UPPSC 2018 (Mains General Studies Paper-4)

Ans. Values are basic beliefs that are valuable to a person, society, or institutions and they do not want to compromise it. Based on the values individual and institutions take the decision but values only determined our preference, it does not give the idea of right or wrong. Values are the core elements that an individual or an organization believes in and upholds.

There can be individual values, cultural values, and corporate values. Honesty, dedication, self-respect, truthfulness, punctuality etc are central values of an individual. Central elements of cultural values are Brotherhood, Peace, Harmony etc. The central elements of corporate values are truth, honesty, impartiality, fair approach, integrity, team work etc.

Ans. For a public officials who try to function as a professional, the demands of law, his duty, impartiality, due process, provides a productive ground in which ethical dilemmas arises. Whistle blowers face this problem because their disclosure may institute a crime when the on-going misbehaviour is severe. Ethical standards are not organized, so there are always chances that dilemma arises and discrepancies always occur about appropriate behaviour. While the ethical concerns in public and private organizations are similar, there are differences as well. Public organizations attempt to focus on social welfare and justice, free of corruption, and nepotism. The private organizations on the other hand focus on efficiency, and productivity. While profit is a central concern in private organizations, the public institutions focus on social justice.

Ans. Philosophical basis of probity in governance.

Probity in governance means having strong moral values such as honesty, integrity, impartiality in governance. Probity is based on the philosophical

notion of justice. Justice to stakeholders in society is not possible in the absence of probity. The absence of probity results in might is right and the law of the jungle.

> Probity in governance is key for good Governance such as accountability, transparency.

> It ensures the equality of law in governance.

> Probity in governance prevents unethical practices such as nepotism, frauds, criminalization, corruption.

> It ensures public interest that leads to effective implementation of the policy.

> It will ensure the needs of all sections of society.

No law is perfect and correct from all perspectives. Each has some loopholes. Some persons use this loopholes for corruption. Sticking solely with laws is sometimes not good for individuals and society.

Ans. Ethical and Social Ideas of Gandhiji

The cornerstone of Gandhian ethics is service to others (sarvodaya) and justice for all (satyagraha). Gandhi’s thought on social development rests on the foundation of truthfulness, love of all, harmonious relations, and service to others. Truth, non-violence, service and swaraj are the pillars on which Gandhi built his political edifice.

Mahatma Gandhi was a true social worker fighting against the evils of society.

…..He was very worried about poverty of India, and his political movements were also a type of social work. Poverty was the main focus of early social work, and it is intricately linked with the idea of charity work.

Gandhiji’s ideologies enlightened India as well as the world even today after so many years. Every individual, thus, should follow the key Gandhian ideologies in their day to day life for a happy, prosperous, healthy, harmonious and sustainable future.

Ans. (a) Relevance of Conscience in context of civil service

Conscience is a person’s moral sense of right and wrong that acts as a guide to his/her behaviour. It can act as a source of ethical guidance for a civil servant as illustrated in the following example –

Suppose a civil servant notices illegal construction. He collects necessary evidence to take action against the culprit, but there is political pressure from local leaders to not take any action. In such a situation, it is conscience that shall guide him to take action against him. His conscience warns him about the possible risk that occurs due to the encroachment. Hence, inspite of pressure from politicians, he will take action against the encroacher. A civil servant has to apply his conscience in his work to carry out his duty towards public in a fair manner.

(b) Spirit of Service

Spirit of services means dedication and commitment to duties and expecting nothing in return from services.

For example, In Ramayana, Lakshmana’s dedication toward Lords Ram is one type of spirit of services.

Spirit of services in civil servant:

> Leads to effective implementation of the policy.

> Will handle the situation more compassionately, with empathy and sympathy towards the weaker section of society.

> Expecting nothing from services will give mental peace to civil servants and eliminate corruption.

(c) Discipline

Civil servants are bound to work as per the code of standards. They must be act fair and equitable based on the code of standard and natural justice. If the act is not as per code of conduct, disciplinary action may be taken in the form of warning, minor punishment, or major punishment.

> The discipline of the civil servants will give more importance to system rather than the person.

> The action of Civil servants will be accountable for the code of conduct (system).

Discipline will help to effective implementation of the policy.

Ans. Compassion is understanding or empathy for the suffering of others. Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation for those whose opinions, practices, race religion, nationality etc. are different from one’s own. These two qualities are very important for a civil servant in multicultural country like ours. The attribute of being compassionate is of immense value for the following

reasons:

Understand needs of marginalized and vulnerable sections of society is important for a civil servant. They can wih this understanding Undertake faster approach and measures to address the issues of society. They will offer unbiased approach in service delivery and distribution of government facilities. The civil servants will then respecting the affirmative action towards the disadvantaged and implement them with positive attitude. They will make accessible to all citizens and seeking their feedback. They will have a clear Understanding of the needs and expectation of people.

India is a multicultural society with high numbers of vulnerable, Disadvantaged and weaker sections. So efficient delivery of services and addressing their concerns are very important.

Ans. Daniel Katz outlines 4 functions of attitudes:

Adjustment Function: When employees are well treated, they are likely to develop a positive attitude toward management and the organization. When employees are criticized and given a minimal salary, they are likely to develop a negative attitude toward management and the organization.

Ego-Defensive Function: The ego-defensive function refers to holding attitudes that protect our self-esteem or that justify actions that make us feel guilty. This function involves psychoanalytic principles where people use defense mechanisms to protect themselves from psychological harm.

Value-Expressive Function: Whereas ego defensive attitudes are formed to protect a person’s self-image, value-expressive attitudes enable the expression of the person’s centrally held values. Central values tend to establish our identity and gain us social approval thereby showing us who we are, and what we stand for.

Knowledge Function: The knowledge function refers to our need which is consistent and relatively stable. This allows us to predict what is likely to happen, and so gives us a sense of control. Some attitudes are useful because they help to make the world more understandable. They help people ascribe

causes to events and direct attention towards features of people or situations that are likely to be useful in making sense of them.

Ans. (a) Attitude and Value

Values help to guide our behavior. Attitudes are the response that is a result of our values. Values decide what we think as for right, wrong, good, or unjust. Attitudes are our likes and dislike of things, people, and objects. Values are attitudes about the worth or importance of people, concepts, or things. Values influence your behavior because you use them to decide between alternatives. Values, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs are cornerstones of who we are and how we do things.

(b) Attitude and Opinion

Opinions are observable manifestations of an attitude. An attitude is a durable orientation toward some object, while an opinion is more of a visible expression of an attitude. Attitude is a settled way of thinking about something. An opinion is an unedited, raw first impression eye witness summary of something.

Ans. “Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation”. Margaret Chase Smith

He real spirit of the work of a civil servant is dependent on a moral base of benevolence to all citizens. Thus, public service is a concept that has ‘dedicated service’ inherent to it.

A civil servant may encounter several obstructions like social opposition against any programme, lack of support from political executive and complex situations that need utmost care and precautions. Without dedication to help, he/she may never be able to arrive at the best solution. For example: Schemes for promoting family planning are generally opposed in rural areas as they consider contraceptives as taboos. Without personal assurance and dedicated outreach, implementation of the scheme may never be realised. The civil services should not be considered just like any other job.

(i) The staff is not punctual.

(ii) The staff waste their time in unnecessary talks.

(iii) Speedy action is not taken on public grievances.

(iv) There is rampant corruption at every level in the organisation.

(v) The quality of the services provided by the organisation is very poor. How would you inspire your staff so that the above deficiencies of the organisation get removed ? Discuss.

Ans. Given the situation here, a complete overhauling would be required. It would need the policy of stick and carrot to address the problems. It is also quite likely that the situation would not improve in a day or two. Since the organizational culture is poor, a transformation may be needed in establishing the culture of efficiency, and honesty.

The change should begin from the top. A notice regarding office timing, disposal of complaints/files, corruption inquiry methods etc would be circulated to all staff members. A set of guidelines along with motivational benefits would be declared for efficient work performance and punctuality. The punishments for non-compliance would also be put in place. In addition, I would like to ensure that regular performance reviews of the staff members are carried out. This would form the basis for promotion.

There would be more stringent punishments for staff at the higher level as they are expected to set example to their subordinates. When senior staff members are punctual, efficient, honest, and dedicated, it would impact the lower level staff. They would probably be compelled to be disciplined and work efficiently.

Ans. Certain customs or behaviours are recognised as good and others as bad, and these collectively comprise morality – arguably the summation of our value system as human beings. So a conversation about ethical and moral

decision-making is important. But problems arise when the terms “ethics” or “morals” are used interchangeably.

Ethics leans towards decisions based upon individual character, and the more subjective understanding of right and wrong by individuals – whereas “morals” emphasises the widely-shared communal or societal norms about right and wrong. Put another way, ethics is a more individual assessment of values as relatively good or bad, while morality is a more intersubjective community assessment of what is good, right or just for all.

There are three determinants of ethics, namely the object, the end, and the circumstances.

Object means what the free will choose to do in thought, word, or deed or chooses not to do. Be end is meant the purpose for which the act is willed, which may be the act itself (as one of loving God) or some other purpose for which a person acts (as reading to learn). In either case, the end is the motive or the reason why an action is performed. By circumstances are meant all the elements that surround a human action and affect its morality without belonging to its essence. Some circumstances so affect the morals of an action as to change its species. Other circumstances change the extent of kindness or badness of an act. In bad acts they are called aggravating circumstances.

Ans. Ethical formalism is a type of ethical theory which defines moral judgments in terms of their logical form (e.g., as “laws” or “universal prescriptions”) rather than their content (e.g., as judgments about what actions will best promote human well-being). As per Kant, humans should do duty and should not care about the consequence. His theory is based on the deontological moral principal. As per deontological, the rightness or wrongness of human action should be judges by whether he performed his/her duty or not. It is morally formal and rigid because the ethical action will be judged by as per duty, not circumstances.

Kantian ethics are a set of universal moral principles that apply to all human beings, regardless of context or situation. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, calls the principles Categorical Imperatives, which are defined by their morality and level of freedom. Kantian ethics refers to a deontological ethical theory developed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant that is based on the notion that: “It is impossible to think of anything at all in the world,

or indeed even beyond it, that could be considered good without limitation except a good will.”

The problem with the Kantian theory is that it gives a set of rules that can be used according to the convenience of the actor to justify even immoral acts. For instance, Nazi officers were doing their duty in killing the Jews.

Ans. In their course of duty, the civil servants face ethical dilemma of various types. Here are some examples of these dilemmas. When a civil servant has to choose between the instructions of political bosses and what may be the correct course, they encounter ethical dilemma. Ethical dilemmas are natural for them when they have to conduct interviews for jobs in which their close or distant relatives are candidates. Choosing and prioritizing between developmental works and welfare works with limited funds can pose a considerable dilemma for them.

Conscience is a source for resolving dilemmas but the extent to which a civil servant may pay attention to conscience is a highly subjective issue. The voice of conscience may be present universally in everyone but depending on the past experience and the conduct of a person, the voice of conscience may become weak or even dead. For example, a corrupt civil servant dependent on political favors and monetary gains becomes so unscrupulous that they may not even hear the voice of conscience. The conscience is almost dead in their cases. However, a conscientious civil servant who is honest and upright listens to the conscience and is guided by it no matter the challenges they might encounter.

Ans. Corruption is a phenomenon that affects everyone in society. Whether you represent a small or big business or work in public service, whether you are an employer or self-employed, poor or rich, you will be affected by corruption, directly or indirectly, since the costs of corruption are suffered by society as a whole. All parts of society, therefore, have an interest in containing corruption, and must share the responsibility. Corruption must never be perceived as an

inalterable fact of life. We all can, and should, have our share in enhancing a culture of transparency, integrity and accountability.

Corruption undermines human development and severely impacts and derails a country’s progress, including achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). By diverting public resources to private profits and reducing access to public services, corruption runs counter to the basic interests and needs of every society, and poses a threat to economic development and social stability. Corruption occurs in all countries, regardless of their social and economic development, but it is also clear that corruption hurts the poor disproportionately and hinders efforts to achieve the MDGs, poverty eradication and human development by reducing access to services and diverting resources from investments in infrastructure, institutions, education and social services. Development programmes need to take into account the link between development and organized crime, and anti-corruption measures should be duly considered in development activities.

Nishant is socially sensitive, socialist, intellectual and professor. Through his articles, speeches and media, he raises the voices of labourers, minorities, downtroddens, women and tribals. A party keeps him in its think tank. In this sequence once he calls the members of civil society, intellectuals, politicians and officers to get their children admitted in the government schools. In the season of admissions, the elite schools are highly criticised for their criteria and its impact on education and Nishant also joins in these criticism; meanwhile it comes out that Nishant himself is trying to get his child admitted in an elite school. People condemn this attitude of Nishant and say that his ‘action and words are mismatched’.

Ans. It is evident from the case that there is a mismatch between his words and actions. He writes articles and makes speeches in favour of government schools. He also recommends various stakeholders to get their children admitted to the government schools, but he himself tries to get his children

admitted to the government school. This is the kind of double faced act that will make his words sound hollow. It will lower the political credibility of his party and his personal credibility. If he has changed his mind in favour of private schools, he needs to come out clean on this. He has to explain his reasons in a transparent manner and also resign from the party whose position he had been advocating.

His action is unethical because his action represents the height of opportunism. His words and actions set examples for others to follow. The society as a whole then becomes dishonest and opportunistic.

Nishant should get his child admitted to the government school or resign from the party and any public platform. He has no moral right of advocacy from a public platform. He must also quit his intellectual discourse on this issue. He cannot call the party workers in his favour. In case he calls them, he along with the party workers who favour him should resign. He has both courses open to him but the consequences of each course are clear.

Ans. Persuasive communication may be defined as the kind of communication which is intended to change or affect or shape and reinforce certain responses from others. For instance, communicating messages in a way that yields favorable responses and results would classify as persuasive communication. Persuasive communication is a skill and a tool to change the attitude of the masses. However, this skill needs to be wielded with responsibility. Since it is a tool, it must be used with care and responsibility just as a surgeon uses his knife to give life to his patients.

The masses hold opinions and attitude that may not be always useful to the society. For instance, the masses may be divided on communal issues and may hold ideas and beliefs or attitudes that are harmful: A persuasive communicator like Zakir Naik uses his persuasive communication skill to further the differences, create hatred and animosity among the communities and thereby brings about an overall harm to the community. There are many other persuasive speakers who attempt to bridge the differences and thereby create a harmonious society.

As we can see, while a persuasive communicator can change the attitude of the masses, the more important thing is to change the attitude in a positive way that creates a harmonious society.

Ans. Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behaviour, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results. Emotional intelligence is made up of four core skills that pair up under two primary competencies: personal competence and social competence.

Personal competence is made up of your self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on you individually than on your interactions with other people. Personal competence is your ability to stay aware of your emotions and manage your behaviour and tendencies.

Self-Awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen.

Self-Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behaviour.

Social competence is made up of your social awareness and relationship management skills; social competence is your ability to understand other people’s moods, behaviour, and motives in order to improve the quality of your relationships.

As can be seen from above, the emotional intelligence is not just a theoretical concept. It is a multidimensional skill that includes skills like self management and interpersonal social skills that largely depends on how we interact with others in society. In other words, it is also a social skill involving several aspects of social communication.

Ans. Integrity: It is a core value, a choice and something people can nurture. Integrity means totally ethical behavior at all times and in all situations, regardless of the consequences. People may not always be right or do right,

but if people have integrity, they will accept the responsibility associate with their actions.

Impartiality: Impartiality as a principle of justice prescribes to public servants that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons, it is necessary for promoting equality in the society.

Objectivity: Objectivity is necessary to get an accurate explanation of how things work in the world. Ideas that show objectivity are based on facts and are free from bias, with bias basically being personal opinion. In science, even hypotheses, or ideas about how something may work, are written in a way that are objective.

Non-partisanship: Non-partisanship in Civil Service means non-disposition of civil servants towards any political party i.e. to exhibit political neutrality. The values of the administrator should flow from the constitution but not from the philosophy of any political party. Non-partisanship is the process of not involving in any political party even if the person has strong faith in any political thought.

In India we have two kinds of executive i.e. Political Executives (elected) and permanent executives (appointed based on meritocracy). The political executives generally lack expertise so the permanent executives assist the former in policy formulation and their implementation. This makes nonpartisanship a non-negotiable and foundational value of civil service.

Ans. Attitudes are the result of our experiences. Some people wonder if attitude is a trait a person is born with or a function of their DNA. There may be an element of genetics in it but experience plays a major role. We tend to imitate and imbibe our family, friends, co-workers and those we come in contact with which results in our attitude formation. There are three sources of attitude formation as below.

(i) Experience: As already said experience and constant interaction with others mould our attitude.

(ii) Emotions: It was an emotional decision. I made an emotional purchase. Our attitudes about work are heavily influenced by how we feel about it. Research shows that attitudes driven by emotions are the most difficult

to change.1 When you’re trying to create organizational change, how your people feel about that change plays a critical role. Change can be uncomfortable and scary for employees. Acknowledging that fact is the best place to start.

(iii) Colleagues: When colleagues we respect share their opinions about work – whether they are right or wrong, positive or negative – we listen. Our coworkers influence our attitudes and drive our own decisions at work. 2 Like consumers who ask for their friends’ recommendations on what to buy or where to eat, employees often seek information from colleagues informally in the break room, over lunch, or in a text. So, it’s not surprising that word of mouth around the office is much more influential on employee attitudes than anything you could put in print, PowerPoint, or an email.

Ans. Since the wrong decision taken by the officer was inadvertent and without malafide intention, the officer has an opportunity to rectify the decision. It is also evident that the officer will most likely have a clean service record in the past, so the officer has nothing to fear. In the background of these facts, I would advice the officer to respond to the RTO application. The officer should also add a thankyou note to the applicant because of whom, the error in decision came to the light. The officer should inform all the facts and matter required in the application transparently.

Since the officer made the wrong decision and there were subordinates that were party to the decision, the officer should discuss with them about the case

and try to find out whether the subordinates had the knowledge of the ‘wrong’ that was in the decision. Next, he should also try to find out whether there were beneficiaries to this wrongful decision. When the officer has gathered all the facts and material evidence pertaining to the decision, the officer should inform the department and his superiors of the wrongful decision made. In his application, he should admit the wrong and express his readiness to subject himself to the punishment for his act according to the rules. The subordinates responsibility for this act.

should also take collective

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