A topper · GS4 · 59 pages

Aaditya Pandey: GS4 answer copy

21 answers by Aaditya Pandey, as written in the test. Each question opens a page with how other toppers answered it.

The questions

Q1(a)Ethical governance is the foundation of a welfare state. Identify essential ethical traits of a welfare state. Discuss ways and means to promote ethics in governance.10 marks
Q1(b)While one group considers abortion as unmitigated evil, the other sees it as morally acceptable. Analyse various ethical concerns related to abortion and give your opinion on the issue.10 marks
Q2(a)Conscience keeps ethics from fading when faced with a tough decision. Discuss in context of civil servants.10 marks
Q2(b)What are the various conflicts of values that civil servants face while performing their duty? How can such conflicts be resolved? Discuss with illustrations.10 marks
Q3(3.) Illegal towers can be used for school and medical facilities by the community
Q3(a)Emotional intelligence (EI) not only helps in managing stress but also transforms distress into eustress. Elaborate with relevant examples.10 marks
Q3(b)Differentiate between the following: ii. Moral myopia vs Moral muteness10 marks
Q4(a)Although attitude and behaviour are interrelated, the former is a predisposition while the latter is an option. Discuss the structure of attitude and explain the relationship between attitude and behaviour.10 marks
Q4(b)Civil servants should work for a cause and not for applause. In light of this statement, examine why bureaucratic anonymity is considered a foundational value for a civil servant. How far do you agree that the principle of bureaucratic anonymity has been diluted in the age of social media?10 marks
Q5(a)What does each of the following quotation mean to you? a) A man can give up a right, but he may not give up a duty without being guilty of a grave dereliction. b) Justice without force is futile, force without justice is tyrannical.10 marks
Q5(b)Justice without force is futile, force without justice is tyrannical.10 marks
Q6(a)Ethics in international relations is a myth, only national interest determines the foreign policy. How far do you agree with this statement? Discuss with suitable illustrations.10 marks
Q6(b)It is not power, but fear that corrupts. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. Examine the statement in context of political corruption.10 marks
Q6(c)Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. What do you understand by this statement? In your opinion, which five values should Indian education system inculcate in every student? Justify your choice.10 marks
Q7Samuel is a famous tennis player. He is at the top of his career and had won three grand slams last year. The first major tournament of this year is scheduled for next week in country A. Samuel is the defending champion and crowd favourite. Organizers of the tournament expect Samuel to be a crowd puller for his matches. Many aspiring tennis players and youth look up to Samuel as their idol. The tournament is being organized amidst the deadly third wave of Covid infection in country A. Country A has declared a public health emergency due to the rising number of Covid cases. Keeping in mind medical exigency, the organizers have mandated that every participating athlete as well as the attending audience should be fully vaccinated with two doses. However, Samuel refused to get vaccinated as he believes that vaccines can negatively impact his performance in the tournament. Samuel also argued that mandatory vaccination is a violation of his right to choose and goes against his individual liberty. The organizers of the tournament have known that if Samuel is denied entry in the tournament, their revenue from ticket sales may go down. They hesitantly allowed Samuel to participate in the tournament even without his compliance with vaccine mandate. To tackle the surging wave of pandemic, country A has prescribed two weeks quarantine for any-one who has visited any other pandemic affected country. Samuel has visited one such country. But such a declaration from Samuel would mean that he would miss the tournament as only one week is left for the start of matches. To avoid quarantine, Samuel lied in his affidavit and claimed that he had not visited any other pandemic affected country. Samuel's popularity became his enemy as people quickly found that he had lied in his affidavit and photos of him vacationing last week in a pandemic affected country went viral on social media. There was a huge outrage against the section of the population who wanted to see Samuel in action and was upset that Samuel was forced to leave country A. Based on this case study, answer the following: (a) Identify various ethical issues involved in this incident. (b) In your opinion, whether vaccine mandates are a violation of individual liberty or a reasonable restriction on personal freedom. Justify. (c) Discuss the ethical responsibility of famous personalities while conducting themselves in public.20 marks
Q8You are an IFS officer who heads a diplomatic mission in a European country. You live there with your wife and children. Your parents and few of your relatives are also visiting you for vacation. The country is known for its scenic mountains and it is a popular destination for tourists. In an unexpected turn of events, the country in which you are posted has been attacked by its neighbour due to some unresolved bilateral issues. All the major transportation channels have been adversely impacted by the attack. Flights have been cancelled and airspace above the country has been declared unsafe for commercial aircrafts. You have received an urgent communication from New Delhi asking you to prepare a plan for evacuation of Indians from the besieged country. You have been informed that a friendly neighbouring country of India has sought India's help to evacuate its citizens. Due to war, only a limited number of people can be evacuated in one go and multiple rounds would be required for evacuating everyone. You have identified following groups of people who are to be evacuated: i. You, your wife, children, parents and relatives. ii. Diplomatic staff at the mission. iii. Indian tourists visiting the country. iv. Indian students studying in the country v. A film crew and actors who were shooting a film in the country. These include some of the biggest names of Bollywood. vi. Citizens of the friendly neighbouring country that has requested India's help. As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the order in which you would evacuate these people and why? Give Justifications.20 marks
Q9Rashmi is a young IPS officer who is posted as the SP law and order in a district that has a history of communal clashes. During a cultural event, a political leader made certain controversial comments regarding the religion of another community that can potentially harm communal harmony in the district. The representatives of the aggrieved community met Rashmi with their complaint. An FIR was registered in the matter and the police department promptly started an investigation. During questioning, the accused political leader denied the charges. He claimed that he was exercising his right to freedom of expression and had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings. He even offered to tender an apology if his statement had hurt someone's religious feelings. However, the aggrieved community was not satisfied with this apology and demanded strict action against the accused. The next day, a video went viral on social media in which the accused political leader can be seen making derogatory statements against another religious faith. However, Rashmi suspects that the video going viral on the internet is a doctored video and someone has mischievously edited it to make it more vitriolic and inflammatory. The video has ignited communal tensions in the district. The accused political leader belongs to an influential community and his community has put their support behind him. Local intelligence has warned that some anti-social elements are trying to use this opportunity to create communal riot in the district. The entire matter has been politicized and is being covered by the national media. In this situation answer the following: a) What differentiates a hate speech from a free speech? b) Why does social media have a very strong influence over the actions and thoughts of its users? c) What is the most suitable course of action for Rashmi in this situation? Justify.20 marks
Q10Ashmita is a respected doctor who runs her own maternity clinic in a small town. She is a mother of two and her husband is also a doctor. Ashmita handles multiple cases of child delivery every day and is known for her compassionate treatment of patients. Her clinic enjoys a good reputation in town. Among other expecting mothers, Shikha, daughter-in-law of an MLA, was admitted to Ashmita's maternity clinic for child birth. The MLA met Ashmita and expressed his confidence in her skills. He requested her to personally take extra care of Shikha, to which Ashmita agreed happily. Shikha unexpectedly went into labour in the early hours the next day. During this time, Ashmita was performing an emergency surgery on another patient, so she could not attend to Shikha. Shikha was taken care of by other qualified doctors and hospital staff. The MLA was visibly unhappy that Ashmita did not attend Shikha herself. Once the emergency surgery was completed, Ashmita joined her staff and attended Shikha. However, Shikha passed away due to excess bleeding from Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) during childbirth. Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is unpredictable heavy bleeding and Ashmita did everything that she could have done to try to save Shikha's life. The MLA blamed Ashmita for Shikha's death. Ashmita was beaten by the MLA and his staff. When her husband tried to save Ashmita, he was dragged out of the hospital and thrashed. A police complaint was also lodged against Ashmita accusing her of murder due to negligence. For many days after the incident, she and her family faced constant harassment by police and supporters of the MLA. Ultimately, Ashmita could not take any more humiliation and committed suicide. The news of suicide by the doctor spread like wildfire. Indian Medical Association took cognizance of the case and warned nationwide strike of doctors if appropriate actions in this case were not taken. The state government has appointed a committee to investigate the matter and recommend suitable actions. You are the Chairperson of this committee. In this scenario, answer the following: a) Why do doctors face violence in the country? b) Identify various moral-ethical and administrative lapses in this case. c) What would you recommend in this case? Give rationale behind giving those recommendations.20 marks
Q10(a), b), c)a) देश में डॉक्टरों को हिंसा का सामना क्यों करना पड़ता है? b) इस मामले में विभिन्न नैतिक-नीति विषयक और प्रशासनिक खामियों की पहचान करें। c) इस मामले में आप क्या सुझाव देंगे? उन सिफारिशों को देने के पीछे तर्क दीजिए।20 marks
Q11Bhuvan-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
Q12Lithium is emerging as the new gold in the modern world. It is used extensively in making rechargeable batteries that are used across phones, laptops, electric vehicles etc. As the world is transitioning towards clean energy, demand for lithium is rising exponentially. India is dependent on imports for her lithium needs. Recently, a large lithium deposit has been found during a geological survey in Central India. According to initial estimates, the reserve is large enough to not only fulfill domestic requirements but also leave enough surplus for India to export lithium to other countries. The news of this discovery is covered by national media. This reserve can provide much needed impetus to adoption and development of green energy technologies in the country. Many prominent union ministers have expressed their desire for timely development of lithium mines and claimed that this discovery to be an outcome of their far-sighted governance and development model. Amit is a senior government official who has been appointed as project development officer for this mining project. During initial assessment of the project, Amit found that the discovered reserve lies inside a forest inhabited by tribals. This is a pristine forest, hitherto untouched by humans, other than indigenous tribal communities. This forest hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic. Further, the lithium reserve lies at the foothill of a hillock. This hillock has a small shrine where the deity worshipped by the tribals is located. Lithium mining in this area would mean destruction of forest, blasting of the mountain where shrine of the tribal deity is located and displacement of tribals. The tribal population is against this mining project. They consider this project as an assault on their way of life and culture. Intelligence report suggests that if these tribals are forcefully displaced and their shrine destroyed, they can become easy targets for the Naxal indoctrination and create a security nightmare for the state. On the other hand, Amit is facing political pressure for execution of this project and has been repeatedly reminded that not only this project is of national importance but also can be a stepping stone for his career. Amit is your colleague and a close friend. He asks you for your advice in this matter. Based on the described situation, help Amit identify various ethical dilemmas in this case. In your opinion, what is the most suitable course of action for Amit? Justify your choice.20 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 142 words written

Ethical governance is the foundation of a welfare state. Identify essential ethical traits of a welfare state. Discuss ways and means to promote ethics in governance.

Opening · a definition

Ethical governance means processes and controls of moral standards that adheres to highest level of integrity and probity. It ensures inclusive and social growth.

Essential Ethical traits of a welfare state are -

Body · points

(a.) Rule of law : ensuring that all are subjugated equally without any discrimination. (b.) Ideals of justice, equality and liberty. (c.) Inclusive and participatory growth (d.) Elimination of poverty and caste inequalities. (e.) Adherence to Secularism : ensures respect to all faith and worship. (f.) Ensures Grievance Redressals

ways to promote ethics in governance (a.) Transparency < open to scrutiny / openness in commitments (b.) Accountability - ensures justice (c.) Objectivity - eliminates biases and prejudices. (d.) Spirit of service - committed to public service (e.) Attitude literacy - inculcates positive attitude. (f.) Honesty

Close · a summary

In this way, Ethical governance is necessary to realise the ideals of welfare state.