Venkata Mohan, Author of Ethical Thought -- Buddha to Damasio offers

Ethics & Essay course with the following features.

• In 25+ classes, 6 tests

• Updated as per 2018 paper

• Covered through examples and previous questions

Watch video of Raghavendra IPS who scored 134 in Essay and 115 in Ethics in 2018

2019 Edition

How to prepare forEthics & Essay

in IAS exam ?2019 Edition

Venkata Mohan

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How to Prepare forEthics & Essayin IAS Exam ?2019 Edition

Venkata Mohan

© All rights reserved.June, 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, inany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the publisher.

Price : Rs. 40/-

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Books by Venkata Mohan

1. Sociological Thought: In the Light ofJ. Krishnamurti’s Philosophy (2009)

2. Ethical Thought – Buddha to Damasio (2014)

3. Anthropological Thought (2017)

4. Marriage of a monk: a story of my ideas and life(2015)

5. Ethical Thought

All are available at www.amazon.in

You can also listen to his 30 lectures on Ethical Thoughton YouTube.

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Contents

Thinkers to cover ........................................................... 5Suggested Books / Sources............................................. 6Syllabus: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude ...................... 7Questions asked so far.................................................... 92018 Ethics Paper ......................................................... 102018 Essay Paper ......................................................... 14Ethics area-wise classified ............................................. 17

Unit 1: Ethics ......................................................... 17Unit 2: Wisdom ......................................................... 18Unit 3: Conscience...................................................... 21Unit 4: Emotional Intelligence....................................... 30Unit 5: Attitudes ......................................................... 30Unit 6: About Yourself................................................. 31Unit 7: Gender ......................................................... 32Unit 8: Economy......................................................... 36Unit 9: Polity ......................................................... 43Unit 10: Corruption....................................................... 44Unit 11: Values for civil servants .................................. 45Unit 12: Governance................................................... 52

Essay area-wise classified .............................................. 56Economy.................................................................... 56Education .................................................................. 57Wisdom .................................................................... 58Polity ......................................................................... 59Foreign Policy ............................................................ 60Technology ................................................................ 60Gender ...................................................................... 61Social change ........................................................... 61Religion .................................................................... 62Media ...................................................................... 62

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Thinkers to cover

A. Western philosophers1. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

2. Hume, Kant, Bentham, Nietzsche, Sartre

B. Religious thinkers

1. Jesus, Mohammad

2. Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, J Krishnamurti

3. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Mother Teresa

C. Psychology/ Neuroscience

1. Goleman, Laing

2. Patricia Churchland, Damasio

D. Politics/ Economics/ International Relations

1. Bentham, Locke, Stuart Mill, John Rawls

2. Adam Smith, John Ruskin, Ricardo, Schumpeter, Gandhi, Vinoba, Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr.

3. Thucydides/ Realist theories

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Suggested Books / Sources

1. Ethical Thought by Venkata Mohan2. Venkata Mohan’s lectures on Ethical Thought available on

YouTube3. Business Ethics, Concepts and cases by Manuel G Velasquez

4. Rajagopalan’s Case Studies in Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

5. www. thebetterindia.com

Read The Hindu, watch NDTV 24 x7Many important videos are placed inwww.facebook.com/groups/16EthicsANDEssay

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Syllabus: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude andapproach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and hisproblem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by himin dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approachto determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered.

Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequencesof Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private andpublic relationships.

Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders,reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educationalinstitutions in inculcating values.

Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thoughtand behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence andpersuasion.

Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartialityand non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy,tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.

Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application inadministration and governance.

Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.

Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Statusand problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and privateinstitutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethicalguidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethicaland moral values in governance;

ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporategovernance.

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Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basisof governance and probity; Information

sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codesof Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Qualityof service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.

Case Studies on above issues.

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2018 19

2017 19

2016 18

2015 21

2014 19

2013 17

Sample paper 16

Total 119

Questions asked so far

Including the sample paper released by the UPSC, we have so far98 questions on Ethics. They are classified topic wise.

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2018 Ethics Paper

Section - A

1) (a) State the three basic values, universal in nature, in the contextof civil services and bring out their importance. (150 words)10

(b) Distinguish between “Code of ethics” and “Code of conduct”with suitable examples. (150 words) 10

2) (a) What is mean by public interest? What are the principles andprocedures to be followed by the civil servants in publicinterest? (150 words) 10

(b) “The Right to Information Act is not all about citizens’empowerment alone, it essentially redefines the concept ofaccountability. Discuss. (150 words) 10

3) (a) What is mean by conflict of interest? Illustrate with examples,the difference between the actual and potential conflicts ofinterest. (150 words) 10

(b) “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities:integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they do not have thefirst, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffett

What do you understand by this statement in the present-dayscenario? Explain. (150 words) 10

4) (a) “In doing a good thing, everything is permitted which is notprohibited expressly or by clear implication”. Examine thestatement with suitable examples in the context of a publicservant discharging his/her duties. (150 words) 10

(b) With regard to the morality of actions, one view is that meansis of paramount importance and the other view is that the ends

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justify the means. Which view do you think is more appropriate?Justify your answer. (150 words) 10

5) (a) Suppose the Government of India is thinking of constructing adam in a mountain valley bond by forests and inhabited byethnic communities. What rational policy should it resort to indealing with unforeseen contingencies (150 words) 10

(b) Explain the process of resolving ethical dilemmas in PublicAdministration. (150 words) 10

6) What do each of the following quotations mean to you in the presentcontext?

(a) “The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, isnot whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evilthan good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good.Almost everything, especially of governmental policy, is aninseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgementof the preponderance between them is continually demanded.“Abraham Lincoln ( 150 words)10

(b) “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.“ _ Mahatma Gandhi (150 words) 10

(c) “Falsehood takes the place of truth when it results in unblemishedcommon good.” _ Tirukkural (150 words)10

Section - B

7) Rakesh is a responsible district level officer, who enjoys the trustof his higher officials. Knowing his honesty, the governmententrusted him with the responsibility of identifying the beneficiariesunder a health care scheme meant for senior citizens.

The criteria to be a beneficiary are the following:

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(a) 60 years of age or above.

(b) Belonging to a reserved community.

(c) Family income of less than 1 Lakh rupees per annum.

(d) Post-treatment prognosis is likely to be high to make a positivedifference to the quality of life of the beneficiary.

One day, an old couple visited Rakesh’s office with their application.They have been the residents of a village in his district since theirbirth. The old man is diagnosed with a rare condition that causesobstruction in the large intestine. As a consequence, he has severeabdominal pain frequently that prevents him from doing any physicallabour. The couple has no children to support them. The expertsurgeon whom they contacted is willing to do the surgery withoutcharging any fee. However, the couple will have to bear the cost ofincidental charges, such as medicines, hospitalization, etc., to thetune of rupees one lakh. The couple fulfils all the criteria exceptcriterion ‘b’. However, any financial aid would certainly make asignificant difference in their quality of life.

How should Rakesh respond to the situation? (250 words) 20

8) As a senior officer in the Ministry, you have access to importantpolicy decisions and upcoming big announcements such as roadconstructions projects before they are notified in the public domain.The Ministry is about to announce a mega road project for whichthe drawings are already in place. Sufficient care was taken by theplanners to make use of the government land with the minimumland acquisition from private parties. Compensation rate for privateparties was also finalized as per government rules. Care was alsotaken to minimize deforestation. Once the project is announced, itis expected that there will be a huge spurt in real estate prices inand around that area. Meanwhile, the Minister concerned insists

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that you realign the road in such a way that it comes closer to his20 acres farmhouse. He also suggests that he would facilitate thepurchase of a big plot of land in your wife name at the prevailingrate which is very nominal, in and around the proposed mega roadproject. He also tries to convince you by saying that there is noharm in it as he is buying the land legally. He even promises tosupplement your savings in case you do not have sufficient funds tobuy the land. However, by the act of realignment, a lot of agriculturallands has to be acquired, thereby causing a considerable financialburden on the government, and also the displacement of the farmers.As if this is not enough, it will involve cutting down of a large numberof trees denuding the area of its green cover.

Faced with this situation, what will you do? Critically examinevarious conflicts of interest and explain what your responsibilitiesare as a public servant. (250 words) 20

9) It is a State where prohibition is in force. You are recently appointedas the Superintendent of Police of a district notorious for illicitdistillation of liquor. The illicit liquor leads to many death, reportedand unreported, and causes a major problem for the districtauthorities.

The approach till now had been to view it as a law and orderproblem and tackle it accordingly. Raids, arrest, police cases, andcriminal trials – all these had only limited impact. The problemremains as serious as ever.

Your inspections show that the parts of the district where thedistillation flourishes are economically, industrially and educationallybackward. Agriculture is badly affected by poor irrigation facilities.Frequent clashes among communities gave boost to illicit distillation.No major initiatives had taken place in the past either from thegovernment’s side or from social organizations to improve the lotof the people.

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Which new approach will you adopt to bring the problem undercontrol? (250 words) 20

10) A big corporate house is engaged in manufacturing industrialchemicals on a large scale. It proposes to set upon the additionalunit. Many states rejected its proposal due to the detrimental effecton the environment. But one state government acceded to therequest and permitted the unit close to a city, brushing aside allopposition.

The unit was set up 10 years ago and was in full swing till recently.The pollution caused by the industrial effluents was affecting theland, water and crops in the area. It was also causing serious healthproblems to human beings and animals. This gave rise to a seriesof agitation thousands of people took part, creating a law and orderproblem necessitating stern police action. Following the publicoutcry, the State government ordered the closure of the factory.

The closure of the factory resulted in the unemployment of not onlythose workers who were engaged in the factory but also thosewho were working in the ancillary units. It also very badly affectedthose industry which depended on the chemicals manufactured by it.

As a senior officer entrusted with the responsibility of handling thisissues, how are you going to address it? (250 words) 20

11) Dr X is a leading medical practitioner in a city. He has set up acharitable trust through which he plans to establish a super-specialityhospital in the city to cater to the medical needs of all sections ofthe society. Incidentally, that part of the State had been neglectedover the years. The proposed hospital would be a boon for theregion.

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You are heading the tax investigation agency of that region. Duringan inspection of the doctor’s clinic, your officers have found outsome major irregularities. A few of them are substantial which hadresulted in considerable withholding of tax that should be paid byhim now. The doctor is cooperative. He undertakes to pay the taximmediately.

However, there are certain other deficiencies in his tax compliancewhich are purely technical in nature. If these technical defaults arepursued by the agency, considerable time and energy of the doctorwill be diverted to issues which are not so serious, urgent or evenhelpful to the tax collection process. Further, in all probability, itwill hamper the prospects of the hospital coming up.

There are two options before you:

1) Taking a broader view, ensure substantial tax compliance andignore defaults that are merely technical in nature.

2) Pursue the matter strictly and proceed on all fronts,whethersubstantial or merely technical.

As the head of the tax agency, which course of action will you optand why? (250 words) 20

12) Edward Snowden, a computer expert and former CIAadministrator, released confidential Government documents to thepress about the existence of Government surveillance programmes.According to many legal experts and the US Government, his actionviolated the Espionage act of 1971, which identified the leak ofState secret as an act of treason. Yet, despite the fact that he brokethe law, Snowden argued that he had a moral obligation to act. Hegave a justification for his “whistle blowing” by stating that he hada duty “to inform the public as to that which is done in there nameand that which is done against them.”

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According to Snowden, the Government’s violation of privacy hadto be exposed regardless of legality since more substantive issuesof social action and public morality were involved here. Manyagreed with Snowden. Few argued that he broke the law andcompromised national security, for which he should be heldaccountable.

Do you agree that Snowden’s actions were ethically justified evenif legally prohibited? Why or why not? Make an argument byweighing the competing values in this case (250 words) 20

2018 Essay Paper

SECTION – A

1. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India

2. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge

3. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere

4. Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task

SECTION – B

1. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life

2. “The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousnessand values

3. A people that values its privileges above its principles losesboth.

4. Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it

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Ethics area-wise classified

Unit 1: Ethics1) (b) With regard to the morality of actions, one view is that

means is of paramount importance and the other view is thatthe ends justify the means. Which view do you think is moreappropriate? Justify your answer. (150 words) 10

2) Without commonly shared and widely entrenched moral valuesand obligations, neither the law, nor democratic government,nor even the market economy will function properly. What doyou understand by this statement? Explain with illustration inthe contemporary times. (2017, 150 Words, 10)

3) Corporate social responsibility makes companies moreprofitable and sustainable. Analyse. (2017,150 Words, 10)

4) ”Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Thoseendowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. Alldepends on the principles which direct them.” – NapoleonBonaparte. Stating examples mention the rulers (i) who haveharmed society and country, (ii) who worked for thedevelopment of society and country. (2017,150 Words, 10)

5) Explain how ethics contributes to social and human well-being.(2016, 10m)

6) Law and ethics are considered to be the two tools for controllinghuman conduct so as to make it conducive to civilized socialexistence.

a) Discuss how they achieve their objective.

b) Giving examples show how the two differ in their approaches. (2016, 10m)

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7) Differentiate between ‘law and ethics.’ (2015, 10m)

8) Differentiate between ‘Ethical management and managementof ethics’ (2015, 10m)

9) Differentiate between ‘Personal Ethics and ProfessionalEthics’(2015, 10m)

10) What does ethics seek to promote in human life? Why is it allthe more important in public administration? (2014, 10m)

11) What do you understand by ‘values’ and ‘ethics’? In what wayis it important to be ethical along with being professionallycompetent? (2013, 10m)

12) It is often said that ‘politics’ and ‘ethics’ do not go together.What is your opinion in this regard? Justify your answer withillustrations. (2013, 10m)

13) Some people feel that values keep changing with time andsituation, while others strongly believe that there are certainuniversal and eternal human values. Give your perception inthis regard with due justification. (2013, 10m)

14) What do you understand by ‘Ethical Human Conduct’? In whatway is it important to be ethical along with being professionallycompetent? (Sample paper)

Unit 2: Wisdom15) What do each of the following quotations mean to you in the

present context? (2018)

(a) “The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, isnot whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evilthan good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good.

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Almost everything, especially of governmental policy, is aninseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgementof the preponderance between them is continually demanded.“Abraham Lincoln ( 150 words)10

16) (b) “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correctunderstanding. “Mahatma Gandhi (150 words) 10

17) (c) “Falsehood takes the place of truth when it results inunblemished common good.” _ Tirukkural (150 words)10

18) Discuss Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of seven sins. (2016, 10m)

19) “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute ofstrong.” (2015, 10m)

20) “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the realtragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” (2015, 10m)

21) All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? Whatdoes happiness mean to you? Explain with examples. (2014,10m)

22) “Human beings should always be treated as ‘ends’ in themselvesand never as merely ‘means’” Explain the meaning andsignificance of this statement, giving its implications in the moderntechno-economic society. (2014, 10m)

23) “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him whoovercomes his enemies.”- Aristotle. What does this mean toyou in the present context? (2013, 10m)

24) “Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to testa man’s character, give him power” Abraham Lincoln. Whatdoes this mean to you in the present context? (2013, 10m)

25) “The good of an individual is contained in the good of all”.What do you understand by this statement? How can thisprinciple be implemented in public life? (2013, 10m)

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Unit 3: Conscience26) As a senior officer in the Ministry, you have access to important

policy decisions and upcoming big announcements such as roadconstructions projects before they are notified in the publicdomain. The Ministry is about to announce a mega road projectfor which the drawings are already in place. Sufficient carewas taken by the planners to make use of the government landwith the minimum land acquisition from private parties.Compensation rate for private parties was also finalized as pergovernment rules. Care was also taken to minimizedeforestation. Once the project is announced, it is expectedthat there will be a huge spurt in real estate prices in and aroundthat area. Meanwhile, the Minister concerned insists that yourealign the road in such a way that it comes closer to his 20acres farmhouse. He also suggests that he would facilitate thepurchase of a big plot of land in your wife name at the prevailingrate which is very nominal, in and around the proposed megaroad project. He also tries to convince you by saying that thereis no harm in it as he is buying the land legally. He even promisesto supplement your savings in case you do not have sufficientfunds to buy the land. However, by the act of realignment, a lotof agricultural lands has to be acquired, thereby causing aconsiderable financial burden on the government, and also thedisplacement of the farmers. As if this is not enough, it willinvolve cutting down of a large number of trees denuding thearea of its green cover.

Faced with this situation, what will you do? Critically examinevarious conflicts of interest and explain what your responsibilitiesare as a public servant. (250 words) 20

27) One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to becompromised. Explain with reference to a real life example.(2017,150 Words, 10)

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28) You are the head of the Human Resources department of anorganisation. One day one of the workers died on duty. Hisfamily was demanding compensation. However, the companydenied compensation because it was revealed in investigationthat he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers ofthe company went to strike demanding compensation for thefamily of the deceased. The Chairman of the management boardhas asked for your recommendation.

What recommendation would you provide the management?

Discuss the merits and demerits of each of therecommendations. (2017, 250 Words, 20)

29) You are the manager of a spare parts company A and you haveto negotiate a deal with the manager of a large manufacturingcompany B. The deal is highly competitive and sealing the dealis critical for your company. The deal is being worked out overa dinner. After dinner the manager of manufacturing companyB offered to drop you to the hotel in his car. On the way tohotel he happens to hit motorcycle injuring the motorcyclistbadly. You know the manager was driving fast and thus lostcontrol. The law enforcement officer comes to investigate theissue and you are the sole eyewitness to it. Knowing the strictlaws pertaining to road accidents you are aware that your honestaccount of the incident would lead to the prosecution of themanager and as a consequence the deal is likely to bejeopardised, which is of immense importance to your company.

What are the dilemmas you face? What will be your responseto the situation? (2017, 250 Words, 20)

30) A building permitted for three floors, while being extendedillegally to 6 floors by a builder, collapses. As a consequence,a number of innocent labourers including women and childrendied. These labourers are migrants of different places. The

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government immediately announced cash relief to the aggrievedfamilies and arrested the builder.

Give reasons for such incidents taking place across the country.Suggest measures to prevent their occurrence. (2017, 250Words, 20)

31) You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have clearedvarious stages and now you have been selected for the personalinterview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venueyou saw an accident where a mother and child who happen tobe your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediatehelp. What would you have done in such a situation? Justifyyour action. (2017, 250 Words, 20)

32) You are an honest and responsible civil servant. You oftenobserve the following:

(a) There is a general perception that adhering to ethicalconduct one may face difficulties to oneself and causeproblems for the family, whereas unfair practices may helpto reach the career goals.

(b) When the number of people adopting unfair means is large,a small minority having a penchant towards ethical meansmakes no difference.

(c) Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the largerdevelopmental goals

(d) While one may not involve oneself in large unethicalpractices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes thesystem more efficient.

Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits.(2017, 250 Words, 20)

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33) A fresh engineering graduate gets a job in a prestigious chemicalindustry. She likes the work. The salary is good. However,after a few months she accidentally discovers that a highly toxicwaste is being secretly discharged into a river nearby. This iscausing health problems to the villagers downstream whodepend on the river for their water needs. She is perturbedand mentions her concern to her colleagues who have beenwith the company for longer periods. They advise her to keepquite as anyone who mentions the topic is summarily dismissed.She cannot risk losing her job as she is the sole bread-winnerfor her family and has to support her ailing parents and siblings.At first, she thinks that if her seniors are keeping quiet, whyshould she stick out her neck. But her conscience pricks her todo something to save the river and the people who dependupon it. At heart she feels that the advice of silence given byher friends is not correct though she can’t give reasons for it.She thinks you are a wise person and seeks your advice.

a) What arguments can you advance to show her that keepingquiet is not morally right?

b) What course of action would you advise her to adopt andwhy? (2016, 20m)

34) You are heading a district administration in a particulardepartment. Your senior officer calls you from the StateHeadquarters and tells you that a plot in Rampur village is tohave a building constructed on it for a school. A visit is scheduledduring which he will visit the site along with the chief engineerand the senior architect. He wants you to check out all thepapers relating to it and ensure that the visit is properly arranged.You examine the file which relates to the period before youjoined the department. The land was acquired for the localpanchayat at a nominal cost and the papers showed that

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clearance certificates are available for the two of the threeauthorities who have to certify the site’s suitability. There is nocertification by the architect available on file. You decide tovisit Rampur to ensure that all is in the order as stated on file.When you visit Rampur, you find that the plot under referenceis a part of Thakurgarh fort and that the walls, ramparts, etc.,are running across it. The fort is well away from the main village,therefore a school here will be a serious inconvenience for thechildren. However, the area near the village has potential toexpand into a larger residential area. The development chargeson the existing plot, at the fort, will be very high and question ofheritage site has not been addressed. Moreover, the Sarpanch,at the time of acquisition of the land, was a relative of yourpredecessor. The whole transaction appears to have been donewith some vested interest.

(a) List the likely vested interest of the concerned parties.

(b) Some of the options for action available to you are listedbelow. Discuss the merits and demerits of each of theoptions:

(i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let himtake a decision.

(ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on phone.

(iii) You can consult your predecessor/ colleagues, etc, andthen decide what to do.

(iv) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchangeand then send a comprehensive written report.

Can you suggest any other option with proper justifications?(2015, 25m)

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35) Suppose one of your friends, who is also aspiring for civilservices, comes to you for discussing some of the issues relatedto ethical conduct in public service. He raises the followingpoints:

i) In the present times, when unethical environment is quireprevalent, individual attempts to stick to ethical principlesmay cause a lot of problems in one’s career. It may alsocause hardship to the family members as well as risk toone’s life. Why should we not be pragmatic and follow thepath of least resistance, and be happy with doing whateverwe can?

ii) When so many people are adopting wrong means and aregrossly harming the system, what difference would it makeif only a small minority tries to be ethical? They are goingto be rather ineffective and are bound to get frustrated.

iii) If we become fussy about ethical considerations, will it nothamper the economic progress of our country? After all,in the present age of high competition, we can not affordto be left behind in the race of development.

iv) It is understandable that we should not get involved ingrossly unethical practises, but giving and accepting smallgratifications and doing small favours increases everybody’smotivation. It also makes the system more efficient. Whatis wrong in adopting such practices?

Critically analyse the above viewpoints. On the basis of this analysis,what will be your advice to your friend? (2014, 20 marks)

36) Suppose you are the CEO of a company that manufacturesspecialized electronic equipment used by a governmentdepartment. You have submitted your bid for the supply of thisequipment to the department. Both the quality and cost of your

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offer are better than those of the competitors. Yet the concernedofficer is demanding a hefty bribe for approving the tender.Getting the order is important both for you and for yourcompany. Not getting the order would mean closing aproduction line. It many also affect your career. However, as avalue-conscious person, you do not want to give bribe.

Valid arguments can be advanced both for giving the bribe andgetting the order, and for refusing to pay the bribe and riskingthe loss of the order. What those arguments could be? Couldthere be any better way to get rid of this dilemma? If so, outlinethe main elements of this third way, pointing out its merits. (2014,20 marks)

37) Rameshwar successfully cleared the prestigious civil servicesexamination and was excited about the opportunity that hewould get through the civil services to serve the country.However, soon after joining the services, he realized that thingsare not as rosy as he had imagined.

He found a number of malpractices prevailing in the departmentassigned to him. For example, funds under various schemesand grants were being misappropriated. The official facilitieswere frequently being used for personal needs by the officersand staff. After some time, he noticed that the process ofrecruiting the staff was also not up to the mark. Prospectivecandidates were required to write an examination in which alot of cheating was going on. Some candidates were providedexternal help in the examination. Rameshwar brought theseincidents to the notice of his seniors. However, he was advisedto keep his eyes, ears and mouth shut and ignore all these thingswhich were taking place with the connivance of the higher-ups. Rameshwar felt highly disillusioned and uncomfortable.He comes to you seeking your advice.

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Indicate various options that you think are available in thissituation. How would you help him to evaluate these optionsand choose the most appropriate path to be adopted? (2014,20 marks)

38) A Public Information Officer has received an application underRTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discoversthat the information pertains to some ofthe decisions taken byhim, which were found to be not altogether right. There wereother employees also who were party to these decisions.Disclosure of the information is likely to lead to disciplinaryaction with possibility of punishment against him as well as someof his colleagues. Non-disclosure or part disclosure orcamouflaged disclosure of information will result into lesserpunishment or no punishment.

The POI is otherwise an honest and conscientious person butthis particular decision. On which the RTI application has beenfiled, turned out to be wrong. He comes to you for advice.

The following are some suggested options. Please evaluate themerits and demerits of each of the options:

(i) The POI could refer the matter to his superior officer andseek his advice and act strictly in accordance with theadvice, even though he is not completely in agreementwith the advice of the superior.

(ii) The POI could proceed on leave and leave the matter tobe dealt by his successor in office or request for transferof the application to another PIO.

(iii) The POI could weigh the consequences of disclosing theinformation truthfully, including the effect on his career,and reply in a manner that would not place him or his

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career in jeopardy, but at the same time a little compromisecan be made on the contents of the information.

(iv) The POI could consult his colleagues who are party tothe decision and take action as per their advice.

Also please indicate (without necessarily restricting to the aboveoptions) what you would like to advise, giving properreasons. (2013, 20m)

39) You are working as an Executive Engineer in the constructioncell of a Municipal Corporation and are presently in-charge ofthe construction of a flyover. There are two Junior Engineersunder you who have the responsibility of day-to-day inspectionof the site and are reporting to you, while you are finallyreporting to the Chief Engineer who heads the cell. While theconstruction is heading towards the completion, the JuniorEngineers have been regularly reporting that all construction istaking place as per design specifications. However, in one ofyour surprise inspections, you have noticed some seriousdeviations and lacunae which, in your opinion, are likely toaffect the safety of the flyover. Rectification of these lacunae atthis stage would require a substantial amount of demolition andrework which will cause a tangible loss to the contractor andwill also delay completion.

There is a lot of public pressure on the Corporation to get thisconstruction completed because of heavy traffic congestion inthe area. When you brought this matter to the notice of theChief Engineer, he advised you that in his opinion it is not avery serious lapse and may be ignored. He advised for furtherexpediting the project for completion in time. However, youare convinced that this was a serious matter which might affectpublic safety and should not be left unaddressed.

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What will you do in such a situation? Some of the options aregiven below. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of theseoptions and finally suggest what course of action you wouldlike to take, giving reasons.

(i) Follow the advice of the Chief Engineer and go ahead.

(ii) Make an exhaustive report of the situation bringing out allfacts and analysis along with your own viewpoints statedclearly and seek for written orders from the Chief Engineer.

(iii) Call for explanation from the Junior Engineers and issueorders to the contractor for necessary correction withintargeted time.

(iv) Highlight the issue so that it reaches superiors above theChief Engineer.

(v) Considering the rigid attitude of the Chief Engineer, seektransfer from the project or report sick. (2013, 20m)

40) As a senior officer in the Finance Ministry, you have access tosome confidential and crucial information about policy decisionsthat the Government is about to announce. These decisionsare likely to have far-reaching impact on the housing andconstruction industry. If the builders have access to thisinformation beforehand, they can make huge profits. One ofthe builders has done a lot of quality work for the Governmentand is known to be close to your immediate superior, whoasks you to disclose this information to the said builder.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each of these options and choose the optionwhich you would adopt, giving reasons. (2013, 20m)

41) You have grown up with X, who has been your best friendsince childhood. You have shared your joys and sorrows and

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have been each other’s confidante. Both of you are in yourfinal year graduation and writing your final exams. In the examyou notice that your friend is copying and cheating a lot. Whatwould you do and why? (Sample paper)

Unit 4: Emotional Intelligence42) How will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative

practices? (2017,150 Words, 10)

43) Anger is a harmful negative emotion. It is injurious to bothpersonal life and work life.

a) Discuss how it leads to negative emotions and undesirablebehaviours.

b) How can it be managed and controlled? (2016, 10m)

44) What is ‘emotional intelligence’ and how can it be developedin people? How does it help an individual in taking ethicaldecisions? (2013, 10m)

Unit 5: Attitudes

45) ”If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation ofbeautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societalmembers who can make a difference. they are father, the motherand the teacher.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse. (2017, 150Words, 10)

46) Discipline generally implies following the order andsubordination. However, it may be counter-productive for theorganisation. Discuss. (2017, 150 Words, 10)

47) How could social influence and persuasion contribute to thesuccess of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (2016, 10m)

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48) Our attitude towards life, work, other people and society aregenerally shaped unconsciously by the family and the socialsurroundings in which we grow up. Some of these unconsciouslyacquired attitudes and values are often undesirable in the citizensof a modern democratic and egalitarian society.

a) Discuss such undesirable values prevalent in today’seducated Indians.

b) How can such undesirable attitudes be changed and socio-ethical values considered necessary in public services becultivated in the aspiring and serving civil servants? (2016,10m)

49) What factors affect the formation of a person’s attitude towardssocial problems? In our society, contrasting attitudes areprevalent about many social problems. What contrastingattitude do you notice about the caste system in our society?How do you explain the existence of these contrasting attitudes?(2014, 10m)

Unit 6: About Yourself50) Which eminent personality has inspired you the most in the

context of ethical conduct in life? Give the gist of his/herteachings. Giving specific examples, describe how you havebeen able to apply these teachings for your own ethicaldevelopment. (2014, 10m)

51) There is a heavy ethical responsibility on the public servantsbecause they occupy positions of power, handle huge amountsof public funds, and their decisions have wide-ranging impacton society and environment. What steps have you taken toimprove your ethical competence to handle such responsibility?(2014, 10m)

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52) The current society is plagued with widespread trust-deficit.What are the consequences of this situation for personal well-being and for societal well-being? What can you do at thepersonal level to make yourself trustworthy? (2014, 10m)

53) What do you understand by the term ‘voice of conscience’?How do you prepare yourself to heed to the voice ofconscience? (2013, 10m)

54) What is meant by ‘crisis of conscience’? Narrate one incidentin your life when you were faced with such a crisis and howyou resolved the same. (2013, 10m)

55) Which great Indian personality has inspired you the most as arole model and how have you been able to benefit in your ownlife by such an inspiration? (Sample paper)

Unit 7: Gender56) You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a government

office working as an assistant to the director of your department.Since you have joined recently, you need to learn and progress.Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you foryour job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed personhaving knowledge of various departments. In short, you respectyour boss and are looking forward to learn a lot from him.

Since you have a good tuning with the boss, he started dependingon you. One day due to ill health he invited you at his place forfinishing some urgent work.

You reached his house and before you could ring the bell youheard shouting noises. You waited for a while. After enteringthe house the boss greeted you and explained the work. Butyou were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At

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last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfyyou.

Next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the officeand found out that his behaviour is very bad with his wife. Healso beats up his wife.

His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman incomparison to her husband. You see that though your boss is anice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence athome.

In such a situation, you are left with the following options.Analyse each option with its consequences.

a) Just ignore thinking about it because it is their personalmatter.

b) Report the case to the appropriate authority.

c) Your own innovative approach towards the situation.(2016, 20m)

57) You are recently posted as district development officer of adistrict. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerabletension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sendinggirls to schools.

The elders of the village feel that many problems have come upbecause girls are being educated and they are stepping out ofthe safe environment of the household.

They are the view that the girls should be quickly married offwith minimum education.

The girls are also competing for jobs after education, whichhave traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, addingto unemployment amongst male population.

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The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls shouldhave equal opportunities for education and employment, andother means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided betweensexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayator in other local bodies or even in busy crosswords, the issueis being acrimoniously debated.

One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has takenplace. Some girls were molested, when they were en route toschools. The incident led to clashes between several groupsand a law and order problem has arisen. The elder after heateddiscussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go toschool and to socially boycott all such families, which do notfollow their dictate.

(a) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety withoutdisrupting their education?

(b) How would you manage and mould patriarchic attitudeof the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations? (2015, 25m)

58) We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence againstwomen in the country. Despite existing legal provisions againstit, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest someinnovative measures to tackle the menace. (2014, 10m)

59) You are a no-nonsense, honest officer. You have beentransferred to a remote district to head a department that isnotorious for its efficiency and callousness. You find that themain cause of the poor state of affairs is the indiscipline of asection of employees. They do not work themselves and alsodisrupt the working of others. You first warned thetroublemakers to mend their ways or else face disciplinaryaction. When the warning has little effect, you issued a showcause notice to the ring leaders. As a retaliatory measure, these

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troublemakers instigated a woman employee amongst them tofile a complaint of sexual harassment against you with theWomen’s Commission. The Commission promptly seeks yourexplanation. The matter is publicized in the media to embarrassyou further. Some of the options to handle the situation couldbe as follows:

i) Give your explanation to the Commission and go soft onthe disciplinary action.

ii) Ignore the Commission and proceed firmly with thedisciplinary action.

iii) Brief your higher-ups, seek directions from them and actaccordingly.

Suggest any other possible options. Evaluate all of them andsuggest the best course of action, giving your reasons for it.(2014, 20 marks)

60) You are the Executive Director of an upcoming InfotechCompany which is making a name for itself in the market.

Mr. A, who is a star performer, is heading the marketing team.In a short period of one year, he has helped in doubling therevenues as well as creating a high brand equity for the Companyso much so that you are thinking of promoting him. Howeveryou have been receiving information from many corners abouthis attitude towards the female colleagues; particularly his habitof making loose comments on women. In addition, he regularlysends indecent SMS’s to all the team members including hisfemale colleagues.

One day, late in the evening, Mrs. X, who is one of Mr. A’steam members, comes to you visibly disturbed. She complainsagainst the continued misconduct of Mr. A, who has been

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making undesirable advances towards her and has even triedto touch her inappropriately in his cabin.

She tenders her resignation and leaves your office.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each of these options and choose the option youwould adopt giving reasons. (2013, 20m)

61) You have been working with your team for almost a year. Oneof your subordinates Mr. A is very effective and hard working,he takes responsibility and gets things done. However, youhave heard that Mr. A makes loose comments about women.Mrs X who is working under A, comes to you, she is visiblydisturbed. She tells you that Mr. A has been making undueadvances towards her and has even asked her to go out fordinner with him. She wants to give a written complaint seekingaction against Mr. A. What would you do and why? ( Samplepaper)

Unit 8: Economy62) (a) Suppose the Government of India is thinking of

constructing a dam in a mountain valley bond by forestsand inhabited by ethnic communities. What rational policyshould it resort to in dealing with unforeseen contingencies(150 words) 10

(b) Explain the process of resolving ethical dilemmas in PublicAdministration. (150 words) 10

63) It is a State where prohibition is in force. You are recentlyappointed as the Superintendent of Police of a district notoriousfor illicit distillation of liquor. The illicit liquor leads to many

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death, reported and unreported, and causes a major problemfor the district authorities.

The approach till now had been to view it as a law and orderproblem and tackle it accordingly. Raids, arrest, police cases,and criminal trials – all these had only limited impact. Theproblem remains as serious as ever.

Your inspections show that the parts of the district where thedistillation flourishes are economically, industrially andeducationally backward. Agriculture is badly affected by poorirrigation facilities. Frequent clashes among communities gaveboost to illicit distillation. No major initiatives had taken placein the past either from the government’s side or from socialorganizations to improve the lot of the people.

Which new approach will you adopt to bring the problem undercontrol? (250 words) 20

64) A big corporate house is engaged in manufacturing industrialchemicals on a large scale. It proposes to set upon the additionalunit. Many states rejected its proposal due to the detrimentaleffect on the environment. But one state government accededto the request and permitted the unit close to a city, brushingaside all opposition.

The unit was set up 10 years ago and was in full swing tillrecently. The pollution caused by the industrial effluents wasaffecting the land, water and crops in the area. It was alsocausing serious health problems to human beings and animals.This gave rise to a series of agitation thousands of people tookpart, creating a law and order problem necessitating stern policeaction. Following the public outcry, the State governmentordered the closure of the factory.

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The closure of the factory resulted in the unemployment of notonly those workers who were engaged in the factory but alsothose who were working in the ancillary units. It also very badlyaffected those industry which depended on the chemicalsmanufactured by it.

As a senior officer entrusted with the responsibility of handlingthis issues, how are you going to address it? (250 words) 20

65) The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrowperception of the good life. Discuss. (2017, 150 Words, 10)

66) Increased national wealth did not result in equitable distributionof its benefits. It has created only some “enclaves of modernityand prosperity for a small minority at the cost of the majority.”Justify. (2017, 150 Words, 10)

67) Land needed for mining, dams and other large-scale projectsis acquired mostly from Adivasis, hill dwellers and ruralcommunities. The displaced persons are paid monetarycompensation as per the legal provisions. However, the paymentis often tardy. In any case, it cannot sustain the displaced familiesfor long. These people do not possess marketable skills toengage in some other occupation. They end up as low paidmigrant labourers. Moreover, their traditional ways ofcommunity living are destroyed. Thus, the benefits ofdevelopment go to industries, industrialists and urbancommunities whereas the costs are passed on to these poorhelpless people. Thus unjust distribution of costs and benefitsis unethical.

Suppose you have been entrusted with the task of drafting abetter compensation-cum-rehabilitation policy for suchdisplaced persons, how would you approach the problem andwhat would be the main elements of your suggested policy?(2016, 20m)

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68) ABC Ltd. is a large transnational company having diversifiedbusiness activities with a huge shareholder base. The companyis continuously expanding and generating employment. Thecompany, in its expansion and diversification program, decidesto establish a new plant at Vikaspuri, an area which isunderdeveloped. The new plant is designed to use energyefficient technology that will help the company to saveproduction cost by 20%. The company’s decision goes wellwith the government policy of attracting investment to developsuch underdeveloped regions. The government has alsoannounced tax holiday for five years for the companies to investin underdeveloped areas. However, the new plant may bringchaos for the inhabitants of Vikaspuri region, which is otherwisetranquil. The new plant may result in increased cost of living,aliens migrating to the region, disturbing the social and economicorder. The company sensing the possible protest tried to educatethe people of Vikaspuri region and public in general that howits Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy would helpovercome the likely difficulties of the residents of Vikaspuriregion. In spite of this the protests begin and some of theresidents decided to approach the judiciary as their plea beforethe government did not yield any result.

a) Identify the issues involved in the case.

b) What can be suggested to satisfy the company’s goal andto address the residents’ concerns? (2016, 25m)

69) What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it importantto study? Discuss any one environmental issue from theviewpoint of environmental ethics. (2015, 10m)

70) Social values are more important than economic values. Discussthe above statement with examples in the context of inclusivegrowth of a nation. (2015, 10m)

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71) One of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a majorpharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’sbestselling veterinary drugs has the potential to cure a currentlyincurable liver disease which is prevalent in tribal areas.

However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for humanbeing entailed a lot of research and development having ahuge expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores.

It was unlikely that company would recover the cost as thedisease was rampant only in poverty stricken areashaving very little market otherwise.

If you were the CEO, then

(a) Identify the various actions that you could take

(b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each of your actions (2015,20m)

72) A private company is known for its efficiency, transparencyand employee welfare. The company though owned by a privateindividual has a cooperative character where employees feel asense of ownership. The company employs nearly 700personnel and they have voluntarily decided not to form union.

One day suddenly in the morning, about 40 men belonging topolitical party gate crashed into the factory demanding jobs inthe factory. They threatened the management and employees,and also used foul language. The employees feel demoralized.It was clear that those people who gate crashed wanted to beon the payroll of the company as well as continue as thevolunteers/members of the party.

The company maintains high standards in integrity and doesnot extend favours to civil administration that also includes lawenforcement agency. Such incident occur in public sector also.

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a) Assume you are the CEO of the company. What wouldyou do to diffuse the volatile situation on the date of gatecrashing with the violent mob sitting inside the companypremises?

(b) What can be the long term solution to the issue discussedin the case?

(c) Every solution/action that you suggest will have a negativeand a positive impact on you as (CEO), the employeesand the performance of the employees. Analyse theconsequences of each of your suggested actions. (2015,20m)

73) In our country, the migration of rural people to towns and citiesis increasing drastically. This is causing serious problems bothin rural as well as in the urban areas. In fact, things are becomingreally unmanageable. Can you analyse this problem in detailand indicate not only the socio-economic but also the emotionaland attitudinal factors responsible for this problem? Also,distinctly bring out why-

a) Educated rural youth are trying to shift to urban areas

b) Landless poor people are migrating to urban slums

c) Even some farmers are selling off their land and trying tosettle in urban areas taking up petty jobs.

What feasible steps can you suggest which will be effective incontrolling this serious problem of our country? (2014, 20marks)

74) Now-a-days, there is an increasing thrust on economicdevelopment all around the globe. At the same time, there isalso an increasing concern about environmental degradationcaused by development. Many a time, we face a direct conflict

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between developmental activity and environmental quality. It isneither feasible to stop or curtail the developmental process,nor is it advisable to keep degrading the environment, as itthreatens our very survival.

Discuss some feasible strategies which could be adopted toeliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainabledevelopment. (2014, 20m)

75) Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu is known for its manufacturing clusterson firecrackers and matches. The local economy of the is largelydependent on firecrackers industry. It has led to tangibleeconomic development and improved standard of living in thearea.

So far as child labour norms for hazardous industries likefirecrackers industry are concerned, International LabourOrganization (ILO) has set the minimum age as 18 years. InIndia however this age is 14 years.

The units in industrial clusters of firecrackers can be classifiedinto registered and non-registered entities. One typical unit ishousehold-based work. Though the law is clear on the use ofchild labour employment norms in registered/non-registeredunits, it does not include household-based works. Household-based work means children working under the supervision oftheir parents/relatives. To evade child labour norms, severalunits project themselves as household-based works but employchildren from outside. Needless to say that employing childrensaves the costs for these units leading to higher profits to theowners.

On your visit to one of the units at Sivakasi the owner takesyou around the unit which has about 10-15 children below 14years of age. The owner tells you that in his household-based

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unit, the children are all his relatives. You notice that severalchildren smirk, when the owner talls you this. On deeper enquiry,you figure out that neither the owner nor the children are ableto satisfactorily establish their relationship with each other.

(a) Bring out and discuss the ethical issues involved in the abovecase.

(b) What would be your reaction after your above visit? (2013,20m)

76) “There is enough on this earth for every one’s need but for noone’s greed.’’ Mahatma Gandhi. What does this mean to youin the present context? (2013, 10m).

Unit 9: Polity77) Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come

forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate themto come forward. (2017,150 Words, 10)

78) Strength, peace and security are considered to be the pillarsof international relations. Elucidate. (2017,150 Words, 10)

79) Analyse Johan Rawls’ concept of social justice in the Indiancontext. (2016, 10m)

80) Differentiate between ‘Discrimination and preferentialtreatment.’ (2015, 10m)

81) At the international level, bilateral relations between mostnations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s ownnational interest without any regard for the interest of othernations. This lead to conflicts and tension between the nations.How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions?Discuss with specific examples. (2015, 10m)

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82) You are the Sarpanch of a Panchayat. There is a primary schoolrun by the government in your area. Midday meals are providedto children attending the school.

The headmaster has now appointed a new cook in the schoolto prepare the meals.

However, when it is found that cook is from Dalit community,almost half of the children belonging to higher castes are notallowed to take meals by their parents.

Consequently the attendance in the schools falls sharply. Thiscould result in the possibility of discontinuation of midday mealscheme, thereafter of teaching staff and subsequent closingdown the school. (2015, 20m)

(a) Discuss some feasible strategies to overcome the conflictand to create right ambiance.

(b) What should be the responsibilities of different socialsegments and agencies to create positive social ambiancefor accepting such changes?

83) In the context of defence services, ‘patriotism’ demandsreadiness to even lay down one’s life in protecting the nation.According to you, what does patriotism imply in everyday civillife? Explain with illustrations and justify our answer. (2014,10m)

Unit 10: Corruption84) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of

beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societalmembers who can make a difference. they are father, the motherand the teacher.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse. (2017, 150Words, 10)

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85) “Corruption causes misuse of government treasury,administrative inefficiency and obstruction in the path of nationaldevelopment.” Discuss Kautilya’s views. (2016, 10m)

86) Today we find that in-spite of various measures of prescribingcodes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI,active media and strengthening of legal mechanism, corruptpractices are not coming under control. (2015, 10m)

(a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures withjustifications

(b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace

87) It is often said that poverty leads to corruption. However, thereis no dearth of instances where affluent and powerful peopleindulge in corruption in a big way. What are the basic causes ofcorruption among people? Support your answer with examples.(2014, 10m)

88) What do you understand by ‘probity’ in public life? What arethe difficulties in practising it in the present times? How canthese difficulties be overcome? (2014, 10m)

Unit 11: Values for civil servants89) (a) State the three basic values, universal in nature, in the context

of civil services and bring out their importance. (150 words)10

90) (b) Distinguish between “Code of ethics” and “Code of conduct”with suitable examples. (150 words) 10

91) (a) What is mean by public interest? What are the principlesand procedures to be followed by the civil servants in publicinterest? (150 words) 10

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92) (a) What is mean by conflict of interest? Illustrate with examples,the difference between the actual and potential conflicts ofinterest. (150 words) 10

93) (b) “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities:integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they do not have thefirst, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffett

What do you understand by this statement in the present-dayscenario? Explain. (150 words) 10

94) (a) “In doing a good thing, everything is permitted which is notprohibited expressly or by clear implication”. Examine thestatement with suitable examples in the context of a publicservant discharging his/her duties. (150 words) 10

95) Rakesh is a responsible district level officer, who enjoys thetrust of his higher officials. Knowing his honesty, the governmententrusted him with the responsibility of identifying thebeneficiaries under a health care scheme meant for seniorcitizens.

The criteria to be a beneficiary are the following:

(a) 60 years of age or above.

(b) Belonging to a reserved community.

(c) Family income of less than 1 Lakh rupees per annum.

(d) Post-treatment prognosis is likely to be high to make apositive difference to the quality of life of the beneficiary.

One day, an old couple visited Rakesh’s office with theirapplication. They have been the residents of a village in hisdistrict since their birth. The old man is diagnosed with a rare

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condition that causes obstruction in the large intestine. As aconsequence, he has severe abdominal pain frequently thatprevents him from doing any physical labour. The couple hasno children to support them. The expert surgeon whom theycontacted is willing to do the surgery without charging any fee.However, the couple will have to bear the cost of incidentalcharges, such as medicines, hospitalization, etc., to the tune ofrupees one lakh. The couple fulfils all the criteria except criterion‘b’. However, any financial aid would certainly make asignificant difference in their quality of life.

How should Rakesh respond to the situation? (250 words) 20

96) Dr X is a leading medical practitioner in a city. He has set up acharitable trust through which he plans to establish a super-speciality hospital in the city to cater to the medical needs of allsections of the society. Incidentally, that part of the State hadbeen neglected over the years. The proposed hospital wouldbe a boon for the region.

You are heading the tax investigation agency of that region.During an inspection of the doctor’s clinic, your officers havefound out some major irregularities. A few of them are substantialwhich had resulted in considerable withholding of tax that shouldbe paid by him now. The doctor is cooperative. He undertakesto pay the tax immediately.

However, there are certain other deficiencies in his taxcompliance which are purely technical in nature. If thesetechnical defaults are pursued by the agency, considerable timeand energy of the doctor will be diverted to issues which arenot so serious, urgent or even helpful to the tax collectionprocess. Further, in all probability, it will hamper the prospectsof the hospital coming up.

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There are two options before you:

1) Taking a broader view, ensure substantial tax complianceand ignore defaults that are merely technical in nature.

2) Pursue the matter strictly and proceed on all fronts,whethersubstantial or merely technical.

As the head of the tax agency, which course of action will youopt and why? (250 words) 20

97) Edward Snowden, a computer expert and former CIAadministrator, released confidential Government documents tothe press about the existence of Government surveillanceprogrammes. According to many legal experts and the USGovernment, his action violated the Espionage act of 1971,which identified the leak of State secret as an act of treason.Yet, despite the fact that he broke the law, Snowden arguedthat he had a moral obligation to act. He gave a justification forhis “whistle blowing” by stating that he had a duty “to informthe public as to that which is done in there name and that whichis done against them.”

According to Snowden, the Government’s violation of privacyhad to be exposed regardless of legality since more substantiveissues of social action and public morality were involved here.Many agreed with Snowden. Few argued that he broke thelaw and compromised national security, for which he shouldbe held accountable.

Do you agree that Snowden’s actions were ethically justifiedeven if legally prohibited? Why or why not? Make an argumentby weighing the competing values in this case (250 words) 20

98) Conflict of interest in the public sector arises when

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(a) official duties, (b) public interest, and (c) personal interest

are taking priority one above the other.

How can this conflict in administration be resolved? Describewith an example. (2017,150 Words, 10)

99) Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civilservice: (2017, 150 Words, 10)

(a) Transparency, (b) Accountability (c) Fairness and justice

(d) Courage of conviction (e) Spirit of service

100) Why should impartiality and non-partisanship be consideredas foundational values in public services, especially in thepresent day socio-political context? Illustrate your answer withexamples. (2016, 10m)

101) “Max Weber said that it is not wise to apply to publicadministration the sort of moral and ethical norms we apply tomatters of personal conscience. It is important to realize thatthe state bureaucracy might possess its own independentbureaucratic morality.” Critically analyse this statement. (2016,10m)

102) Discuss the public services code as recommended by the 2nd

Administrative Reforms Commission. (2016, 10m)

103) Suppose you are an officer-in-charge of implementing a socialservice scheme to provide support to old and destitute women.An old and illiterate woman comes to you to avail the benefitsof the scheme. However, she has no documents to show thatshe fulfils the eligibility criteria. But after meeting her and listeningto her you feel that she certainly needs support. Your enquiriesalso show that she is really destitute and living in a pitiablecondition. You are in a dilemma as to what to do. Putting herunder the scheme without necessary documents would clearly

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be violation of rules. But denying her the support would becruel and inhuman.

a) Can you think of a rational way to resolve this dilemma?

b) Give your reasons for it. (2016, 20m)

104) “A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servantalso have to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issuesfor effective discharge of duties” Do you agree? Explain withthe help of two examples where (i) an act is ethically right, butnot legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically. (2015,10m)

105) How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude getmanifested in public service? Explain with examples (2015,10m)

106) Two different kinds of attitudes exhibited by public servantstowards their work have been identified as bureaucratic attitudeand the democratic attitude. (2015, 10m)

(a) Distinguish between these two terms and write their meritsand demerits.

(b) Is it possible to balance the two to create a betteradministration for the faster development of our country?

107) Public servants are likely to confront with the issues of “Conflictof Interest”. What do you understand by the term “Conflict ofInterest” and how does it manifest in the decision making bypublic servants? If faced with the conflict of interest situationhow would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples.(2015, 10m)

108) There is a disaster prone state having frequent landslides, forestfires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of

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these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude ofthe disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasonsa cloudburst caused a devastating floods and landslides leadingto high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructurelike roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to morethan 100000 pilgrims, tourist and other locals trapped acrossdifferent routes and locations. The people trapped in your areaof responsibility includes senior citizens, patients in hospitals,women and children, hiker, tourist, ruling parties, regionalpresidents along with his family, additional chief secretary ofthe neighboring state and prisoners in jail.

As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the orderin which you would rescue these people and why? GiveJustifications (2015, 20m)

109) “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, butknowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” Whatdo you understand by this statement? Explain your stand withillustrations from the modern context. (2014, 10m)

110) What do you understand by the following terms in the contextof public service?

a) Integrity, Perseverance, Spirit of service, Commitment,Courage of conviction.

b) Indicate two more attributes which you consider importantfor public service. Justify your answer. (2013, 15 + 10marks)

111) You are heading a leading technical institute of the country. Theinstitute is planning to convene an interview panel shortly underyour chairmanship for selection of the post of professors. Afew days before the interview, you get a call from the PersonalSecretary (PS) of a senior government functionary seeking your

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intervention in favour of the selection of a close relative of thefunctionary for this post. The PS also informs you that he isaware of the long pending and urgent proposal of your institutefor grant of funds for modernization, which are awaiting thefunctionary’s approval. He assures you that he would get theseproposals cleared.

(a) What are the options available to you?

(b) Evaluate each of these options and choose the optionwhich you would adopt, giving reasons. (2013, 20m)

112) a) What do you understand by the following terms?: Intellectualintegrity, Empathy, Perseverance, Spirit of service, Commitment.Point out their specific relevance in public service. b) Indicatetwo more attributes which you consider very important for publicservants. Justify your answer. (Sample paper)

Unit 12: Governance113) (b) “The Right to Information Act is not all about citizens’

empowerment alone, it essentially redefines the concept ofaccountability. Discuss. (150 words) 10

114) You are a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a governmentdepartment. You are aware that the RTI Act 2005 envisagestransparency and accountability in administration. The act hasfunctioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrarilyadministrative behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO youhave observed that there are citizens who filed RTI applicationsnot for themselves but on behalf of such stakeholders whopurportedly want to have access to information to further theirown interests. At the same time there are these RTI activistswho routinely file RTI applications and attempt to extort money

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from the decision makers. This type of RTI activism has affectedthe functioning of the administration adversely and also possiblyjeopardises the genuineness of the applications which areessentially aimed at getting justice.

What measures would you suggest to separate genuine andnon-genuine applications? Give merits and demerits of yoursuggestions. (2017, 250 Words, 20)

115) What do you understand in by the terms ‘governance’ and‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’? (2016, 10m)

116) Saraswati was a successful IT professional in USA. Moved bythe patriotic sense of doing something for the country shereturned to India. Together with some other like-minded friends,she formed an NGO to build a school for a poor ruralcommunity.

The objective of the school was to provide the best qualitymodern education at a nominal cost. She soon discovered thatshe has to seek permission from a number of governmentagencies. The rules and procedures were quite confusing andcumbersome. What frustrated her most was the delays, callousattitude of officials and constant demand for bribes. Herexperience and the experience of many others like her hasdeterred people from taking up social service projects.

A measure of government control over voluntary work isnecessary. But it should not be exercised in a coercive or corruptmanner. What measures can you suggest to ensure that duecontrol is exercised but well meaning, honest NGO efforts arenot thwarted? (2016, 25m)

117) Some recent developments such as introduction of RTI Act,media and judicial activism, etc. are proving helpful in bringingabout greater transparency and accountability in the functioning

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of the government. However, it is also being observed that attimes the mechanisms are misused. Another negative effect isthat the officers are now afraid to take prompt decisions.Analyse the situation in detail and suggest how the dichotomycan be resolved. Suggest how these negative impacts can beminimised. (2015, 10m)

118) What does ‘accountability’ mean in the context of public service?What measures can be adopted to ensure individual andcollective accountability of public servants? (2014, 10m)

119) You are posted as the Medical Superintendent of a Districtlevel Govt Hospital which caters to the need of poor patientsfrom surrounding rural areas along with the local people fromthe district town. As such the hospital has very good infrastructureand adequate equipment to cater to this need. It also receivessufficient funds to meet the recurring expenditure. In-spite ofthis there have been repeated complaints particularly from thepatients which include the following:

(i) Very poor maintenance and un-hygienic conditions inhospital premises.

(ii) The hospital staff frequently demanding bribes from thepatients for the services rendered.

(iii) The negligent attitude of the Doctors resulting in times ofcasualties.

(iv) Siphoning of a substantial stock of medicine by the staffand selling it out.

(v) Strong nexus between the senior Doctors of the hospitaland the owners of local private nursing homes and testinglabs as a result of which the patients are strongly misledand dissuaded from availing the hospital facilities and rather

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compelled to purchase costly medicines from market andget medical tests and even operations done from privatemedical houses.

(vi) There also exist a notorious employee union which putsundue pressure and resents any reformative step by theadministration. Ponder over the situation and suggesteffective ways to tackle each of the above mentionedproblem. (Sample paper)

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Essay area-wise classifiedEconomy

1. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere (2018)

2. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence formajority of farmers in India. (2017)

3. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties betweenthe union and states in India. (2017)

4. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome ofeconomic reforms (2016)

5. If development is not engendered, it is endangered (2016)6. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed (2016)7. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? (2015)8. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross

Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging thewellbeing of a country (2013)

9. Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. (2015)10. Dreams which should not let India sleep. (2015)11. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation

which slowed the growth of our country? (2014)12. Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success? (2013)13. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? (2014)14. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? (2014)15. Is the criticism that the ‘Public-private-Partnership’(PPP) model

for development more of a bane in the Indian context justified?(2012)

16. Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribalareas of the country? (2010)

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17. From traditional Indian philanthropy to the Gates-Buffett modela natural progression or a paradigm shift? (2010)

18. Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? (2009)19. “The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards

the ‘haves ‘ of our society.” (2009)20. Special Economic Zones: Boon or Bane (2008)21. Urbanization and its hazards (2008)22. BPO boom in India. (2007)23. Protection of Ecology and Environment is Essential for Sustained

Economic Development. (2006)24. Globalization Would Finish Small-Scale Industries in India.

(2006)25. Food security for sustainable national development (2005)26. Water Resources Should Be Under the Control of Central

Government. (2004)27. The Masks of New Imperialism. (2003)28. The implications of globalisation for India (2000)29. The country’s need for a better disaster management system.

Education30. Destiny of a nation in shaped in its classroom. (2017)31. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make

a man more clever. (2015)32. Lending Hands to someone is better than giving a dole. (2015)33. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? (2014)34. Are the standardized tests a good measure of academic ability

or progress? (2014)

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35. Credit-based higher education system-status, opportunities andchallenges. (2011)

36. Independent thinking should be encouraged right from thechildhood.

37. “Education for All” Campaign in India: Myth or Reality. (2006)38. What is real education? (2005)39. Privatisation of Higher Education in India. (2002)40. Modern Technological Education and human values. (2002)41. Irrelevance of the classroom. (2001)42. The pursuit of excellence (2001)

Wisdom43. The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and

values (2018)

44. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both(2018)

45. Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it (2018)

46. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge (2018)

47. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. (2017)48. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. (2017)49. Quick but steady wins the race. (2015)50. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. (2015)51. With greater power comes greater responsibility. (2014)52. Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. (2014)53. Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi) (2013)54. Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin (2008)

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55. Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes aman. (2007)

56. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.(2003)

57. If youth knew, if age could. (2002)58. The paths of glory lead but to the grave. (2002)

Polity59. Water disputes between states in federal India (2016)60. Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality (2016)61. Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? (2014)62. In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an

evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporaryrelevance to Indian democracy. (2012)

63. Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative,economic and developmental implications. (2011)

64. Are we a ‘soft’ state? (2009)65. ‘Globalism’ vs. ‘Nationalism’ (2009)66. National Identity and Patriotism (2008)67. Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses?

(2008)68. Evaluation of Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of

view of eradication of power to people. (2007)69. Is Autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? (2007)70. Justice must reach the poor (2005)71. Judicial Activism and Indian Democracy. (2004)

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72. How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? (2003)73. How should a civil servant conduct himself? (2003)74. What have we gained from our democratic set-up? (2001)

Foreign Policy75. Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task (2018)

76. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance ina multipolar world? (2017)

77. In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technicalintelligence are crucial in combating terrorism. (2011)

78. Geography may the same; history need not. (2010)79. Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role.

(2010)80. “Good fences make good neighbours.” (2009)81. Importance of Indo-U.S. Nuclear Agreement. (2006)82. Terrorism and world peace (2005)83. India’s Role in Promoting ASEAN Co-operation. (2004)84. My vision of an ideal world order. (2001)

Technology85. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India (2018)

86. Cyberspace and internet: Blessing or curse to the humancivilization in the long run (2016)

87. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality(2016)

88. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and socialwelfare (2016)

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89. Technology cannot replace manpower. (2015)90. Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security

of the nation. (2013)91. Increasing Computerization would lead to the Creation of a

Dehumanized Society. (2006)92. The Lure of Space. (2004)93. The cyber world: its charms and challenges. (2000)

Gender94. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. (2017)95. Managing work and home- is the Indian Working women getting

a fair deal? (2012)96. Women’s Reservation Bill Would Usher in Empowerment for

Women in India. (2006)97. The hand that rocks the cradle (2005)98. If women ruled the world (2005)99. Whither Women’s Emancipation? (2004)

100. Empowerment alone cannot help our women. (2001)

Social change101. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life (2018)

102. Globalisation and Its Impact on Indian Culture. (2004)103. As civilization advances culture declines. (2003)104. The march of science and the erosion of human values. (2001)105. Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. (2000)106. Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? (2000)

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Religion107. Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible? (2012)108. Spirituality and Scientific temper. (2003)109. Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. (2002)110. Why should we be proud of being Indians? (2000)

Media111. Social media is inherently a selfish medium ( 2017)112. Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect

it? (2011)113. Role of media in good governance (2008)114. How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian

mindsets. (2007)115. Responsibility of media in democracy. (2002)

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Ethics & Essay course with the following features.

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