AIR 87 · CSE 2016 · GS4 · 46 pages

Prajit Nair: GS4 answer copy

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

The questions

  1. Q1(a)It appears that there is "alarming drop in integrity levels" among civil service officers, especially in the higher echelon as reported in recent times. It shows that law as deterrence, Supreme Court's judgements and naming and shaming are not very effective. Discuss its causes and consequences on citizen and administration. What innovative measures will be taken to tackle such officers?10 marks
  2. Q1(b)Differentiate between the following i. Ethical competence and professional competence ii. Ethical management and ethical leadership iii. Ethical dilemma and crisis of conscience10 marks
  3. Q3(b)“Life will be simpler and much more enjoyable if we were all self conscious of our moral responsibility as self-imposed morality is much better than state-imposed laws in every sense”.10 marks
  4. Q4(b)Ethics in Public administration in twenty-first century is likely to be different from that of the twentieth century. Explain the reasons for such changes and also discuss some prominent new values of twenty-first century which are different from twentieth century.10 marks
  5. Q5Discuss the following views on the relationship between corruption and salary of civil servants: (a) How does low or high salary affects the conduct of civil servants? (b) Low salary in public agencies are among important reasons for high level of corruption.10 marks
  6. Q6Discuss the relationship between accountability and responsibility. Can we say a responsible government is ethical government? Explain.10 marks
  7. Q7Discuss the relationship between ethics and integrity. Can we consider discrimination and sexual harassment; indecent treatment of colleagues or citizens as loss of integrity? Explain with reasons.10 marks
  8. Q8Discuss the following terms which are based on popular presumptions and perceptions in civil services (a) One can be either 'corrupt and efficient' or 'honest and inefficient'. (b) Democratic ethos and bureaucratic ethos are at loggerhead. (c) The doctrine of committed bureaucracy undermines the concept of neutrality.10 marks
  9. Q9One of the states in India has experienced violent protest by a dominant caste in which there are also reports of gang-rape of women belonging to lower castes that are poor and have not been part of the protest. Even if military has been called still violence has not been controlled although abated. There are rumours that the state government issued order to administration not to take action against protesters as the government was working at political level to find out solution to their demands. The women and their community are feeling horrified and terrified by the incident and they are not speaking up even if the state administration and civil society have appealed to them to come out and file their complaints and their identity will not be disclosed. Such behaviour by them has resulted into some sections in society to question the validity of the incident and media reports. This is increasingly creating a cloud over the incident and the community is fearful of its safety. (a) Suppose you are the DM of one such district where the incident has been reported then what steps will be taken by you to imbibe trust in women and families so that they can come forward report to police? (b) Are there other ways to enquire about the incident whether it has happened or not? Explain. (c) Discuss the role of district police in ensuring safety to the community.20 marks
  10. Q10Mr. A is a senior public servant who has worked in two State public service departments over a twenty-year period. In the course of performing his duties, involving primarily monetary and budgeting issues, Mr.A becomes aware that public revenue is being used inappropriately. While he is not directly responsible for this aspect of the budget, he raised his concerns about the channelling of funds from one part of the budget to another to Mr.B, the Head of Division. Mr.A learns that not only is Mr.B aware of this practice, but also that he condones it. Not long after, Mr.A is summoned to talk to Mr.B and to the Director-General about the issue. Due to the politically sensitive nature of the issue, Mr.A is told that the matter is not within his jurisdiction and therefore he should 'keep his nose out of it'. This advice is based on the fact that the incumbent government will not tolerate questions about how it puts its budget together but that it also faces electoral defeat if the matter were to be made 'public'. After much soul searching, Mr.A decides to obey his supervisors by leaving the matter alone. (a) Discuss the possible reasons behind Mr.A decision. (b) Suppose you were Mr.A then what possible options you could have taken? Discuss their merits and demerits and suggest the best course of action, giving reasons.20 marks
  11. Q11Right to Service acts are part of a broader rights-based approach to social policy that has rippled through India over the past decade and a half. Many states have passed public service guarantee acts, also known as Right to Service acts. A state government has set up the Public Service Management Department to oversee the implementation of the Right to Service acts and you have been made its head. After some time you come to observe the following facts: First, officials often wait until towards the end of the maximum allotted time period to complete a service. It could be that officials are creating a new opportunity for bribes, taking money to speed the service up (especially for time sensitive services like caste certificates that may be required for a job or university application). Second, lower officials did express concern about Right to Service Acts being implemented unfairly or being distracting. For example, some said that if there was to be a time limit for processing applications and completing the work within stipulated time then there should also be a limit on how many applications can be accepted. They also felt that the fear of a penalty did make them prioritize processing these applications, but at the expense of their other works. (a) As the head of the Department how you will explain the behaviour of the officials? (b) Except the two options which are given below, what other options are available for you to address the issues of case study. Evaluate their merits and demerits and choose the best option, giving reasons. (i) Set up a citizen grievance redressal cell in the office. (ii) Install CCTV in the office and fix a limit on how many applications can be accepted.20 marks
  12. Q12Water crisis is emerging a new threat for survival of human and peace and harmony in society. Many Indian cities are also facing scarcity of water and one such is Jabalpur which is located in the heart of Madhya Pradesh and lies 15 kilometres from river Narmada. Narmada, rain, groundwater and two reservoirs are the four major sources of water for Jabalpur. Once known as the city of lakes, the water bodies have today lost their lust and it is experiencing an imminent water crisis. Water shortage leads to long queues and street squabbles with people's patience running out. Concrete buildings and waste material, sports and business complexes are being planned in place of the retreating water bodies, without a passing thought to the consequences on environment such as drying of lakes. Scarcity of water has led to the digging of tubewells in every plot of the newly-constructed colonies which has worse effect on groundwater and consequently has further aggravated the problem with the fall of the watertable. Earlier most of the rain that fell recharged groundwater aquifers because of dense green cover which, acted as a barrier for surface runoff. Now, with substantial removal of forest cover the available reservoirs are getting silted up. Unfortunately, there is no official policy to respond to the crisis. (a) As a Municipal commissioner of the Jabalpur discuss the feasible solution for reviving lakes, reservoirs and solving the problem of scarcity of water at the same time ensuring the normal life of people should come under so much disruption. (b) There can be some possible negative consequences of your solutions. Discuss strategies to overcome them?20 marks
  13. Q12(b)There are many possible negative consequences of my solutions. They are as follows:
  14. Q13Nanded is one of the most backward districts in the state of Maharashtra. It had received award for its exemplary performance in the implementation of MNREGA from the union government for 'Planning for Water Conservation' 2010-11. Since 2012-13, its implementation has almost come to a virtual standstill due to exposure of corruption. It has happened due to two conflicting claims. The first is due to detention of many officials including Junior Engineer and Sarpanch and an enquiry is underway. The local officials think that arrest was made under political influence without conducting a proper inquiry as there have been serious attempts by various political parties to show the scheme in a bad light and thwart the implementation of MNREGA. This has made them wary of dealing with MNREGA as the indiscriminate arrests have instilled a sense of fear in them. This is despite the fact that subsequently there have been many systemic improvements. For example, most of the wage payments now go through banks rather than the post office. There is a helpline and ombudsman for grievance redressal, and so on. The second is contrary to the allegations posed by implementing agencies; facts through Right to Information (RTI) application show that the most rampant form of corruption happened through the deliberate creation of bogus workers by some corrupt officials and a large proportion of funds have been siphoned off by them. Meanwhile, the benefits of Water Conservation which the district has experienced for three years are at risks if the standstill of the programme is not removed soon. The poor and farmers will be the most affected people as drought, scarcity of water and declining water table put their livelihood in danger. Suppose the state government has posted you as DM effective handling of the issues then (a) Identify the major flaws in handling of the above case by the district administration. (b) Discuss your strategies to instil confidence among local officials so that the programme can be resumed with the same enthusiasm. (c) Suppose you were in place of the outgoing DM then what could have been your correct responses when the scam was exposed which might have averted the pitfalls?25 marks
  15. Q14P worked as an Assistant with a state government run Corporation. She was reporting to M, who was working as an Officer. During the course of work, M used vulgar language and tried to develop proximity with P. At that time, P openly expressed to M she did not appreciate his behaviour. This resulted in M giving more work to P and making her wait in his cabin for prolonged periods. Since the hostile work atmosphere became unbearable for P, she verbally complained to her seniors. Nothing happened for months. Since M threatened to spoil confidential record of P and destroy her career by falsely entangling her in corruption charges, P complained in writing. CEO of the Corporation handed complaint to the HOD of the department. The written complaint resulted into appointment of an officer to inquire into the complaint which concluded that P's complaint was false and recommended her transfer. As a result, P was transferred to other office. P approached a union leader and an NGO for help. At that time P was not aware about the existence of the Vishakha guidelines and the Law on sexual harassment enacted in 2013. Due to their help the administration formed a complaints committee although it didn't adhere the members' criteria of Vishakha guidelines. Though P produced witnesses, committee concluded it could not be said conclusively that P was harassed by M. In addition the committee commented negatively on the nature and work performance of P. The Corporation closed the case after giving warning to M and transferred him to rural posting on promotion. a) What will be your reaction after reading the above case study? b) Analyse the ethical issues in handling of P grievances. c) Suppose you are the secretary of the department which has jurisdiction over the corporation and P sends details of her grievances then what are the options available to you? Evaluate them and choose the best option, giving reasons.25 marks

The answers

Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 219 words written

It appears that there is "alarming drop in integrity levels" among civil service officers, especially in the higher echelon as reported in recent times. It shows that law as deterrence, Supreme Court's judgements and naming and shaming are not very effective. Discuss its causes and consequences on citizen and administration. What innovative measures will be taken to tackle such officers?

Opening · a definition

Integrity among public servants is a desirable value that is mandated through various devices like code of conduct, laws, justice delivery system etc. With drop in integrity level among public officials, these mechanisms that mandate integrity come under doubt for their efficiency.

The causes of drop in integrity at levels among officials are manifold. They are as follows:

Body · points

i) Large amount of discretionary powers ii) Poor mechanisms for ensuring transparency and accountability iii) Large amount of funds at their disposal.

iv) Poor independence of anti-corruption institutions like CBI, CVC, Lokpal, Lokayuktas etc.

The consequences of reducing levels of integrity on citizen and administration are huge. They are as follows:

For citizens: i) It leads to distrust among citizens ii) It leads to poor faith in law and democracy iii) It can be destabilizing in the long run

For administration: i) It leads to inefficiency and declining levels of productivity ii) It leads to misallocation and misappropriation of funds iii) It leads to poor public support for tough choices that administration may take

Some innovative measures to tackle such officers are: i) Reduce levels of discretion at official level ii) Reduce scope for misappropriation of funds by enabling ICT usage iii) Take to task corrupt officials and set them as examples.

Close · a summary

These steps can help restore the level of integrity.