estate developer engaged mostly in housing projects. It has a very good track record of timely delivery of housing projects and enjoys a high level of trust among buyers. One of the ongoing projects of Bhuvan-ultra is a housing project with six residential towers. The construction has been in full swing for the last four years. Given the good record of the builder, all the flats have already been sold. Four out of six towers are complete and people have started living in these towers. Two other towers are near completion and it is expected that these would be ready in the next few months. Satish lives in a rented house and he daily crosses through this project on his commute to office. Satish always wanted to buy a flat in one of these towers. One day while reading the newspaper Satish came across a news article on the ongoing project of Bhuvan-ultra. Through the news article, he came to know that Bhuvan-ultra had permission to construct only four towers and it has illegally constructed two more towers in the project. The two illegal towers were standing on ground which was supposed to be a wetland. The entire conundrum points toward massive corruption and negligence by state development authorities. The matter went into the court and the court has ordered demolition of the two illegal towers. However, as the two illegal towers lie in close proximity with the other four legally constructed and inhabited towers, demolishing them is not only expensive but also a risky affair. Further, as all the six towers share a common basement, demolition of two towers can have implications for structural integrity of other towers. Satish sits there thinking about the pain of the people who have invested their life's savings in the project and questioning whether he should ever invest in a residential property. He is also questioning himself whether demolition of a residential apartments in a country where lakhs of people are homeless, is justified or not. On the basis of above case study, answer the following: a) Identify various ethical dilemmas involved in this case study. b) What can be the other options to achieve justice in the given case, apart from demolition of the illegal towers? Evaluate each of these options and suggest the most suitable option.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentCorruption

A young man has died of multiple wounds after he was stabbed by two attackers in one of the busy streets in your area. Though over a 100 people had gathered there, no one came forward to help him despite his repeated cries for help. The two men who had stabbed him were arrested later. While no eye-witnesses came forward to give their statement to the police, a 57-second video shot by a bystander is the only proof that showed the bleeding man lying on the road, a knife sticking out of his ribs. a) Do you thing behaviour of people making video of victim rather than helping him is moral? b) Would your opinion above change, if instead of a private citizens, a media person was recording the video? c) What action you will take if you are present in that situation? d) What are moral responsibilities of people in such situation?

20 marks · 300 words · Answered by 1 topper

Empathy and CompassionDimensions of Ethics

What according to you are the major reasons for rising incidents of mob lynching in India? Suggest measures to re-strengthen tolerance and compassion in society, especially towards the weaker sections in this context.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2018

Family, Society and EducationEmpathy and Compassion

Bihar is a state in the Northern part of the country. Prohibition laws in the state completely ban the storage, possession, sale, and consumption of liquor in any form. Despite the ban, the liquor mafia in the state has succeeded in supplying spurious liquor through various illegal dens. The activities of liquor mafia flourish under the nose of both the civil administration and the police department. Many Civil Society Organizations, women organizations etc., on numerous occasions complained to the authorities about the illegal production, sale, and consumption of liquor, but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears, and no substantial action was taken by the government to curb the menace. As fate would have it, one day there was an unfortunate incident when a large group of fifty construction labourers died after consuming spurious liquor from an illegal den being operated by the mafia. Many of the victims were sole bread winners of their families. While the state was clear on its position that consuming liquor in the state was an illegal activity that warrants no sympathy or compensation (for the next of kin) from the government, families of the victims and also many CSOs were demanding compensation for the families of the deceased construction labourers. The incident got both national and international coverage in print, electronic as well as the social media. The pressure on the state government was mounting to amicably resolve the issue. Anjali is posted as the Joint Secretary in the Secretariat. The CM has asked her to create a detailed report on how should the state government handle this crisis. a) Under the given circumstances, what measures should Anjali recommend to handle the above crisis. b) Critically evaluate the decision of state government to not compensate the victims of spurious liquor.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2020

Crisis Decision MakingRules versus Compassion

As a District Development Officer (DDO) in a district known for its arid conditions, the past year has been particularly challenging. With rains failing to arrive, the region faced an acute water shortage, leading to a severe agricultural downturn and reported starvation deaths. One of my critical responsibilities includes supervising the mid-day meal scheme, ensuring that it runs smoothly and reaches the intended beneficiaries - schoolchildren. Amidst the ongoing crisis, I observed an anomaly in the mid-day meal scheme in three specific blocks. The consumption of food grains was significantly higher than the number of students enrolled. This discrepancy had been persistent for about a month, prompting me to initiate a thorough inquiry to uncover the reasons behind the unusual pattern. The investigation revealed a surprising yet heart-wrenching reality. The village schools in these blocks were using the extra food grains to feed starving families in the community. This unauthorised action, while driven by compassion, was a punishable offence. The schools were diverting resources intended exclusively for students to provide relief to those suffering from acute hunger. As the situation unravelled, you found yourself in a moral quandary. On one hand, as the DDO, I was bound by regulations that required me to ensure the proper use of government resources. Despite its noble intent, the unauthorised diversion of food grains was a breach of protocol that necessitated disciplinary action, including the suspension of the school officials involved. On the other hand, these school officials' actions were driven by a deep sense of humanity and compassion. They chose to prioritise the immediate needs of their community, recognising the dire circumstances and the urgent need to prevent further starvation deaths. Punishing them for their humane response to the crisis seemed not only harsh but also contrary to the spirit of public service. (a) What are the ethical issues in the above case? (b) As a DDO, what are the options available to you? (c) Explain your chosen course of action, along with your reasons. (d) Given the above case, what would be the best ethical theory for handling human distress situations?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2025

Rules versus CompassionEthical Dilemmas in Government

Tolerance is not enough, it is the idea of acceptance that accomodates diversities and make a society inclusive. Elaborate.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2020

Human ValuesFamily, Society and Education

A group of educated young men is caught trying to leave the country to fight for a terrorist organization overseas. It was found that they were radicalized online through social media by the handlers of that terrorist organization. These boys have not committed any act of terror till now and have no criminal background. 20 (a) What could be the reasons for radicalization of educated youth? (b) As a senior intelligence official, what approach would you follow to deal with such cases? Give arguments in support of your stand. (c) Suggest a feasible strategy to prevent further radicalization of youth in the country.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2017

Social Influence and PersuasionAttitude

You are a young officer working with the Municipal Corporation of an industrial city. The city was known for manufacturing ball bearings and auto parts. Most manufacturing units were small-scale units with very little production process automation. The units relied on manual labor, which was in abundance due to the villages close by. As the number of manufacturing units grew, the demand for labor increased, bringing in a steady inflow of laborers into the city. This influx of people into the town led to a mushrooming of slums and encroachments on the sidewalks. Once in a while, the Corporation conducted drives to clear out the slums, but after a time, the slums came back. The illegal slums had become an urban nightmare. You were given the responsibility of clearing out the encroachments and slums with the help of Police authorities. As you started the drive, you realized that the people living by the sidewalks were vulnerable compared to the slum dwellers. Many sidewalk dwellers had recently come to the city after selling their properties in their villages. Now if you drive them out, they have no place to go. Your heart went out to them, and you felt that the departmental action was inhumane, but your official responsibilities demanded stern impartial action. You are desperate to find a way to help the sidewalk dwellers without compromising your official duties. (a) What value conflicts do you notice in the above situation? (b) Can an administrator compromise the value of impartiality for empathy? Discuss. (c) What are the options available in the above situation? (d) Suggest viable solutions for tackling illegal slums and encroachments in urban areas.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2025

Empathy and CompassionRules versus Compassion

Bring out meaning of below quotations:- (a) Courage is the most important of all virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2020

Human ValuesDimensions of Ethics

Identify the various traits of work culture associated with government organisations in India. Also, suggest ways in which a healthy work culture can be created to meet the objectives of good-governance.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2019

Work CultureProbity in Governance

Answer the following in about 250 words each 3 x 20 = 60 (a) Two systems of thought have mainly been debated by thinkers on the idea of morality of actions. One system argues that the means are of paramount importance and with means all right, the ends will surely come. On the other hand, other system believes that the ends justify the means. Which view do you think is more appropriate for administrative setup/government in India? Give reasons.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2013

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentEthical Theories

Maintaining traditional bonds and familial relationships in an increasingly globalised world requires personal relationships to be governed by ethical principles. Discuss.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2023

Ethics in Private and Public LifeFamily, Society and Education

Norms of social morality should not be applied to acts of civil servants while they are carrying out their professional roles and responsibilities to further the common Good. Critically Analyze.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2020

Ethics in Private and Public LifeLaw and Morality

You are a project manager in a private company. Akash and Ajay are two of your team members but with opposite personality traits. Akash is a hardworking person who completes assigned work before time with the best quality. He is very sincere and punctual and hardly ever takes a leave. His work is commendable and you have never received any complaint about his work. In your personal interaction with Akash you found him to be an introvert who keeps to himself and spoke only when required. You received similar feedback from his colleagues as well. Whereas Ajay is not as hard working and completes his work at the very last moment of the deadline. He has good rapport with the team which he uses to get his work done by the other team members. But he is very confident and keeps the environment at work very cool. His friendly nature has been liked by other members of the team as well. Your senior executive has asked you to choose one among Akash and Ajay for the promotion and salary hike. In this context, answer the following questions: a. Discuss the merits and demerits of choosing one amongst the two for promotion. b. Based on your evaluation, whom will you choose for the job? c. What steps will you take to keep all the employees motivated who did not get a promotion?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2024

Work CultureEthical Dilemmas in Government

Emotional Intelligence is an important parameter as one aspires to move up the ladder in a competitive environment. Discuss (10).

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2019

Emotional Intelligence

What do you understand by Emotional Intelligence? Highlight its importance for civil servants.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2019

Emotional Intelligence

Socially and economically marginalized women are used to make a profit, often at the cost of their own health and reproductive autonomy, in the name of commercial surrogacy. Discuss the ethical issues associated with commercial surrogacy. Should commercial surrogacy be completely banned?

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2016

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentDimensions of Ethics

There are large number of leather industries in a major industrial town of India. They provide employment to large number of people and are also a prominent source of revenue for the state. Lately it has been observed that despite following the present emission control rules, the collective ecological footprint of these industries remains quite high affecting the surrounding areas in an adverse manner. The new technologies available for emission control are quite costly and thus acts as a disincentive for the owners of the industries for adopting them. In light of this information, the government is contemplating the following options: (a) Shutting down the industries in the region (b) Relocating the industries to a new region (c) Making the emission control rules stricter (d) Providing incentives to the industry owners for adoption of new technology. 20 Analyse the above options in terms of their merits and demerits. What course of action would you choose and why?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2019

Environmental EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

Jayant is a hard-working and dedicated IAS officer. He is currently posted in a remote district in North-East India. Jayant is married to Sarita who used to work as a software engineer before her marriage. Sarita is a well-educated and ambitious woman who wants to be known by her name and not only as the wife of IAS officer Jayant. Sarita wants to restart her career and has been searching for a suitable job for some time. She has found a good job in an MNC that pays well, but she will have to move to Bangalore for it. Sarita wants to take up this opportunity but Jayant's mother does not want Sarita to move to Bangalore. Jayant also wants Sarita to stay with him so that they can have kids and start their family. Sarita proposes that Jayant move with him to Bangalore as she will get a salary that is substantially more than Jayant's. Jayant and his mother found this proposal of- fending. Further, Jayant does not want to leave the job that he has dreamed of since his childhood and for which he has toiled hard. The entire issue has become a reason for daily fights between Sarita and Jayant, and has taken a toll on their married life. The issues in personal life of Jayant have creeped into his professional life as well. He is not able to concentrate on his work which has resulted in his poor performance. Just a few days back, Jayant made a blunder and was scolded by his senior for being absent-minded in his work. His behaviour in office has also changed. Now Jayant gets easily irritated and often talks rudely with the staff in the office. This is negatively impacting the motivation level of his subordinates. Jayant is aware of his degrading performance and he thinks that he is failing both in his personal and professional life. You are a mutual friend of Jayant and Sarita. One day you received a call from a distressed Jayant and he asks you for your advice on this issue. 1) Help Jayant identify different options available with him to cope with the crisis? Discuss the merits and demerits of each of these options. 2) As a mutual friend, what advice would you give to Jayant and Sarita in this case so that they can return back to being a happy couple? 3) How can Jayant develop the qualities that are required to handle such crisis situations in life?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2023

Ethics in Private and Public LifeEmotional Intelligence

Lack of cleanliness in urban areas despite schemes such as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan point to difficulties faced in bringing about attitudinal and behavioural changes. Discuss. (b) Socially and economically marginalized women are used to make a profit, often at the cost of their own health and reproductive autonomy, in the name of commercial surrogacy. Discuss the ethical issues associated with commercial surrogacy in India. Should commercial surrogacy be completely banned? (b) What are the various sources through which humans can judge the correctness of their actions? In the context of public life discuss how these sources are important in offering a clear and practical guidance. (b) Competition, it is argued, spurs the best of performance, however, can it also instigate cheating and unethical behaviour? Discuss with adequate examples. (b) "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." What does this quotation mean to you? Explain with an example.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2017

AttitudeSocial Influence and Persuasion

Examine each of the options and identify your chosen course of action

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2023

Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentWork Culture

Anil is an UPSC aspirant living in Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi. Rajendra Nagar is famous for being the hub for the preparation of civil services examination conducted by the UPSC. The place is abreast with aspirants preparing for the civil services examination, coaching institutes, hostels, and various paying guest facilities. Anil noticed that Rajendra Nagar was ideal not only for UPSC aspirants but also for the many business owners residing in the place. However, owing to increasing attraction of civil services examination and more students opting for coaching institutes for their preparation, Rajendra Nagar had become very crowded. Among other menaces like congested roads, high rents, sound pollution etc., Anil noticed that Rajinder Nagar was also facing a pressing problem associated with stray dogs. He had often heard his friends talking about how they had to face a pack of aggressive stray dogs while returning from the library or the metro station, late at night. Anil had often observed that a group of people tended to the stray dogs by feeding them food, providing them with blankets, etc. At one instance, Anil was surprised to see a boy bandaging a dog. Upon enquiring, Anil was told that some people near the Sindhi park had attacked the dogs with sticks and stones. Anil suddenly remembered that while returning from his evening walk, a few days back, he too had witnessed some people pelting stones at a dog. Anil was surprised to see that while one group was very hostile towards the dogs, the other group was exceedingly sympathetic. One day while studying in his room, Anil heard a commotion outside. He went out to see that a boy had been bitten by a stray dog. On further enquiring, he found that the boy was bitten by a stray dog while delivering tiffin boxes to a nearby hostel. Anil also noticed that two groups of people were arguing in loud voices. While one group was of the opinion that feeding and tending of stray dogs has attracted more dogs in the locality and aggravated the menace of stray dogs attacking people, the other group said that the dogs have become aggressive as a result of some people beating and throwing stones at stray dogs. Though Anil too had faced difficulties due to the aggressive stray dogs of Rajinder Nagar, he was at a loss of locating the reason for the problem. a) What can be the reason behind the diametrically opposite attitude of two groups of people living in the same locality? b) According to you, who and to what extent can be held responsible for the problem of stray dogs attacking people?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2024

You are a Secretary in a government department. Your Minister has proposed an unemployment grant, which is expected to cost the public exchequer heavily. Having already taken the decision, he asks you to come up with research to support the scheme. Despite your best efforts, you fail to find socio-economic benefit in it. You approach the Minister with relevant facts and studies and ask him to reconsider his decision. Instead, he asks you to suppress the negative impacts and actively promote the scheme through mass media as the perceived social impacts are more important than economic impacts. Elections are due in a short time and the political party currently in power is expected to win. You are also due for promotion at the same time. You are expected to fully cooperate in the situation and make the scheme a success, however flawed its foundations may be. (a) List the different stakeholders in the above situation and mention their prospective interests. (b) Discuss the ethical dilemma which you face in this situation. (c) Some of the alternatives for you to handle the situation could be: • Do as asked by the Minister.. • Insist on publication of results and let the public decide whether it wants the scheme. • Call a press conference and brief the media about the results and the callous attitude of the Minister. Suggest any other possible option(s). Evaluate all of them and suggest the best course of action, giving reasons for it.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2016

In this context, discuss the ethical issues associated with the practice and acceptance of racial discrimination in India.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2021

Dimensions of EthicsHuman Values