Ethics 2018
Section A
1. (a) State
the three basic values, universal in nature, in the context of civil services
and bring out their importance. (150 words)
(b) Distinguish between “Code of ethics” and “Code
of conduct” with suitable examples. (150 words)
2. (a) What is mean by public interest? What are the
principles and procedures to be followed by the civil servants in public
interest? (150 words)
(b) “The Right to Information Act is not all about
citizens’ empowerment alone, it essentially redefines the concept of
accountability. Discuss. (150 words)
3. (a) What is mean by conflict of interest?
Illustrate with examples, the difference between the actual and potential
conflicts of interest. (150 words)
(b) “In looking for people to hire, you look for
three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they do not have
the first, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffett
4. (a)What do you understand by this statement in
the present-day scenario? Explain. “In doing a good thing, everything is
permitted which is not prohibited expressly or by clear implication”. Examine
the statement with suitable examples in the context of a public servant
discharging his/her duties. (150 words)
(b) With regard to the morality of actions, one view
is that means is of paramount importance and the other view is that the ends
justify the means. Which view do you think is more appropriate? Justify your
answer. (150 words)
5. (a) Suppose the Government of India is thinking
of constructing a dam in a mountain valley bond by forests and inhabited by
ethnic communities. What rational policy should it resort to in dealing with
unforeseen contingencies (150 words)
(b) Explain the process of resolving ethical
dilemmas in Public Administration. (150 words)
6. What does each of the following quotations mean
to you in the present context?
a) “The
true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, is not whether it has
any evil in it; but whether it has more evil than good. There are few things
wholly evil or wholly good. Almost everything, especially of governmental
policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgement of
the preponderance between them is continually demanded. ”Abraham Lincoln ( 150
words)
b) “Anger
and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. “ _ Mahatma Gandhi
(150 words)
c) “Falsehood
takes the place of truth when it results in unblemished common good.” _
Tirukkural (150 words)
Section B
7. Rakesh is a responsible district level officer,
who enjoys the trust of his higher officials. Knowing his honesty, the
government entrusted him with the responsibility of identifying the
beneficiaries under a health care scheme meant for senior citizens.
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 a positive difference 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 their birth. The old man is diagnosed with a rare condition that causes
obstruction in the large intestine. As a consequence, he has severe abdominal
pain frequently that prevents him from doing any physical labour. The couple
has no children to support them. The expert surgeon whom they contacted is
willing to do the surgery without charging any fee. However, the couple will
have to bear the cost of incidental charges, such as medicines,
hospitalization, etc., to the tune of rupees one lakh. The couple fulfils all
the criteria except criterion ‘b’. However, any financial aid would certainly
make a significant difference in their quality of life.
How should Rakesh respond to the situation? (250
words)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. As a
senior officer in the Ministry, you have access to important policy decisions
and upcoming big announcements such as road constructions projects before they
are notified in the public domain. The Ministry is about to announce a mega
road project for which the drawings are already in place. Sufficient care was
taken by the planners to make use of the government land with the minimum land
acquisition from private parties. Compensation rate for private parties was also
finalized as per government rules. Care was also taken to minimize
deforestation. Once the project is announced, it is expected that there will be
a huge spurt in real estate prices in and around that area.
Meanwhile, the Minister concerned insists that you
realign the road in such a way that it comes closer to his 20 acres farmhouse.
He also suggests that he would facilitate the purchase of a big plot of land in
your wife name at the prevailing rate which is very nominal, in and around the
proposed mega road project. He also tries to convince you by saying that there
is no harm in it as he is buying the land legally. He even promises to
supplement your savings in case you do not have sufficient funds to buy the
land. However, by the act of realignment, a lot of agricultural lands has to be
acquired, thereby causing a considerable financial burden on the government,
and also the displacement of the farmers. As if this is not enough, it will
involve cutting down of a large number of trees denuding the area of its green
cover.
Faced with this situation, what will you do?
Critically examine various conflicts of interest and explain what your
responsibilities are as a public servant. (250 words)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. It is a State where prohibition is in force. You
are recently appointed as the Superintendent of Police of a district notorious
for illicit distillation of liquor. The illicit liquor leads to many death,
reported and unreported, and causes a major problem for the district
authorities.
The approach till now had been to view it as a law
and order problem and tackle it accordingly. Raids, arrest, police cases, and
criminal trials – all these had only limited impact. The problem remains as
serious as ever.
Your inspections show that the parts of the district
where the distillation flourishes are economically, industrially and
educationally backward. 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 the
government’s side or from social organizations to improve the lot of the
people.
Which new approach will you adopt to bring the
problem under control? (250 words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. A big corporate house is engaged in
manufacturing industrial chemicals on a large scale. It proposes to set upon
the additional unit. Many states rejected its proposal due to the detrimental
effect on the environment. But one state government acceded to the request and
permitted the unit close to a city, brushing aside all opposition.
The unit was set up 10 years ago and was in full
swing till recently. The pollution caused by the industrial effluents was
affecting the land, water and crops in the area. It was also causing serious
health problems to human beings and animals. This gave rise to a series of
agitation thousands of people took part, creating a law and order problem
necessitating stern police action. Following the public outcry, the State
government ordered the closure of the factory.
The closure of the factory resulted in the
unemployment of not only those workers who were engaged in the factory but also
those who were working in the ancillary units. It also very badly affected
those industry which depended on the chemicals manufactured by it.
As a senior officer entrusted with the
responsibility of handling this issues, how are you going to address it? (250
words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Dr X is a leading medical practitioner in a
city. He has set up a charitable trust through which he plans to establish a
super-speciality hospital in the city to cater to the medical needs of all
sections of the society. Incidentally, that part of the State had been neglected
over the years. The proposed hospital would be 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 have found
out some major irregularities. A few of them are substantial which had resulted
in considerable withholding of tax that should be paid by him now. The doctor
is cooperative. He undertakes to pay the tax immediately.
However, there are certain other deficiencies in his
tax compliance which are purely technical in nature. If these technical
defaults are pursued by the agency, considerable time and energy of the doctor
will be diverted to issues which are not so serious, urgent or even helpful to
the tax collection process. Further, in all probability, it will hamper the
prospects of the hospital coming up.
There are two options before you:
a) Taking
a broader view, ensure substantial tax compliance and ignore defaults that are
merely technical in nature.
b) Pursue
the matter strictly and proceed on all fronts, whether substantial or merely
technical.
As the head of the tax agency, which course of
action will you opt and why? (250 words)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Edward Snowden, a computer expert and former CIA
administrator, released confidential Government documents to the press about
the existence of Government surveillance programmes. According to many legal
experts and the US Government, 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 argued that he had a moral obligation
to act. He gave a justification for his “whistle blowing” by stating that he
had a duty “to inform the public as to that which is done in there name and
that which is done against them.”
According to Snowden, the Government’s violation of
privacy had to be exposed regardless of legality since more substantive issues
of social action and public morality were involved here. Many agreed with
Snowden. Few argued that he broke the law and compromised national security,
for which he should be held accountable.
Do you agree that Snowden’s actions were ethically
justified even if legally prohibited? Why or why not? Make an argument by
weighing the competing values in this case (250 words )
No comments:
Post a Comment