AIR 8 · CSE 2019 · GS4 · 58 pages

Abhishek Saraf: GS4 answer copy

18 answers by Abhishek Saraf, as written in the test. Each question opens a page with how other toppers answered it.

The questions

Q1(a)The more remotely power is exercised from the people, the greater is the distance between authority and accountability. Discuss.10 marks
Q1(b), "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion". In what ways can a compassionate public official be more useful for realizing public service goals?10 marks
Q2(a)The recent decision by the government to ban use of red beacons is only a symbolic gesture and a lot more needs to be done to end the VIP culture in India. Critically discuss.10 marks
Q2(b)To what extent can financial incentives help shape attitude towards social issues? Discuss with relevant examples.10 marks
Q3(a)At times, moral behaviour can be constrained by the complexity of legal system. Explain. In this context, explain the purpose of legal protection for good samaritans in the case of road accidents.10 marks
Q3(b)Examine the different ethical issues involved in the use of public shaming as a punitive measure. Do you think this is an appropriate measure to address the problem of rising crime rates.10 marks
Q4(a)Why did Gunnar Myrdal use the term 'soft state' in the context of South Asia? Do you think such a characterisation is still relevant in the case of India today?10 marks
Q4(b)Intolerance can be linked both to prejudices and value judgments. Elaborate with relevant examples. Also discuss how intolerance can be countered in a multicultural society like India.10 marks
Q5Social attitude towards corruption has become more forgiving with time leading to a view of illegal gains and misappropriation of public assets as a "rightful" individual prerogative. Analyse in the context of India.10 marks
Q6What are the factors which draw people to public service? Suggest measures to keep public servants motivated.10 marks
Q710 marks
Q8Emotions, earlier considered as an irrational factor in decision-making, are now recognised as a critical factor of judgment. In this regard, answer the following questions: (a) How can Emotional Intelligence help in coping with the intense pressure and occupational stress faced by police officers and armed forces in discharge of their duties? (b) What are the some of the concerns in incorporating and assessment of emotional intelligence skills in public service?10 marks
Q9You, a manager in one of the top IT firms in the country, are tasked with hiring new recruits for an upcoming project. You find that the company has given tacit instructions of not hiring female candidates in view of the new maternity law passed by the Government. You find this highly objectionable and lodge a protest with people in the higher management but they are firm as they want to cut down all the unnecessary costs. Based on this information, answer the following questions: (a) Identify the stakeholders and their interests in the situation. (b) What are the dilemmas that a recruiting manager may face in such a scenario? (c) What are the different options available to you? Which one will you pursue and why?20 marks
Q1020 marks
Q11You are the District Magistrate in a district where a significant number of transgenders reside. While discrimination against the community is well known, commuters increasingly complain of harassment at their hands, especially at traffic junctions where transgenders are mostly involved in begging. This, at times, also leads to traffic management issues. You have received a number of complaints in this regard and have to act quickly to resolve it. However, a group of transgender associations argue that begging is their only source of livelihood. Given the situation, answer the following questions: (a) Describe the ethical issues involved in this case. Discuss the attitude of people towards transgenders in general and reasons for the same. (b) What possible courses of action can be undertaken in such situations? Discuss their merits and demerits.20 marks
Q12Mr. X is the head of an NGO working in the field of environment conservation and protection. He is in dire need of funds for the NGO's operations and payments to his staff. He is approached by an official of a large infrastructure company, who is ready to provide the required funding for the NGO. But, in a quid pro quo, he asks Mr. X to raise objections over the bypassing of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) norms in an ongoing PPP project through his NGO. This project is being implemented by a rival infrastructure company. Mr. X knows that there have been instances of high level corruption in the process of granting EIA to mega projects and the information provided by the official seems to be authentic. Hence, he accepts the money and agrees to raise the objection. (a) Considering the circumstances of the case, is Mr. X correct in accepting the money? Give appropriate reasons for your answer. (b) If you were in place of Mr. X, what would have been your course of action? Give reasons for it.20 marks
Q13You are a civil servant posted in a state where elections were recently held. The newly elected Chief Minister had promised to ban alcohol in several of his election campaigns as well as his election manifesto, which was widely praised and supported by women of the state. Fulfilling his electoral promise, the Chief Minister has ordered a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol in the state. Following the ban, concerns have been raised about the feasibility of the ban and whether the government should interfere in what is considered by many to be a matter of personal choice. (a) Who are the stakeholders in this case and how are they affected by the ban? (b) Is blanket ban on alcohol a feasible action? (c) Identify the issues that may arise while enforcing the ban and the steps you will take to handle them, as a civil servant.25 marks
Q14Regulation and procedure of human clinical trials vary from nation to nation. Stem cell research, as an emerging biomedical field, requires approval for human trials and encounters multiple challenges. You are the head of a team of scientists who developed a new Tissue Engineering system, which appears to be a promising means of regenerating heart tissue. Trials of the system have already been conducted on animals and yielded good results. Millions of people suffering from critical heart diseases would benefit immensely if this medication is immediately made available to them. However, you need to conduct human clinical trials before it could be commercialised. It is also known that the stringent regulatory environment in the country will mean that human trials and final approval will take many years before it is made commercially available. On the other hand, regulation of clinical trials in many poor countries is weak and quick approval is possible. Many of your competitors also resort to human trials in these countries, often bribing the officials for getting quick approvals. Given this situation, answer the following questions: (a) Identify the ethical issues which arise during clinical trials. (b) Given the above situation, would you prefer to shift human trials to a third country where regulations are lax? Give reasons in support of your choice. (c) Suggest a framework of standard procedure to minimise ethical conflicts and speed-up the approval process of new medicines.25 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 168 words written

The more remotely power is exercised from the people, the greater is the distance between authority and accountability. Discuss.

Opening · one block, no separate opening

In a democracy, rights of people are only as strong as their capacity to exert them.

Body · points

Exerting rights needs the leaders to be approachable, responsible and rules to be transparent. Further, along with these leaders also need to be accountable. Exercising power remotely leads to following issues: (1) Lack of clarity of how one decides. (2) Multiple layers in decision hence loss of accountability. (3) People find it difficult to reach the higher echelons and they cannot seek answers and redressal of grievances. (4) This further makes corruption- collusive especially easy. Hence reduces accountability. (5) Such a massive gap generates a rational disinterest in people as they do not see it 'worth their time' to get involved in legal and procedural quagmires. (6) This reduces awareness and seeking answers by people- cumulatively reducing accountability even more. Thereby slipping into unilateral abuse of power.

Close · one block, no separate close

Hence a leader should adopt unilateral practices of disclosure, practices like feedback process, grievance redressal sessions as well as be responsive and use citizen's charters.