Integrity
Section A
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“Integrity
without knowledge is weak and useless, but knowledge without integrity is
dangerous and dreadful.” What do you understand by this statement? Explain your
stand with illustrations from modern day context. 2014
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·
One of the tests of integrity is
complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life
example. 2017
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·
“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. What do you
understand by this statement in the present-day scenario? Explain. 2018
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·
“Integrity is a value that empowers the
human being.” Justify with suitable illustration. 2021
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Section B
A Public
Information Officer has received an application under RTI Act. Having gathered
the information, the PIO discovers that the information pertains to some of the
decisions taken by him, which were found to be not altogether right. There were
other employees also who party to these decisions were. Disclosure of the
information is likely to lead to disciplinary action with possibility of
punishment against him as well as some of his colleagues. Non-disclosure or
part disclosure or camouflaged disclosure of information will result into
lesser punishment or no punishment.
The PIO is
otherwise an honest and conscientious person but this particular decision, on
which the RTI application has been filed, turned out to be wrong. He comes to
you for advice.
The following
are some suggested options. Please evaluate the merits and demerits of each of
the options:
a)
The
PIO could refer the matter to his superior officer and seek his advice and act
strictly in accordance with the advice, even though he is not completely in
agreement with the advice of the superior.
b)
The
PIO could proceed on leave and leave the matter to be dealt by his successor in
office or request for transfer of the application to another PIO.
c)
The
PIO could weigh the consequences of disclosing the information truthfully,
including the effect on his career, and reply in a manner that would not place
him or his career in jeopardy, but at the same time a little compromise can be
made on the contents of the information.
d)
The
PIO could consult his other colleagues who are party to the decision and take
action as per their advice.
Also please
indicate (without necessarily restricting to the above options) what you would
like to advise, giving proper reasons. (20 marks| 250 words)
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2017 – Vehicle Accident - Honesty vs Business Deal
You are the manager of a spare parts company A and
you have to negotiate a deal with the manager of a large manufacturing company
B. The deal is highly competitive and sealing the deal is critical for your
company. The deal is being worked out over a dinner. After dinner the manager
of manufacturing company B offered to drop you to the hotel in his car. On the
way to hotel he happens to hit motorcycle injuring the motorcyclist badly. You
know the manager was driving fast and thus lost control. The law enforcement
officer comes to investigate the issue and you are the sole eyewitness to it.
Knowing the strict laws pertaining to road accidents you are aware that your
honest account of the incident would lead to the prosecution of the manager and
as a consequence the deal is likely to be jeopardised, which is of immense
importance to your company.
a) What
are the dilemmas you face?
b) What
will be your response to the situation?
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2013 – Flyover Construction -
Serious Deviation
You
are working as an Executive Engineer in the construction cell of a Municipal
Corporation and are presently in-charge of the construction of a flyover. There
are two Junior Engineers under you who have the responsibility of day-to-day
inspection of the site and are reporting to you, while you are finally
reporting to the Chief Engineer who heads the cell. While the construction is
heading towards completion, the Junior Engineers have been regularly reporting
that all construction is taking place as per design specifications. However, in
one of your surprise inspections, you have noticed some serious deviations and
lacunae which, in your opinion, are likely to affect the safety of the flyover.
Rectification of these lacunae at this stage would require a substantial amount
of demolition and rework which will cause a tangible loss to the contractor and
will also delay completion. There is a lot of public pressure on the
Corporation to get this construction completed because of heavy traffic
congestion in the area. When you brought this matter to the notice of the Chief
Engineer, he advised you that in his opinion it is not a very serious lapse and
may be ignored. He advised for further expediting the project for completion in
time. However, you are convinced that this was a serious matter which might affect
public safety and should not be left unaddressed.
What will you do
in such a situation? Some of the options are given below. Evaluate the merits
and demerits of each of these options and finally suggest what course of action
you would like to take, giving reasons.
a)
Follow
the advice of the Chief Engineer and go ahead.
b)
Make
an exhaustive report of the situation bringing out all facts and analysis along
with your own viewpoints stated clearly and seek for written orders from the
chief Engineer.
c)
Call
for explanation from the Junior Engineers and issue orders to the contractor
for necessary correction within targeted time.
d)
Highlight
the issue so that it reaches superiors above the Chief Engineer.
e)
Considering
the rigid attitude of the Chief Engineer, seek transfer from the project or
report sick.
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2021 – Elevated Corridor - Minor Cracks
An elevated corridor is being constructed to reduce
traffic congestion in the capital of a particular state. You have been selected
as project manager of this prestigious project on your professional competence
and experience. The deadline is complete the project in next two years by 30
June, 2021, since this project is to be inaugurated by the Chief Minister
before the elections are announced in the second week of July 2021. While
carrying out the surprise inspection by inspecting team, minor crack was noticed
in one of the piers of the elevated corridor possibly due to poor material
used.
You immediately informed the chief engineer and
stopped further work. It was assessed by you that minimum three piers of the
elevated corridor have to be demolished and reconstructed. But this process
will delay the project minimum by four to six months. But the chief engineer
overruled the observation of inspecting team on the ground that it was a minor
crack which to not in any way impact the strength and durability of the bridge.
He ordered you to overlook the observation of inspecting team and continue
working with same speed and tempo.
He informed you that the minister does not want any
delay as he wants the Chief Minister to inaugurate the elevated corridor before
the elections are declared. Also informed you that the contractor is far
relative of the minister and he wants him to finish the project. He also gave
you hint that your further promotion as additional chief engineer is under
consideration with the ministry. However, you strongly felt that the minor
crack in the pier of the elevated corridor will adversely affect the health and
life of the bridge and therefore it will be very dangerous not to repair the
elevated corridor.
a) Under
the given conditions, what are the options available to you as a project
manager?
b) What
are the ethical dilemmas being faced by the project manager?
c) What
are the professional challenges likely to be faced by the project manager and
his response to overcome such challenges?
d) What
can be the consequences of overlooking the observation raised by the inspecting
team?
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2025 – Senior Pressure - Slight Adjustments in Procurement Procedure
Rajesh is a Group A officer with nine years of
service. He is posted as Administrative Officer in an Oil Public Sector
undertaking. As an Administrative Officer he is responsible for managing and
coordinating various administrative tasks to ensure smooth functioning of
office. He also manages office supplies, equipment etc. Rajesh is now
sufficient senior and is expecting his next promotion in JAG (Junior
Administrative Grade) in the next one or two years.
He knows that promotion is based on examination of
ACRs/Performance Appraisal of last few years (5 years or so) of an officer by a
DPC (Departmental Promotion Committee) and an officer lacking requisite grading
of ACRs may not be found fit for promotion. Consequences of losing promotion
may entail financial and reputational loss and set-back for career progression.
Though he also puts his best efforts in official discharge of his duties, yet
he is unsure of assessment by his superior officer.
He is now putting extra efforts so that he gets
thumping report at the end of financial year. As Administrative Officer, Rajesh
is regularly interacting with his immediate boss, who is his reporting officer
for writing his ACR. One day he calls Rajesh and wants him to buy
computer-related stationery on priority from a particular vendor. Rajesh
instructs his office to initiate action for procuring these items.
During the day, the dealing Assistant brings an
estimate of Rupees Thirty Five Lakhs covering all stationery items from the
same vendor. It is noticed that as per delegated financial powers, as provided
in the GFR (General Financial Rules) as applicable in that Organisation,
expenditure for office items exceeding Rupees Thirty Lakhs requires sanction of
the next higher authority (boss in the present case).
Rajesh knows that immediate superior would expect
all these purchases should be done at his level and may not appreciate such
lack of initiative on his part. During discussions with office, he learns that
common practice of splitting of expenditure (where large order is divided into
a series of smaller ones) is followed to avoid obtaining sanction from higher
authority. This practice is against the rules and may come to the adverse
notice of Audit. Rajesh is perturbed. He is unsure of taking decision in the
matter.
a) What
are the options available with Rajesh in the above situation?
b) What
are the ethical issues involved in this case?
c) Which
of the above would be the most appropriate option for Rajesh and why?
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2014 – Discipline in Department - False Complaint
You are a no-nonsense, honest officer. You have been
transferred to a remote district to head a department that is notorious for its
inefficiency and callousness. You find that the main cause of the poor state of
affairs is the indiscipline of a section of employees. They do not work
themselves and also disrupt the workings of others. You first warned the
troublemakers to mend their ways or else face disciplinary action. When the
warning had little effect, you issued a show cause notice to the ringleaders. As
a retaliatory measure, these troublemakers instigated a woman employee amongst
them to file a complaint of sexual harassment against you with the Women’s
Commission. The Commission promptly seeks your explanation. The matter is also
publicized in the media to embarrass you further.
Some of the options to handle this situation could
be as follows:
(i)
Give your explanation to the Commission
and go soft on the disciplinary action.
(ii)
Ignore the commission and proceed firmly
with the disciplinary action.
(iii)
Brief your higher-ups, seek directions
from them and act accordingly.
Suggest any other possible option(s). Evaluate all
of them and suggest the best course of action, giving your reasons for it.
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2014 – CEO of a Company - Pressure to give Bribe from Govt Official
Suppose you are the CEO of a company that
manufactures specialized electronic equipment used by a government department.
You have submitted your bid for the supply of this equipment to the department.
Both the quality and cost of your offer are better than those of the
competitors. Yet the concerned officer is demanding a hefty bribe for approving
the tender Getting the order is important both for you and your company. Not
getting the order would mean closing a production line. It may also affect your
own career. However, as a value-conscious person, You do not want to give
bribe.
Valid arguments can be advanced both for giving the
bribe and getting the order, and for refusing to pay the bribe and risking the
loss of the order.
What those arguments could be, Could there be any
better way to get out of this dilemma? If so, outline the main elements of this
third way, pointing out its merits.
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2018 - Temptation and Pressure for Road Realignment
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)
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2020 – Roof Collapse in a Mall – Temptation and Pressure to hush up
the Corruption
You are a municipal commissioner of a large city,
having the reputation of a very honest and upright officer. A huge multipurpose
mall is under construction in your city in which a large number of daily wage
earners are employed. One night, during monsoons, a big chunk of the roof
collapsed causing instant death of four labourers including two minors. Many
more were seriously injured requiring immediate medical attention. The mishap
resulted in a big hue and cry, forcing the government to institute an enquiry.
Your preliminary enquiry has revealed a series of
anomalies. The material used for the construction was of poor quality. Despite
the approved building plans permitting only one basement, an additional
basement has been constructed. This was overlooked during the periodic
inspections by the building inspector of the municipal corporation. In your
enquiry, you noticed that the construction of the mall was given the green
signal despite encroaching on areas earmarked for a green belt and a slip road
in the Zonal Master Plan of the city. The permission to construct the mall was
accorded by the previous Municipal Commissioner who is not only your senior and
well known to you professionally, but also a good friend.
Prima facie, the case appears to be of a widespread
nexus between officials of the Municipal Corporation and the builders. Your
colleagues are putting pressure on you to go slow in the enquiry. The builder,
who is rich and influential, happens to be a close relative of a powerful
minister in the state cabinet. The builder is persuading you to hush up the
matter, promising you a fortune to do so. He also hinted that if this matter is
not resolved at the earliest in his favour there is somebody in his office who
is waiting to file a case against you under the POSH act.
a) Discuss
the ethical issues involved in the case.
b) What
are the options available to you in this situation?
c) Explain
your selected course of action.
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2021 – Civil Servant - Illegal Sand Mining – Powerful Mafia
Sunil is a young civil servant and has a reputation
for his competence, integrity, dedication and relentness pursuit of difficult
and onerous jobs. Considering his profile, he was picked up by his bosses to
handle a very challenging and sensitive assignment. He was posted in a tribal
dominated district notorious for illegal sand mining. Excavating sand from river
belt and transporting through trucks and selling them in black market was
rampant. This illegal sand mining mafia was operating with the support of local
functionaries and tribal musclemen who in turn were bribing selected poor
tribal’s and had kept the tribal’s under fear and intimidation.
Sunil being a sharp and energetic officer
immediately grasped the ground realities and the modus operandi followed by the
mafia through their devious and dubious mechanism. On making inquiries, he
gathered that some of their own office employees are in hand and glove with
them and have developed close unholy nexus. Sunil initiated stringent action
against them and started conducting raids on their illegal operations of
movement of trucks filled with sand. The mafia got rattled as not many officers
in the past had taken such strong steps against the mafia.
Some of the office employees who were allegedly
close to mafia informed them that the officer is determined to clean up the
mafia’s illegal sand mining operations in that district and may cause them
irreparable damage. The mafia turned hostile and launched counter-offensive.
The tribal musclemen and mafia started threatening him with dire consequences.
His family (wife and old mother) were stalked and were under virtual
surveillance and thus causing mental torture, agony and stress to all of them.
The matter assumed serious proportions when a muscleman came to his office and
threatened him to stop raids, etc. otherwise; his fate will not be different
than some of his predecessors (ten years back one officer was killed by the
mafia).
a) Identify
the different options available to Sunil in attending to this situation.
b) Critically
evaluate each of the options listed by you
c) Which
of the above, do you think, would be the most appropriate for Sunil to adopt
and why?
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2022 – Journalist – Illegal Stone Mining Mafia – Temptation and
Pressure not to expose Corruption
The Supreme Court has banned mining in the Aravalli
Hills to stop degradation the forest cover and to maintain ecological balance.
However, the stone mining still prevalent in the border district of the
affected State with connivance of certain corrupt forest officials and
politicians. Young and dynamic SP who was recently posted in the affected
district promised to himself to stop this menace. In one of his surprise checks
with his team, he found loaded truck with stone trying to escape the mining
area. He tried to stop the truck but the truck driver overrun the police
officer, killing him on the spot and thereafter managed to flee. Police filed
FIR but no breakthrough was achieved in the case for almost three months.
Ashok who was the Investigative Journalist working
with leading TV channel, suo moto started investigating the case. Within one
month, Ashok got breakthrough by interacting with local people, stone mining
mafia and government officials. He prepared his investigative story and
presented to the CMD of the TV channel. He exposed in his investigative report
the complete nexus of stone mafia working with blessing of corrupt police and
civil officials and politicians. The politician who was involved in the mafia
was no one else but local MLA who was considered to be very close to the Chief
Minister.
After going through the investigative report, the
CMD advised Ashok to drop the idea of making the story public through
electronic media. He informed that the local MLA was not only the relative of
the owner of the TV channel but also had unofficially 20 percent share in the
channel. The CMD further informed Ashok that his further promotion and hike in
pay will be taken care of in addition the soft loan of 10 lakhs which he has
taken from the TV channel for his son’s chronic disease will be suitably
adjusted if he hands over the investigative report to him.
(a) What
are the options available with Ashok to cope up with the situation?
(b) Critically
evaluate/examine each of the options identified by Ashok.
(c) What
are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Ashok?
(d) Which
of the options, do you think, would be the most appropriate for Ashok to adopt
and why?
(e) In
the above scenario, what type of training would you suggest for police officers
posted to such districts where stone mining illegal activities are rampant?
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2021 – Vice Principal - Unfair means in Exams – Pressure to Suppress
the Incident
You are Vice Principal of a degree college in one of
the middle-class towns. Principal has recently retired and management is
looking for his replacement. There are also feelers that the management may
promote you as Principal. In the meantime, during annual examination the flying
squad which came from the university caught two students red-handed involving
in unfair means. A senior lecturer of the college was personally helping these
students in this act. This senior lecturer also happens to be close to the
management.
One of the students was son of a local politician
who was responsible in getting college affiliated to the present reputed
university. The second student was son of a local businessman who has donated
maximum funds for running of the college. You immediately informed the
management regarding this unfortunate incident. The management told you to
resolve the issue with flying squad at any cost. They further said that such
incident will not only tarnish the image of the college but also the politician
and businessman are very important personalities for the functioning of the
college.
You were also given hint that your further promotion
to Principal depends on your capability in resolving this issue with flying
squad. In the meantime, you were intimated by your administrative officer that
certain members of the student union are protesting outside the college gate
against the senior lecturer and the students involved in this incident and
demanding strict action against defaulters.
a) Discuss
the ethical issues involved in the case.
b) Critically
examine the options available with you as Vice Principal.
c) What
option will you adopt and why?
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2022 – Shoe Company - Inspecting Team – Pressure to Clear the
Consignment - Defects
You have done MBA from a reputed institution three
years back but could not get campus placement due to COVID-19 generated
recession. However, after a lot of persuasion and series of competitive tests
including written and interview, you managed to get a job in a leading shoe
company. You have aged parents who are dependent and staying with you. You also
recently got married after getting this decent job. You were allotted the
Inspection Section which is responsible for clearing the final product.
In first one year, you learnt your job well and was
appreciated for your performance by the management. The company is doing good
business for last five years in domestic market and this year it is decided
even to export to Europe and Gulf countries. However, one large consignment to
Europe was rejected by their Inspecting Team due to certain poor quality and
was sent back. The top management ordered that ibid consignment to be cleared
for the domestic market.
As a part of Inspecting Team, you observed the
glaring poor quality and brought to the knowledge of the Team Commander.
However, the top management advised all the members of the team to overlook
these defects as the management cannot bear such a huge loss. Rest of the team
members except you promptly signed and cleared the consignment for domestic
market, overlooking glaring defects.
You again brought to the knowledge of the Team
Commander that such consignment, if cleared even for domestic market, will
tarnish the image and reputation of the company and will be counter-productive
in the long run. However, you were further advised by the top management that
if you do not clear the consignment, the company will not hesitate to terminate
your services citing certain innocuous reasons.
(a) Under
the given conditions, what are the options available to you as a member of the
Inspecting Team?
(b) Critically
evaluate each of the options listed by you.
(c) What
option would you adopt and why?
(d) What
are the ethical dilemmas being faced by you?
(e) What
can be the consequences of overlooking the observations raised by the
Inspecting Team?
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