AIR 23 · CSE 2021 · GS4 · 58 pages

Ashish: GS4 answer copy

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

The questions

  1. Q1(a)Do laws need to be consistent with the prevalent moral norms? Discuss with examples.10 marks
  2. Q1(b)“People's indifference is the best breeding ground for corruption to grow”. Comment.10 marks
  3. Q2(a)In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, discuss the importance of Emotional Intelligence among healthcare workers.10 marks
  4. Q2(b)It is the 'spirit of service' that motivates a public servant to serve the country's interests and address people's issues. Discuss.10 marks
  5. Q3(a)Ethics does its work in the world by granting and withdrawing legitimacy. Discuss in the context of role of ethics in international relations.10 marks
  6. Q3(b)Sustainable growth of an organisation can result only by aligning its decisions to the interests of all stakeholders, not merely its shareholders. Do you agree? Justify with logical arguments.10 marks
  7. Q4(a)Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri's life exemplifies value-driven public service of the highest order. What are the values one can learn from his life to be a good citizen and a good administrator?10 marks
  8. Q4(b)There is a view that the institutional mechanisms to ensure accountability of civil servants have weakened over time. In this context, discuss the need of a social accountability law in India.10 marks
  9. Q5(a)Why has anonymity of civil servants traditionally been seen as an important arrangement? In this context, discuss your opinion on the doctrine of facelessness in civil services.10 marks
  10. Q5(b)In the age of social media, influencers have a huge following and have gained prominent marketing roles. In this context, discuss the ethical issues involved in influencer marketing.10 marks
  11. Q6(b)Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow. -- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam10 marks
  12. Q6(c)I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved. - B.R. Ambedkar10 marks
  13. Q7You are a young officer posted as the Sub Divisional Magistrate in a district which houses factories for making match boxes and fire crackers. It is brought to your notice that a large number of children are working in these hazardous activities. The government had previously released a notification that owners of these manufacturing units need to report on the profiles of their employees annually to prevent child labour. These manufacturing units, abiding by the directives of the government, publish such reports annually and claim to have successfully put an end to employment of child labour. However, there are reports that these units are taking advantage of loopholes in the law. They are using contractors to continue to indirectly hire children without them officially being on the payroll of the units. Families of these child labourers are poor and see this as an essential source of income. An influential local politician also owns some of these manufacturing units and is known to put pressure on the officers involved for not taking any action against child labour. (a) Identify the stakeholders and ethical issues in this case. (b) How would you approach the problem and what would be the main elements of your action? (c) What medium to long-term measures will you propose to tackle the problem of child labour in the district?20 marks
  14. Q8Many states in India have experimented with prohibition of liquor at various times. However, it is common knowledge that many such states have a thriving illegal liquor industry. Moreover, it is ironical that while many political parties have prohibition prominently mentioned in their manifestos, it is politicians who distribute alcohol among voters during their election campaigns. This also gives rise to illicit liquor trade and many people lose their lives to it. (a) What are the socio-economic problems that are widely attributed to alcoholism? (b) Do you think prohibiting liquor creates more problems than it proposes to solve? (c) Short of prohibition, what can be done to tackle the problem of rising alcoholism, particularly among the youth of the country?20 marks
  15. Q8(b)Prohibition → creating more problems than it is solving?
  16. Q8(c)Steps to tackle alcoholism among the youth of the country
  17. Q9You are posted as a District Magistrate (DM) of a district where residents are facing the menace of stray dogs. Instances of dogs chasing two-wheelers, cyclists and attacking pedestrians are on the rise. Elderly persons as well as children are the worst-hit and recently, an 8 year old girl was severely injured by a pack of dogs. The perceived magnanimity of the problem and inaction from government authorities have prompted vigilante groups to cull dogs in mass numbers. However, local NGOs have come out against such a practice of mass culling and are calling for stringent action against those killing stray dogs. (a) What are the ethical issues involved in the above case? (b) As the DM, suggest short-term and long-term measures to tackle the above issue.20 marks
  18. Q10You are a young officer posted as the Superintendent of Police (SP) in a district. You have received information that at a party some people were harassed by your subordinate police officer. On further inquiry, you came to know that two complaints have been filed - one by the police and the other by people who organised the party. According to the police, people had gathered without permission and were not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and social distancing norms. But on the other hand, the complaint filed by the party organisers says that police entered the private venue due to loud noise and harassed everyone at the party including women guests. According to them, your subordinate police officer even tore apart the document, which granted permission to organise the party. A video of this incident, showing your subordinate officer tearing off a document, is being widely circulated on social media platforms. Due to this, social activists want you to take strict action against your subordinate police officer. (a) Identify the ethical issues in the case. (b) What are the factors that can influence decision by competent authorities in such instances? Do you think mobilising public opinion through social media is a fair way to influence the decision in such cases? (c) As the SP, what will be your course of action in this situation?20 marks
  19. Q11As India's vaccination drive against the COVID-19 pandemic breaches the 100 crore inoculation mark, some of the most backward tribal districts of the country still remain unvaccinated. You are the new District Magistrate (DM) in one such tribal district. The vaccination drive has been unsuccessful in the district so far despite imminent threats of the virus. It is believed that the tribals of the district refuse to get vaccinated due to their personal beliefs regarding immunization. Further, the community doctor who works in geriatrics and has almost daily contact with members of the district, too has refused to be vaccinated based on his personal beliefs. This has made the people more adamant about their decision to remain unvaccinated. Additionally, rumours of a few deaths post-vaccination have spread in the district. There is also a high risk of rising cases in the nearby districts spilling over to your district. There is a dire need for assuaging the fear of people and extreme pressure on the administration to take action and conduct the vaccination drive smoothly. (a) What are the ethical issues in the given case? (b) As the DM in charge, what steps will you take to tackle the issues? (c) Discuss how persuasion can be used to convince people to voluntarily get vaccinated.20 marks
  20. Q1220 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 188 words written

Do laws need to be consistent with the prevalent moral norms? Discuss with examples.

Opening · a definition

Laws are strict and usually written principles enforced by the state to institutionalise what is right or wrong in a society.

Moral Norms are usually based on a society's consensus over desirable and undesirable conducts.

Body · points

Need for laws to be consistent with moral norms

  1. laws are usually derived from moral norms eg. theft is a crime but historically also it has been condemned by all religions
  2. Value consensus over laws is easier if moral norms are congruent with the law. eg. Adultery was a crime when the entire society was against it. If today there is strict punishment for law, it might not be followed. (3) moral norms have inherent sanctions and rewards eg. if caught using abusive language and practising violent conduct → social ostracization. Thus, law will need less enforcement.

However, laws can't always be in line with moral norms because:

(1) Moral norms can often be conservative, status-quoist and backward eg. Sati → Roop Kanwar case (2) laws are also vehicles for social change eg. Constitution → Abolition of Untouchability.

Close · a summary

Therefore, laws and moral norms share close inter-linkages and overlaps amidst certain contradictions.