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INSIGHTSONINDIA

SECURE SYNOPSIS

MAINS - 2018

GS-IV

C o p y r i g h t s © I N S I G H T S A C T I V E L E A R N I N G

OCTOBER - 2017

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Table of Contents

Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world. __________________________ 5

Q) Equality is the essence of an Ethical society. Highlight Dr. Ambedkar’s contributions of

moral philosophy stating your view. (150 Words) __________________________________________5

Topic: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions;

dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and

teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in

inculcating values ____________________________________________________________________________ 5

Q) State sponsored surveillance raises some serious ethical concerns. Examine the same in

additional to highlighting your view on its practice. (150 Words) ___________________________5

Q) Gandhiji said that his life was his message to humanity. What are the important lessons

that you can learn from the life of Gandhiji? Discuss. (150 Words) _________________________7

Q) What was the central message of Gandhiji seminal work Hind Swaraj? How is this message

relevant to privacy debate today? Examine. (150 Words) ___________________________________7

Q) Biological and chemical warfare, as advanced as it may be, points on some genuine ethical

concerns. Comment. (150 Words)_________________________________________________________8

Q) What do you mean by ‘Ambition’? How is it different from success? Is Ambition a good

ethical value? Comment. (150 Words) ____________________________________________________8

Q) “The young lacking experience of the world, should not study ethics, for ethics is not a

science.” Comment. (150 Words) _________________________________________________________9

Q) It is not the just the execution but the method that questions capital punishment.

Comment. (150 Words) ___________________________________________________________________9

Q) Write a note on the ethical issues involved in nuclear war. (150 Words) _______________ 10

Q) Religious ignorance is better than moral quietness. Comment.(150 Words) ____________ 10

Q) Ethics is always a conflict between pragmatism and idealism. Giving examples from your

personal and professional lives, comment on the conflict. (150 Words) ___________________ 11

Q) The greater good principle is not necessarily an ethical one. Giving suitable examples,

elucidate the limitations of utilitarianism. (150 Words) __________________________________ 11

Q) Power is the real test of a person’s character and ethical values. Comment. (150 Words) 12

Q) What are the social and economic costs of dishonesty? Why is it a challenge to inculcate

honesty? Examine. (150 Words) ________________________________________________________ 12

Topic: Ethics in public administration; Foundational values – civil services ______________________________ 13

Q) What do you mean by Intellectual integrity? Do you think it is an indispensable quality for

a civil servant? Give reasons.(150 Words) _______________________________________________ 13

Topic: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: __________________________________ 14

Q) What is the difference between accountability and responsibility? According to you, which

between the two is a higher ethical value? (150 Words) __________________________________ 14

Q) Impartiality is as important as integrity in the civil services. Comment. (150 Words) ___ 15

Q) Integrity and Productivity can be supplementary and conflicting values at the same time.

Comment. (150 Words) _________________________________________________________________ 16

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Q) What is ‘Conflict of Interest’? How do public servants face it during their work? What can

be an effective way to resolve them? (150 Words) ________________________________________ 16

Q) Discretion and free thought should guide actions of a civil servant when it comes to delivery

of services to vulnerable sections. Comment. (150 Words) _______________________________ 17

Topic: Dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. ________________________________ 19

Q) Ethics is essentially a study of human behaviour and societal conditions. Comment. (150

Words) ________________________________________________________________________________ 19

Q) “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.” Comment. (150 Words) _____________________ 19

Topic: Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity _____ 20

Q) What is the difference between Governance, Good Governance, and Ethical Governance.

Can ethical governance be enforced? Give reasons for your answer. (150 Words) _________ 20

Q) Power and accountability are correlated, proportional, and commensurate. Comment. (150

Words) ________________________________________________________________________________ 21

Topic: Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; __________________________ 22

Q) What are ethical challenges while accomplishing economic growth and development. How

can they be balanced? Discuss. (200 Words) ____________________________________________ 22

Q) Looking at various peace disrupting forces being active around the world, do you think

ethics has no significance in practical world? Comment. (150 Words) ____________________ 23

Topic: Corporate governance _________________________________________________________________ 24

Q) Discuss the merits of Uday Kotak committee recommendations on corporate governance.

(150 Words) ___________________________________________________________________________ 24

Q) Corporate Governance is a balance between necessary State supervision and celebration of

private will. Comment. (200 Words) _____________________________________________________ 25

NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They

are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is

content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you

extra points in the form of background information.

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General Studies Paper - IV

Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.

Q) Equality is the essence of an Ethical society. Highlight Dr. Ambedkar’s

contributions of moral philosophy stating your view. (150 Words)

The Hindu

Introduction :- Dr. Ambedakar’s contribution of moral philosophy can be gauged through his thoughts and writings regarding politics, society, ethics etc. He emphasized equality more than anything as the pre requisite to ethical society.

Equality is the foundation on which a society must raise it’s generations. It is required not only to create opportunities and possibilities for all but also to inculcate ethics in society in terms of respect for individual as a human and not on basis of narrow concepts of caste, creed etc.

His contribution :-

Dr. Ambedkar sought prioritization of the social upliftment of the least advantaged, including Dalits, minorities, women and workers. He believed that the caste system, communalism, patriarchy and industrial exploitation of workers created inequality and stood in the way of a just society. Due to the rigidity and persistence of these sources of inequality, Ambedkar prescribed active role of the state in the emancipation of the unequal. The cornerstone of Ambedkarite justice is liberty, equality and fraternity.

Ambedkar vehemently opposed the caste system and his Annihilation of Caste is his most renowned work on the subject. The caste system clearly violates the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. It takes away an individual’s right to choose an occupation for himself hence amounts to inequality. Ambedkar suggested reservation as a measure for social emancipation.

Ambedkar was not against religion. He defends religion by quoting Edmund Burke, who said that true religion is the foundation of society. However, Ambedkar did not consider Hinduism as a religion because it was based on the caste system, which violated the triad of justice – liberty, equality and fraternity.

While attacking the caste system, Ambedkar never forgot to mention the denial of rights to women within the Hindu social system. He condemned sati, child marriage and argued for widow remarriage in accordance with his vision of restructuring the Hindu family system. His thoughts and fight for gender equality are much noteworthy.

Ambedkar saw the caste system not only as a division of labour but also a division of labourers. The caste system restricts a person’s choice of profession and denigrates the work performed by lower strata. Ambedkar viewed caste system as the chief factor of imbalance with respect to justice in Indian society. Any kind of inequality created in society can create this imbalance in justice.

Dr. Ambedkar’s thoughts are the beckon light of generations even today. They must be thoroughly studied and applied to society in order to make it more egalitarian and just.

Topic: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in

human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values

– lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of

family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values

Q) State sponsored surveillance raises some serious ethical concerns. Examine the

same in additional to highlighting your view on its practice. (150 Words)

Stanford

Introduction :- Surveillance is simply put the observation and/or monitoring of a person. Coming from the French word for looking upon the term encompasses not only visual observation but also the scrutiny of all behavior, speech, and actions. Prominent examples of surveillance include surveillance cameras, wiretaps, GPS tracking, and internet surveillance.

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These advances in technology have a profound impact with regards to the ethics of placing individual under surveillance in our modern society. Today many of our actions are observable, recorded, searchable and traceable close surveillance is much more intrusive than it has been in the past.

Surveillance projects in India :-

Central Monitoring System (CMS): A data collection system similar to the NSA’s PRISM program. It enables the Government of India to listen to phone conversations, intercept e-mails and text messages, monitor posts on social networking service and track searches on Google

DRDO NETRA: Network that is capable of tracking online communications on a real time basis by harvesting data from various voice-over-IP services, including Skype and Google Talk. It is operated by the Research and Analysis Wing.

NATGRID: An intelligence grid that links the databases of several departments and ministries of the Government of India.

Ethical issues involved :-

Violation of privacy :- Surveillance is basically based on this principle as it involves gathering, watching and collecting a person’s information without his/her consent. It is one of the most valued and natural right of human.

Trust and autonomy :- As the privacy is violated people find it difficult to trust the government for the protection of their rights. It creates a distrust between the rulers and ruled. It encroaches upon the individual’s bodily and emotional autonomy.

Cause of surveillance :- The purpose of surveillance, or one particular instantiation of surveillance, is probably the most fundamental ethical question that can be asked. Security can be the easiest answers but it has been observed and experienced by all that the surveillance often has unethical usage associated with it.

Authority :- The justification of surveillance, and particularly the cause of that surveillance, will depend on who it is that is carrying out the surveillance. State security can and should be carried out by state intelligence agencies with assurance of it’s ethical use but surveillance by private agencies for their gains is out rightly unethical.

Middle path- Surveillance must be done with some measures into consideration like :-

There must be sufficient sustainable cause. Any tendency for the secret world to encroach into areas unjustified by the scale of potential harm to national interests has to be checked.

There must be integrity of motive. No hidden agendas: the integrity of the whole system throughout the intelligence process must be assured, from collection to analysis and presentation.

The methods used must be proportionate. Their likely impact must be proportionate to the harm that is sought to prevent

There must be right and lawful authority. There must be the right level of sign-off on sensitive operations, with accountability up a recognized chain of command to permit effective oversight.

There must be a reasonable prospect of success. All intelligence operations need careful risk management, and before approval is given there has to be consideration of the likelihood of unintended consequences and the impact if the operation were to be exposed or otherwise go wrong.

Recourse to secret intelligence must be a last resort. There should be no reasonable alternative way of acquiring the information by non-secret methods.

Justification :- The unconstrained collection of electronic intelligence is destroying civil liberties and creating the conditions for tyranny. Even Edward Snowden thinks on same line. But the continued freedom of our society ultimately rests on the refusal of the rest of us to accept such an extreme position, and on our willingness to recognise that an ethical balancing act is needed. We must respect the work of our intelligence agencies in keeping us safe, and be glad that in our democratic societies they are subject to the rule of law and must also ensure that the process of surveillance is balanced with ethical considerations.

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Q) Gandhiji said that his life was his message to humanity. What are the important

lessons that you can learn from the life of Gandhiji? Discuss. (150 Words)

The Indian Express

Introduction :- Gandhiji was a living saint. He not only revolutionized the history of countries like South Africa and India but revolutionized the humanity through his thoughts, ethics and principles.

It is said that our lives must be a message to others and Gandhiji is the perfect example for this.

One can learn an ocean of lessons from his life directly and indirectly :

Adhering and living life according to principles :- Gandhiji adorned principles of truth, non violence, Satyagraha, honesty, integrity. He lived his life woven around these principles which made him distinct. Gandhiji used to say Honesty, integrity is difficult to practice but not impossible hence one must try to set life with such principles.

Consistency in saying and doing :- He followed what he used to say. His famous story about the child and his habit of eating sugar, his withdrawal of Non Cooperation movement owing to use of violence shows this.

Redefining the existing concepts and refusal to accept established norms :- He turned the all out colonial war against British into a moral ethical warfare and used the weapons of non violence to fight most powerful colonial power in world which no one believed would be successful in the start.

Inspiration for sacrifice, zealous work for weaker section, downtrodden and leading from the front :- He sacrificed even his clothes, he worked both against British and against existing evils of Indian society like untouchability both in active and inactive (Constructive work) phase of India’s freedom struggle.

Gandhiji’s ideas, Talisman, Seven sins concept etc shows that his life is full of messages if one deeply listens to it. These lessons were learnt by Indians as well as all over world leaders like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King to lead their country towards freedom, progress.

Q) What was the central message of Gandhiji seminal work Hind Swaraj? How is this

message relevant to privacy debate today? Examine. (150 Words)

The Hindu

Introduction :- Privacy is not explicitly written about or protected in the Constitution but recent judgement in K .S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India pronounced that privacy is fundamental right under art 21.

Privacy and Gandhiji’s swaraj :-

It is the Hindi term for privacy — nijata literally meaning something like, the state of having something as one’s own or “mine-ness” or “one’s own-ness” —

This alerts us to the deep philosophical relationship between privacy and our fundamental modern term for freedom, which we owe to Mahatma Gandhi, “ swaraj ”.

As we know,swarajmeans “self-rule”, “self-determination” or “the sovereignty of the self”.

Both swa and nija , then, encompass the self, as well as all that belongs to it, goes along with it, cannot be taken away from it.

Gandhi helped Indians to see that swaraj had to be rulebythe self, but also rule over the self; in other words, that freedom is a vector, but paradoxically it has both inward and outward directionality.

Dignity cannot exist without privacy. Privacy is the ultimate expression of the sanctity of the individual. It is a constitutional value which straddles across the spectrum of fundamental rights and protects for the individual a zone of choice and self-determination

While the ruling in Puttaswamy stands solidly in the way of the ubiquitous threat to our privacy, nijata , the struggle for the self’s sovereignty, swaraj , spelled out more than a century ago by Mahatma Gandhi, remains ongoing and open-ended for the people of India.

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Q) Biological and chemical warfare, as advanced as it may be, points on some genuine

ethical concerns. Comment. (150 Words)

Reference

Introduction :- Biological warfare (BW)—also known as germ warfare—is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.

Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare and biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for nuclear, biological, and chemical (warfare or weapons), all of which are considered “weapons of mass destruction” (WMDs).

The use of chemical and biological weapons like orange agent in Vietnam, mustard gas, Syrian ISIS using such weapons etc. highlights the growing threats of these weapons to humanity as they have some genuine ethical concerns involved :-

Mass destruction of humans :- These weapons out rightly and indiscriminately cause death to all. The victims includes not only the targeted, accused but also those who may not have any stake involved. It lowers the human dignity and treat lives of humans so cheap to be wiped out easily.

Physical and psychological impacts :- The agony, deaths, devastation caused by these warfare not only impact the victims but their family. It survives so long that it cripples the lives of many people.

It also creates threats to sustainability and survivability of planet earth in long term. Use of these weapons has disastrous impacts on forests, water sources, land etc.

There is a lack of accountability and responsibility in such attacks.

Their repeated and large scale occurrence shows failure of international ethical standards to restrict nations, state and non states actors from their use.

The peace and security of world along with respect and concern for human lives must be at the centre stage of international communities, nation and people. Shunning use of these weapons, regulating the hazardous chemical, biological agents, implementing international laws and convention like Geneva protocol etc. need to be implemented in true spirit.

Q) What do you mean by ‘Ambition’? How is it different from success? Is Ambition

a good ethical value? Comment. (150 Words)

Reference

Introduction :- Ambitions in simple words is a strong desire to achieve something. It is the internal driving force in a person which sets him/her on a mission mode to achieve the targets.

Difference between ambition and success :-

Success refers to the specific result, destination of the ambition, or effort. It can be also called a specific target, aim, or objective that serves as the focus of achievement. Success can have a variety of descriptions including; goal, distinction, or achievement.

Ambition on the other hand, refers to the determination in reaching a goal or any of its relative terms. Aside from the inclination and determination, it is also referred to as the process of achieving something. In having and fulfilling an ambition, the result will often bring personal satisfaction and advancement for the person.

Ambition and ethics :-

Being ambitious is often equated with being highly career/ goal oriented and later being unethical. It is assumed notion that is a person id too ambitious then he/ she might get indulge into unethical practices to achieve their ambitions.

However it’s a good ethical value.

Being ambitious is the first step to dream big and get success :- Ambitions play the role of internal drive, strength, lighthouse and catalyst towards ones goal. It’s presence will enhance the possibilities of success. Ex Muhamad Ali was so ambitious that he set and broke his own records many times.

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Ambitions keep us alive in the worst circumstances and will motivate us towards our dreams. Mary Kom is too ambitious to get defeated despite of age, children factors.

Only ambitious people have changed the course of history. Gandhiji, Mandela, Aan San Syu Ki were ambitious to lead their country to freedom hence they could achieve impossible.

Hence ambition is not an issue being overambitious or blindly ambitious can be troublesome. Hitler’s ambitions about making Germany supreme country and German race a supreme race resulted into all unethical happenings.

Q) “The young lacking experience of the world, should not study ethics, for ethics

is not a science.” Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction :- Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity. Ethics and ethical behaviour is often linked with experience and thereby to age. It has no rigid laws and rules to govern. It can be relative and subjective like killing a person is unethical but if it is done by State under law it is ethical. The practice and conduct of ethical behaviour and understanding needs maturity. Young people are often impatient, lacks broader perspective about things and could not view situations holistically hence may fall to practice ethical behaviour.

Hence it is said that the young lacking experience of the world, should not study ethics, for ethics is not a science.

However ethics is an inherent need of human existence. It can’t be taught like a subject. It is being built in a person through many factors like family background, parents, educational systems, societal norms etc. A person’s own observation and learning capacity also determines the ethical absorption in him/her.

Every wise man today was a young person lacking maturity in past. The young should not study ethics as such but they must learn it through everyday incidences and people in contact. They need to up grade their understanding gradually to be experienced. Young people are more vulnerable to the negative things like crime, addiction, indulgence in misconducts hence they need to learn ethics more than the experienced.

Q) It is not the just the execution but the method that questions capital punishment.

Comment. (150 Words)

The Wire

Introduction :- Capital punishment is the practice of executing someone as punishment for a specific crime after a proper legal trial.

Many ethical issue are involved in both in execution and in method adopted:-

Ethical issues in execution :-

Value of life :- Everyone thinks human life is valuable. Some of those against capital punishment believe that human life is so valuable that even the worst murderers should not be deprived of the value of their lives.

Right to live :- Everyone has an inalienable human right to life, even those who commit murder; sentencing a person to death and executing them violates that right.

Execution of the innocent :- The most common and most cogent argument against capital punishment is that sooner or later, innocent people will get killed, because of mistakes or flaws in the justice system.

Retribution is wrong :- Many people believe that retribution is morally flawed and problematic in concept and practice.

Failure to deter :- The death penalty doesn’t seem to deter people from committing serious violent crimes. The thing that deters is the likelihood of being caught and punished.

However the method of execution also involves many ethical issues :-

The most common methods used in the world include hanging, lethal injection, lethal gas, firing squad, and electrocution. Hanging was a very popular technique used for execution.

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Article 21 (right to life) of the Indian constitution also includes the right of a condemned prisoner to a dignified mode of execution, so that death becomes less painful. It is violated with the hanging used as a method of death penalty.

The condemned should die in peace and not in pain. If he/she is dying in pain then it’s a double punishment which is against all ethics. He/she is already being deprived of life and that too in a very painful manner.

Such acts of cruelty are against humanity, dignity of individual and can be called as sophisticated atrocities, brutalities.

The government should take into account the “dynamic progress” made in modern science to adopt painless methods of carrying out the death sentence. Global efforts are also being made with The World Coalition against the Death Penalty was created in Rome in 2002, and 10th October 2006 was World Day against the Death Penalty.

Q) Write a note on the ethical issues involved in nuclear war. (150 Words)

General

Introduction :- Nuclear warfare (sometimes atomic warfare or thermonuclear warfare) is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is used to inflict damage on the enemy. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can produce destruction in a much shorter time-frame and can have a long-lasting radiological warfare dimension.

The application of nuclear technology, both as a source of energy and as an instrument of war, has been controversial.

Ethical issues involved :-

Use of nuclear science :- Even before the first nuclear weapons had been developed, scientists involved with the Manhattan Project were divided over the use of the weapon. The question of whether nations should have nuclear weapons, or test them, has been continually and nearly universally controversial. For ex use of nuclear power to made Japan surrender in world war 2.

Misuse and overproduction under name of deterrence :- Deterrence is a psychological phenomenon. It involves convincing an aggressor not to attack by threatening it with harmful retaliation. However the nuclear weapons are being misused by world powers. Ex North Korean aggressions.

Nuclear policy of world is discriminatory :- Nuclear weapons are held by a handful of states which insist that these weapons provide unique security benefits, and yet reserve uniquely to themselves the right.

Nuclear war results in mass destruction :- The use of nuclear weapons doesn’t discriminate between targets and civilians and wipe out entire area mercilessly.

Environmental destruction is a very devastating outcome of nuclear warfare. The use of nuclear weapons destruct the water bodies, land and plant system of areas beyond restoration and rehabilitation.

Nuclear warfare has been a rarest phenomenon in world history. It was only used in single case of Japan Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing. In other all cases it is just a deterrence but that doesn’t eliminate the threats it can possess to the humanity and planet earth. Hence efforts at all levels of community, government, organisations should be made to reduce and ultimately eliminate the nuclear weapons production. International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has won Noble Peace Prize amidst scaling tensions of a nuclear war warfare is a right sign in this direction.

Q) Religious ignorance is better than moral quietness. Comment.(150 Words)

Introduction :- Religion and ethics, morals are the integral part of a person’s life. When it is about our country then it forms the bedrock of day to day life. Religion defines the way of life but ethics defines how to live life. Hence when it comes to their comparison religious ignorance is better than moral quietness.

If a person doesn’t know about religion then it’s accepted as so many people are atheist in this world but if a person doesn’t know about moral, ethics then it’s become not only difficult to accept but also can create problems in society. For ex if a person indulges into corrupt practices and do harmful actions to state and people.

Being religiously ignorant might not cause hazard to others like if a person doesn’t read scripture, doesn’t go to worship places it’s the person only who will get affected by ignoring good teachings in scriptures or not experiencing peace, spirituality of worship places but moral quietness of a person may harm society at large like

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people remained quite even if they saw horrific and widespread episodes of Sati in 19th century India. It was moral disobedience of people like Raja Ram Mohan Roy which brought changes.

Moral quietness results into increased bad elements, corrupt practices, anti social norms, societal disharmony and intolerance in society For ex. Lynching cases are nothing but result of moral quietness of people.

Hence one must try to be ethically morally vocal in order to contribute a bit and bring changes in present system.

Q) Ethics is always a conflict between pragmatism and idealism. Giving examples

from your personal and professional lives, comment on the conflict. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

Ethics are a set of principles that help us decide between right and wrong, but what is right and wrong conduct is debatable. Hence a lot of times we are struck between the choice of pragmatism and idealism. It is a very fundamental conflict and the decision is not always simple.

There are 2 school of thoughts:

Idealism – It believes in upholding right conduct like honesty, impartiality, righteousness etc in all situations. It entails that a decision must only be judged on the basis on its intrinsic goodness or fairness. Practical failure or success should not affect your choice.

Pragmatism – It believes that the conduct which cannot be practically applied should be discarded. Chanakya once said, “A person should not be too honest, straight trees are cut first”. It entails judging a path on the basis of degree of its success. Here a decision which is more likely to succeed in real life has more value.

Therefore, ethics swings between idealism and pragmatism wherein individuals should know what is the right conduct but may at times, prefer not to take that way for practical reasons.

For eg., there is always a tempetation not to follow traffic rules when I am in a hurry to reach somewhere. I want to jump the traffic light in order to save time. This way I can reach in time and save myself from embrassment. But internally I feel that jumping the red light is wrong. It not only causes problems for other by congesting traffic but also increases chances of an accident.

Therefore, Ethics, though provides an ideal path but at times, one has to take practical path too like Irom Sharmila quit her fast after years of struggle and decided to be political representative.

Q) The greater good principle is not necessarily an ethical one. Giving suitable

examples, elucidate the limitations of utilitarianism. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory often credited to Jeremy Bentham. This method argues that best course of action is always the one which maximises utility of maximum number of people. In simple terms it is referred to be as greater good of greater number of people.

Sardar Sarovar Dam which displaced and submerged lands of many farmers but will bring water to a huge population of people will be dubbed as a right decision in utilitarian theory.

Though many thinkers argue that utilitarianism is not always the best course of action.

Compromise human integrity

Kant argues about Categorical Imperative.

He argues that certain values are so important that they cant be compromised even to maximise utility like human decency and worth of human life.

Similarly Rawls argued against utilitariansm that liberty and justice cannot be compromised.

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Majoritarianism

Critics often argue that utilitarianism often gives rise to majoritarianism or the appeasement of the majority which may not be just, but merely popular opinion. Hence it is undemocratic.

For example, most people advocate death as justice, while modern democratic principle stipulates to avert the state from using such a power on human beings.

Some even argue that such arguments like utilitarianism are used to justify genocides or cleansing of a race or community.

All in all utilitarianism is a good theory but it cannot be called as the absolute theory. Its use is not justified in all situations. Sometimes worth of an individual can not be measured against society as every human being is an end in itself than being a means for any notion. There should be fair balance between individual rights and societal rights therefore. Utilitarianism is a two edged sword hence other ethical attributes such as emotional intelligence, rational thinking etc needs to be considered before applying it.

Q) Power is the real test of a person’s character and ethical values. Comment. (150

Words)

General

Power is the state where a person controls the authority and enjoy influence over the society. This state intersects with the character and ethical values of the person holding power in the following ways –

When we are weak we all demand ethical behaviour and expect high moral standards from others. But once we get power, how ardently we follow those same standards of corruption and immorality.

In power we are subjected to great temptation and how well we manage it depends on our values and character.

Famous military general Pittacus says that “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” He can use power for his selfish interest or for the welfare of the society. As soon as Napoleon came to power, he waged a war that engulfed whole Europe.

The person can become a despot or an benevolent leader of his people. Gandhiji says that “Only the strong can forgive.”

He can focus on inclusive development or may make decisions based on a bias. Ashoka popularised the principle of ‘Dhamma’ throughout his kingdom. He reduced sentences of amny prisoners and gave them chance to reform.

Power has a way of bringing out the best and the worse in the people. Hence power should be accompanied with certain responsibilities and accountability as much as possible.

Q) What are the social and economic costs of dishonesty? Why is it a challenge to

inculcate honesty? Examine. (150 Words)

Livemint

Introduction:

Dishonesty is the act of deceiving or not doing ones duty properly in expectation of some gain. It manifests into many forms like corruption, inefficiency, money laundering and other such malpractices.

Social and Economical costs of dishonesty

Delays and Ineffeciencies

Dishonest and malpractices causes longer time and more money to finish the same project.

For eg, delays in construction of Commonwealth Games infrastructure coupled with news of huge corruption.

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Credibility and Reputation Damage

Dishonesty has a high emotional cost too. An organization that loses trust among its customers due to one dishonest act of their employees will have to demonstrate its honesty in many more occasions just to even stand a chance of conveying to its customers that it has now mended its ways.

Dishonest practices leaves a stain on corporates, goverment departments and individuals. People prefer not to deal with such.

For eg., shares of Satyam Computer fell sharply after revelation of malpractices.

Disproportionality severe on Weaker Section

Dishonest practices casue more damage to certain groups like women, children, economically and socially backward groups.

A poor person will find it more difficult to pay bribe money.

Challenge of inculcating honesty

Across the world, several steps have been taken to curb dishonest practices. Stricter regulations have been enacted. More efficient surveillance networks using better technology have been installed. Regular and unexpected audits and raids are being done. Robust data- monitoring tools have been installed.

But despite all these efforts, the rate of fraud has only been going up. It is very difficult to inculcate honesty among people-

Multiplier Effect of Corruption

A person who himself has paid bribe will find it more easier to ask for bribe. A person working in a dishonest environment is more likely to follow those same practices. Corruption breeds corruption.

Ineffecient Control Mechanisms

Most of the mechanisms like survellience, random inspections are ineffecient. They are unable to create fear.

Many of the fraud-monitoring systems have gone on to create a dysfunctional environment within organizations. Many honest employees end up believing that the surveillance software and fraud-countering measures are an example of the organization not trusting them.

Such actions that convey expectations of wrongdoing may in fact lead to a rise in misconduct for both honest and dishonest workers by creating self-fulfilling prophecies for the former and self-perpetuating ones for the latter.

Social Acceptance

Despite all our efforts social stigma related to corruption is not very strong.

Eg: Naming and shaming the loan defaulters does not always work.

Conclusion

Fraud should be treated as a behavioural problem and the criminal justice system will have much less work to do. There is a need to develop a fraud-management strategy that is based not just on external monitoring but instead based on monitoring of the moral compass within each individual.

Dishonest practices like corruption have become a part of our work culture. Hence a more holistic value reorientation is needed. Right from primary schools and from a young age ills of these practices must be taught. Then only internal self-regulation against dishonest practices could be brought about.

Topic: Ethics in public administration; Foundational values – civil services

Q) What do you mean by Intellectual integrity? Do you think it is an indispensable

quality for a civil servant? Give reasons.(150 Words)

Introduction :- Intellectual integrity is defined as recognition of the need to be true to one’s own thinking and to hold oneself to the same standards one expects others to meet. . The early Greek philosophers (e.g., Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) changed the world because they forged a new path toward intellectual integrity.

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Intellectual integrity is required in a person in order to lead one’s life with principles, dignity, respect and proud. It will help an individual to enhance his/her credibility in eyes of themselves and people. It if positively conceived will contribute in betterment of society.

For a civil servant it is an indispensable quality :-

Intellectual integrity will help him in leadership, team work, professionalism, prudency and in exercise of public ethos in service.

It will help him to become more welfare oriented and transparent, accountable like an intellectually oriented person will think twice before indulging in anti social activity.

The intellectual integrity of the person will guide the person in path of right, keep him away from getting involved in corrupt practices and will enhance the institutions efficacy in long term.

Mitchell Friedman had said “Success in public relations demands strict intellectual honesty and integrity in all aspects of one’s professional demeanor” hence it must be practiced by every civil servant at utmost level.

Topic: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration:

Q) What is the difference between accountability and responsibility? According to

you, which between the two is a higher ethical value? (150 Words)

Introduction :- In ethics and governance, accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) and individual contexts.

Responsibility may refer to: being in charge, being the owner of a task or event. Responsibility is defined as an obligation to perform or complete the assigned task. It is the duty of the subordinate to complete the delegated task adequately. It is generated out of a superior-subordinate relationship, where the junior is bound to perform the task assigned to him by the senior.

The terms responsibility and accountability are often used interchangeably by the people, due to some similarities like the flow of both of these two, is from bottom to top. Although, they are different in the sense that, in the case of responsibility, a person does what he/she is asked to do. On the other hand, in accountability, a person agrees to do, what he/she is supposed to do.

Difference between accountability and responsibility :-

The following points are noteworthy so far as the difference between responsibility and accountability is concerned:

The state of having the duty, to do whatever it takes to complete the task, is known as responsibility. The condition, wherein a person is expected to take ownership of one’s actions or decisions, is called accountability.

Responsibility refers to the obligation to perform the delegated task. On the other hand, answerability for the consequence of the delegated task.

Responsibility is assigned whereas accountability is accepted.

The origin of responsibility is the assigned authority. On the contrary, accountability arises from responsibility.

Responsibility is delegated but not completely, but there is no such thing like delegation of accountability.

The performance of a person is not necessarily measured when he/she is responsible. Unlike, accountability, wherein the person’s performance is measured.

Responsibility is something, wherein a person is held responsible before or after task. In contrast to, accountability where a person can only be accountable after the task is performed or not performed satisfactorily.

After reviewing the points, it is clear that accountability makes the person accountable for the consequences of the actions or decisions made by him/her. As against this, consequences are not necessarily attached to the responsibility. Further, accountability requires a person to be liable and answerable for the things, he/she does. Conversely, responsibility expects a person to be reliable and dependable to complete the tasks assigned to him.

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Q) Impartiality is as important as integrity in the civil services. Comment. (150

Words)

General

Introduction:

Integrity means staying true to your inner beliefs in personal actions even in strenuous circumstances. Integrity is associated with the value of being honest and maintain strong moral principle. An ethical person with strong moral values is bound to be a man of integrity.

Impartiality means to be fair, just and unbiased in thinking, action and behaviour. It is a quality in which decisions should be based on objective standards, without any bias and personal preference to any particular person, community or attitude. The judgement should be based on merit.

Impartiality as well as integrity are the core values for a civil servant. Being the backbone for the development of the society and a significant element to implement the policies, programmes and schemes of the government, it becomes important for a civil servant that she does her work with honesty and in unbiased manner.

Importance of impartiality

1. Upholding constitutionalism

Impartiality lets a public servant uphold the values of constitutionalism and rule of law.

It prevents tendencies of crony-ism, nepotism and factionalism. Thus it ensures productive use of limited resources.

For eg, in case a leader puts pressure on a civil servant to favour somebody, impartiality will help her to take action which is ethical.

2. Ambient relationship with seniors and subordinates, besides trust of the public

If a civil servant is impartial and takes decision in an objective and fair way, then she gets respect by her seniors and subordinates as well as the public.

It will therefore help in efficient implementation of programmes. It will thus create positive and conducive work culture

3. Efficient handling of conflict

In case of riots, communal violence or any ethnic conflict, a civil servant with neutral attitude will be able to take the right action as she is free from any type of religious, political or social prejudices.

4. Controlling corruption

It will keep oneself free from nepotism, political-corporate nexus and corruption.

Relationship between impartiality and integrity

Integrity to one’s moral principles makes her impartial while treating the poor and the underprivileged equally. Fo eg. fair, just and equitable distribution of welfare funds among these people, listen to them with much attention.

Moral integrity helps a personal to keep steadiness of action, values, methods, so that he can work impartially.

Person with low integrity makes him partial, biased.

While integrity may force a person to choose sides according to his own true convictions, impartiality will restrain him to take sides in the interest of national welfare. Conversely being impartial without showing integrity is only a bluff if it does not lead to action.

Conclusion

As pointed out in GITA , one must not fear the consequences ,but only focus on acting righteously, Only a person who can work without thoughts of fear or favour (with integrity & impartiality) can work for public welfare and for ensuring individual freedoms and collective interests.

Hence, both integrity and impartiality are vital for good & ethical governance.

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Q) Integrity and Productivity can be supplementary and conflicting values at the

same time. Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

Integrity is generally a personal choice to hold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards, is regarded by many as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions even under duress.

Productivity refers to being efficient at work.

Productivity’s focus is on achieving ends in stipulated time whereas Integrity’s focus is on right means.

Supplementary to each other

Integrity and productivity can be supplementary when they are applied to achieve ends through right means.

Ambedkar was pushing for equal rights for all sections of society, particularly for the disadvantaged section, but he balanced integrity and productivity fairly without any bias and thus gave us all the rights in the Constitution of India.

Conflicting to each other

Whereas, they can be conflicting when ends gain primacy over means i.e. productivity over integrity or when means gains primacy over ends i.e. integrity over productivity.

For eg., to control population, China went for one child policy. Though it achieved its goals and thus, productivity but in the process lost its integrity of upholding people’s privacy which is very integral to a human.

Significance in governance

Governance is supposed to be both practical and principled since every decision can affect life in multiple ways and may affect millions.

There is always a tension between getting work done & right process ,both are important since the former is important for smooth running of the system while latter upholds purity of the system and prevents decay in long run.

Civil servants regularly face conditions in which the they are in an ethical dilemma over which value to give more priority. Decision can be best decided by looking at both short term and long-term consequences and principles of transparency, responsibility and pursuing the middle way. Civil servants are supposed to be efficient, though they are to be so while upholding certain values and certain rules of conduct since they are both leaders and representatives of the state.

Conclusion

But focussing on integrity alone may not bring quick results while focussing on productivity alone may corrupt the system.

Therefore, a right balance of integrity and productivity is needed in one’s actions to bring in changes from the root level which induces behavioural change, instead of superficial change.

Q) What is ‘Conflict of Interest’? How do public servants face it during their work?

What can be an effective way to resolve them? (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

An individual is a wide, multidimensional being. He has several interests, loyalties and duties. Conflict of Interest arises when these two interests or loyalities start competing with each other. In such a situation, judgement of an individual could be impaired.

For example, a judge giving judgement in a case involving his own family member is a case of conflict of interest.

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Public servants also faces Conflict of Interest due to the nature of their work-

1. Personal vs Professional

This is the most common type of conflict of interest arising due to the conflict between personal and professional life.

Say, if a public servant is in-charge of giving out contracts for a certain project and one of the applicant is relative or friend.

2. Conflicting Responsibility

Sometimes public servants are given additional charge, which might sometimes create a conflict of interest with the original line of duty.

3. Conflicting Organisations

Sometimes public servants are part of two separate organisations with apparently conflicting objectives and this might put them in certain conflict of interest.

Many public servants also volunteer for NGOs during their service. NGOs and govermental organisation sometimes come at odds with each other.

Getting into a situation of conflict of interest is sometimes unavoidable and not a crime in itself if properly handled:

Transparency

Declaring one’s conflict of interest to the concerned authorities is the best way. It helps civil servant to come clean and concerned authorities can decide further.

Assure integrity

The concerned authority should be assured of integrity and willingness to serve no matter what the decision is made on the declaration.

Maintain objectivity

If given the chance to continue working on that case, work with objectivity.

Q) Discretion and free thought should guide actions of a civil servant when it comes

to delivery of services to vulnerable sections. Comment. (150 Words)

The Hindu

Introduction:

Civil servants are responsible and accountable for delivery of services. They cater to grassroot issues and should be aware of reality.

It is true that they have to follow systematic approach but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t attach any emotion to the job.

Recent Santoshi Kumari, 11 year child who died because of starvation is shame for all of us. She died because her ration card wasn’t linked to Aadhar card and she couldn’t avail foodgrains. In country like ours where 40% of foodgrains are rotten due to storage, such incidents are shaking.

Emergence of bureaucracy

Bureaucracy came into being after the birth of scripts in ancient civilisation. When a large amount of administrative data was created, a system was needed to retrieve the stored knowledge, which gave rise to archiving, cataloguing and classifying. More than writing, it was this method of retrieval that led to efficiency.

Archaeologists discover new scripts every decade, but what sets the Sumerians, Chinese and Egyptians apart were their investments in building ways of cataloguing.

In time, this leads people to be reprogrammed to start thinking like machines, reading and retrieving data, rather than thinking like humans.

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Modern debates of objectivity make our obsession with paperwork even more brutal. Discretion and free thought are peripheral while forms and filing cabinets become central.

Why emotional bureacracy is needed in India?

Regardless of the horrors, the trading of emotions for the order and regularity of bureaucratic life has paid off in the rich countries, but hasn’t it worked in poor societies because bureaucracy is new in developing countries.

Also institutionally, people are not “bureaucracy-receptive”.

For eg., the Indian villager accesses the state through a local leader. Everyone knows everyone else and independent bureaucracy cannot be executed in the web of interdependent informal relationships among the stakeholders.

1. Informal networks hold society against bureaucracy for accessing services

When the state creates a new bureaucratic framework that trumps local networks (on which informal societies such as India are built), citizens become confused and find themselves at a loss to negotiate their space.

For example, many of our grandparents prefer to go to the bank rather than call customer care. Any new conduit of relationships makes them recede.

Societies carry a historical burden of norms and customs. Mostly informal in nature, these institutions cannot be changed overnight.

New laws and regulations introduced in any society must recognise the informal social norms society is predicated upon.

In societies such as India, citizen-state interaction is historically built on patronage and personal relations; bureaucratic forms of engagement are recent.

Western societies that are individualised, are prepared to function bureaucratically, and can successfully build independent regulatory bodies. But collectivist societies like India cannot, and may be should not, try this.

Therefore, we should build a framework for emotional bureaucracies to emerge.

2. Bureaucracy must respond to behaviour of masses

In diverse societies, bureaucracies have to be contextual, and therefore emotional.

They must be designed for everyone, and not just for the urban elites. Regulations force people to change their behaviour and dynamics instantly.

If the bureaucracy is not empathetic to those who are slow in responding, it will be hugely damaging to society as a whole.

3. Public service paramount principle

Every civil servant has this common tenet and motivation of serving vulnerable section. We can’t expect them to fall in queue as we announce any social or technological change.

Its easy for a bureaucrat or any advanced section of society to adapt to changes but its really difficult for vulnerable section.

So civil servants need to show tolerance and use their discretion to provide public services.

Conclusion

Civil servants are deployed to serve the society at fullest and for the same have been given several discretion and freedom for decision making. If that decision is solely propelled by intelligent quotient it may not produce desirable result.

So due diligence of social and emotional quotient must also be attached to decision making especially when it is intended to serve vulnerable sections of society. The role of civil servant plays pivotal role for inclusive development.

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Topic: Dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.

Q) Ethics is essentially a study of human behaviour and societal conditions.

Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

Ethics refers to values which distinguish between right and wrong. Ethics is the study of moral code of conduct which helps a human being in living a socially and morally upright life. As ethics is related to morality, so it affects the human behaviour and societal condition.

It is continuous evaluation of existing value so as to ensure that they are rational and non- discriminatory. This practice of continuously studying values and moral standards has helped in social and human well being in various ways are as follows

Evolution of social ethics

Ethics helps in positive deviation from discriminatory laws and tradition . For eg slavery and varna system could not survive as they could not stand test of modern valued of equality, justice and liberty.

One of the greatest philosopher Aristotle argued against the equality for women, but in the contemporary world, equality for women is a cardinal concept. This demonstrates how ethicality of the question about women equality evolved over time.

Evolution of political ethics

Unlike the erstwhile eras where ruling dynasties formed the core of political system, today no political system can sustain without some elements of democratic decision making with participation of people. Values like human right, justice, fairness have become predominant now.

Evolution of business ethics

The free market principle is premised on the fact that ethics of business is to make only profit. Given the fact that capitalism has given rise to many vices including monstrous income inequality as suggested by Thomas Pikkety, business ethics has evolved to include corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and protection of the interests of small investors.

Evolution of environmental ethics

Since the beginning of modern industrial age, environment has been on the backstage. The resulting climate change consequences has given rise to environmental ethics. This has brought into focus the importance of clean environment for overall human well being.

The aim of ethics has always been to help the humans to change the societal actions in such a way that everybody in the society enjoys Equality, Liberty, Fraternity & Democratic ideals. Hence, ethics has helped immensely in introspecting over old and existing value system so that dignity of all living being is maintained and it ensures collective progress and welfare.

Q) “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.” Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

These words were asserted by Albert Einstein, who is the harbinger of Theory of Relativity in Physics. According to this theory, rules governing the nature of physics change based on references of time and place.

Relativity in ethics on the basis of moral science can be examined as follows –

1. Universality of ethics

The ethics are the cornerstone in a person’s or community’s life for the right behaviour and thus their compromise is sin.

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The humane dimension of ethics emphasises on this notion specifically, against even Physics which is relative only in dimensions not perceivable normally.

2. Uniform behavior

Our behaviour with each person should be guided by the same ethical principles. We cannot let our prejudices or biases dictate our behaviour.

No matter what the status of a person, the behaviour should not change with him/her.

3. Ethical principles uncompromisable

There are some basic fundamental qualities which must be protected in every time and place. They are so sacred that no compromise can be made on them, no matter the circumtrances.

For example, decency of human life, justice, etc. cannot be compromised.

However, relativity in ethics cannot be absolutely negated.

1. Ethical perspectives culture based

What may seem ethical to one may not be ethical to someone else.

For eg there are many cannibal tribes in the world. For them eating humans involve no ethical issues but for others it is ethically wrong.

2. Principle changed over time

What is ethical is decided by humans themselves and it has changed over time.

For example slavery was defended by Aristotle in 3rd century BC, but it is universally condemned now.

Topic: Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance

and probity

Q) What is the difference between Governance, Good Governance, and Ethical

Governance. Can ethical governance be enforced? Give reasons for your answer. (150

Words)

General

Governance

Governance can be dubbed as an act of governing i.e. management of affairs of a state or an organisation.

It is an act of providing a rule bound order necessary for organisation & growth. It involves creation of policies/laws & their enforcement. It is generally judged on the basis of results & minimum of standards & in concerned with authority & power .It normally involves others as means to some external ends with less focus on means used.

For eg., corporate governance, parliamentary governance etc. are some of the forms of governance that denote the management of affairs of these institutions in a defined framework.

Good governance

Good governance is the act of governance which adheres to principles like accountability, transparency, openness, fairness, rule-based people-centric governance, participatory, conducive to inclusivity, equity & sustainable development.

For eg., PPPP model which is people private public partnership envisages participation of not only government and the corporate sector but also the common people so that gains are distributed equally. It is one of the many models of good governance.

Ethical governance

Ethical governance moves beyond the realm of good governance and aims to establish empathetic, compassionate, sensitive & responsive governance.

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Ethical governance is an all embracing concept which is systematic and involves all living beings as ends in themselves with certain absolute values like truth and right action.

Forest Rights Act 2006 mandates not only efficient utilisation of forest resources, but seeks to address the infringement of tribal rights over the decades as well in a humane manner. As the state established control on the forests, tribals were relegated (which contributed to problem of Maoism as well) in the name of “development”. This correction is an act of ethical governance.

Enforcement of ethical governance

Ethical governance though difficult to enforce given the social and economic structural infirmities which impact the governance, but still can be institutionalised in following manner –

Comprehensive ethical training to imbibe a culture of ethical governance

Strong punitive action for deviation

Trend setting behaviour by seniors

In a world marred by hatred, violence, insensitive attitude, governance has to move beyond the realms of good governance to ethical governance to realise what Gandhiji described as “Swarajya” where governance is people centric and moral.

In conclusion Governance can be likened to act of ruling., Good governance to the act of serving and Ethical governance to letting DHARMA/Tao (righteousness) work by itself. When all act according to the right laws of the universe there will be no requirement of a ruler and no requirement of punishment and all will be equally responsible partners.

Q) Power and accountability are correlated, proportional, and commensurate.

Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

History is replete with several examples, which showed how destructive was the phenomenon of power without accountability.

The feudal structure of society with no political recourse for the disadvantaged led to stark inequalities. Similarly rulers like Hitler with no accountability mechanism inflicted serious wounds on the fabric of peace.

Correlated

Rulering and elite class have claimed their legitimacy variously on the basis of divine power. But with the emergence of democracy, the voice of masses has assumed critical significance which account the rulers for their rule.

Power and accountability thus are related and form a chain.

Proportional

In a hierarchical system of administration, power is distributed according to the capabilities of the person for the welfare of the nation.

This distribution of power is proportioned with more accountability, the premise being that a he/she is a public servant and thus the differential power assigned to him/her has to be neutralised with accountability.

Conclusion

As Chanakya advises that the welfare of the rulers lies in the welfare of his subjects, his happiness in their happiness. Conversely he also stated that it is right for the people to revolt against and remove a tyrant and an oppressor.

To ask for accountability from those in power is not just a right, it is a DUTY.

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Topic: Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions;

Q) What are ethical challenges while accomplishing economic growth and

development. How can they be balanced? Discuss. (200 Words)

General

Introduction:

Economic growth and development refers to the improvement in the standard of living of the people.

However economic growth is more of a quantative concept delineating macroeconomic indicators, whereas economic development probs qualitative change in the lives through human development.

Ethical Challenges and respective solutions

Environmental Concerns

Economic progress must not be at the cost of environment. Such a progress is not sustainable.

It will not only reduce the quality of life, but will also have economic costs.

This can be balanced by using environment sensitive practices and comprehensive environmental impact assessment.

Green buildings, solar energy and traditional local water harvesting practices should be prioritised.

Inclusive Development

Economic progress must be inclusive as possible in terms of both regions and people of diversity.

Huge differences in haves and have-nots will create their own problems like regionalism, crimes, communalism, etc. This has been ascertained in Directive Principles as well, while 12th Planning Commission made “inclusive growth” a goal alongside economic growth.

Government schemes like Right to Education, National Food Security, setting up of SEZ in backward areas are steps in the same direction.

Control on mindless growth of consumerism

Progress must be more holistic rather than just mindless consumerism. As Marxists argue that consumerism has dehumanised the real elements of human life, thus progress must be such that it improves quality of life.

Promotion of Yoga and fitness, emphasis on fixed maximum working hours so that time with family is not sacrificed.

Respect for Individual and Community Rights

Proper care for an individual must be given while promoting growth of an entire society. Growth should not be at the cost of suffering of some.

For eg: Right to Privacy needs emphasis while delivering services through Aadhar which potentially violates privacy.

Also, community rights, particularly of tribals should not be violated in the name of “development” like state control over forests and resources. The alienation and displacement of tribals has only become a menace in the form of Naxalism.

Conclusion

Economic progress is very important for the development of a country and its people. But merely adopting some western model of progress is not enough. We must identify our aspiration, needs and plan accord in to our conditions and constraints.

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Q) Looking at various peace disrupting forces being active around the world, do you

think ethics has no significance in practical world? Comment. (150 Words)

General

Introduction:

Ethics forms the base of principles necessary for social cohesion, peaceful co-existence, mutual social trust, collective living and society-building. When ethics are compromised, there is turmoil or the other way around – that is, when there is turmoil, ethics get compromised.

We are living in a divided World. People are fighting on the basis of religion one practices, colour of one’s skin, place of one’s birth. There is a strong feeling that interest and welfare of diverse people are always conflicting and exclusive to each other. Hence to protect own interest, people harm others.

Ethics in critical times

But the problem is that ethics is contextual, perceptual .

Even in turmoil, there is ethics, based on what society in turmoil considers as ethical.

For instance, Jihadis/Taliban has a different definition of ethics. In rural areas, women engaging in love affairs are labelled unethical.

In such a situation many argue that ethics are only a theoretical concept and is unable to change these ground realities. Hence there is no use of teaching ethics.

However in turbulent times, study of ethics is even more significant as ethics helps us to

Develops tolerance

Ethics teaches us concepts like compassion, empathy.

We learn to understand our and others emotions through emotional intelligence. This will help us to develop openness and acceptance towards diverse ideas.

We will understand not to hate those who have different opinions than us.

Rationality and Fairness

Concepts like Objectivity, Impartiality will help us to made decisions based on merit.

We are not naturally inclined towards people of our caste, community but towards who makes more sense.

Examples from great leaders

In ethics we read about lives and ideas of various great leaders like Gandhiji, Swamivivekanand, Plato.

We understand that violence and force might not necessarily be the best way to solve differences. Rather we try to find common ground and resolve disputes.

Case Studies

In ethics we are not just reading some abstract philosophical concepts. Rather we learn how to apply them in real life situations though different case studies.

These case studies takes ethics from textbooks to real life situations. Hence its practicality is very high.

Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said “Darkness cannot stop darkness. Only light can stop the darkness.” Throughout the history, people equipped with only their ethics have waged a war against all the hate and divisiveness of this world.

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Topic: Corporate governance

Q) Discuss the merits of Uday Kotak committee recommendations on corporate

governance. (150 Words)

Livemint

Introduction :- Corporate governance is the mechanisms, processes and relations by which corporations are controlled and directed. Governance structures and principles identify the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation (such as the board of directors, managers, shareholders, creditors, auditors, regulators, and other stakeholders) and includes the rules and procedures for making decisions in corporate affairs.

The Uday Kotak committee has recommended sweeping changes that will make corporate affairs more transparent as well as improve the standard of corporate governance in listed companies.

Committees in the past, such as those led by Kumar Mangalam Birla and N.R. Narayana Murthy, contributed to the process. The Kotak committee has extensively examined the current state and has made recommendations that will help improve governance and enhance investor confidence.

Merits in Uday Kotak committee recommendations :-

Minimum number of board of directors:- The Committee has proposed that now board of directors shall comprise not less than six directors.

Minimum number of board meetings:- These board shall meet at least 4-5 times a year, with a maximum time gap of one hundred and twenty days between any two meetings and at least once a year.

Minimum compensation and remuneration:- Top 500 listed entities by market capitalization shall pay compensation to each independent director as Rs 5 lakh per annum, whether through sitting fees or profit linked commissions.

Credit ratings: Updated list of all credit ratings obtained by the listed entity must be made available at one place, which would be very helpful for investors and other stakeholders.

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Currently, India accounts nearly 3% of world GDP and 2.5% of global stock market capitalisation – with 5,000 listed companies and more than 50 companies in the global Fortune list. Uday Kotak committee recommendations holds importance in growing concerns for corporate governance. The recommendations of the Kotak committee will enhance transparency and effectiveness in the way boards of listed companies function.

Q) Corporate Governance is a balance between necessary State supervision and

celebration of private will. Comment. (200 Words)

The Indian Express

Why Corporate governance needed?

Many Indian companies are groaning under the weight of excess debt.

Few of the expensive acquisitions made in the previous decade have paid off for shareholders. Most corporate boards have maintained a studied silence about these issues.

The problems in the Indian economy right now are as much about corporate governance as they are about the vagaries of the business cycle.

N R Narayana Murthy has repeatedly hit out against the ugly, iniquitous side of Indian capitalism

A paper by the French economist Thomas Piketty and his colleague Lucas Chancel noted that the top 1% of income earners in India now control close to 22% of the total income

Uday Kotak committee recommendations

Composition of board and role

The panel recognises that a large number of listed Indian firms are controlled by a single promoter or a set of persons acting in concert where lines of control, influence and information do not necessarily stay within formal corporate structures

Flaws in board structures have been in evidence whenever gatekeepers have failed to do their job. In its report on Kingfisher, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) made scathing remarks on the board of directors, which included a former chief of the Securities and Exchange Board of India and a former Finance Secretary. The independent directors who were part of the audit committee did not question Kingfisher’s accounting policy and changes in methodology, and were unaware of their impact on profitability and financials

The failed software service firm Satyam, too, had a heavyweight board

1. Number of directors

The committee notes that since the board has a significant role in the functioning of a listed company, it should have an appropriate number of directors.

It has recommended that a listed company should have a minimum of six directors, at least one independent woman director, and a minimum 50% of the directors should be non-executive.

2. Independent directors

The role of independent directors on the board is extremely important as they protect the interest of all stakeholders, especially the small investors. The committee has laid down the path for greater presence and role of independent directors.

No board meeting can be conducted without the presence of an independent director.

The committee has recommended that at least half of the board members should be independent directors.

It has also suggested measures so that independent directors inducted in the board are truly independent.

The dissenting views of independent directors should be published for decisions taken with respect to capital investments, acquisitions, related-party transactions and breach of risk prudence in any manner

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3. Separating management from shareholding

In this emerging age of rapid technological advancement and growing complexities around business corporations, the custodial model of governance warrants a code of minimum qualification/experience for any individual being appointed managing director.

The legacy succession of young family members from the promoter group carries several negative repercussions.

It would be advisable to begin by at least sensitizing promoters to the need to separate management from shareholding. Defining minimum criterion for being eligible for top managerial positions for companies with a certain size and scale of market capitalization is also important.

The committee has recommended the separation of roles of chairperson and managing director, and the chairperson should be a non-executive director.

4. Board meetings and agenda

The committee has suggested that the number of board meetings in a year should be increased from four to five and aspects such as succession planning, strategy and broad evaluation should be discussed at least once a year.

This seems to have been inspired by recent boardroom battles, but it’s not clear if one more board meeting would actually help avoid such problems.

The board should declare its accountability on key business parameters (present and future) at the beginning of the year to shareholders to instill objectivity in board performance

Information dissemination

In some of India’s widely held public listed firms, run by professionals with no controlling set of shareholders in sight, there is no succession planning, and the top deck earns compensation packages grossly disproportionate to that of average employees’. That raises questions about the quality of the mandatory annual board scrutiny of CEOs, based on key performance metrics.

In a severe indictment of the boards of a couple of private banks, a massive divergence was found in the size of bad loans recognised by the banks and the RBI; two banks where the regulator flagged such divergences had a common auditor.

In many countries, the drive has been led by activist shareholders; in India, the most powerful institutional shareholder — the government-owned LIC, which invests over Rs 50,000 crore on average in Indian firms annually — rarely rocks the boat.

1. Access to information

It has recommended that disclosures by companies to stock exchanges and on their own websites should be in a format that allows investors to find information with ease.

It also recommended that companies explain significant changes in select financial ratios in the annual report.

Additionally, the committee has recommended that all listed companies should publish cash flow statements on a half-yearly basis.

All this will help the common investors—who normally don’t have access to financial databases—understand and track companies with relative ease.

Elaborate information to include subsidiary companies—and, in the case of multiple businesses in one company, elaborate business-wise capital deployment along with explanations for changes along prescribed lines proposed in the report.

Financial indicators should be supplemented with some non-financial lead indicators to allow investors to make better assessments.

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2. Auditors role

The Kotak committee sees a case for creating deterrence to ensure this, and recommends greater powers for accounting watchdog Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. ICAI has been unenthusiastic, saying this was outside the committee’s scope — however, a committee on corporate governance headed by Naresh Chandra, too, had, over a decade ago, stressed on the quality of audits, and recommended independent quality review boards.

The reliability of financial statements is extremely important, and this makes the role of auditors crucial.

The committee is of the view that if an audit firm leaves before the expiry of its term, the company should give reasons for this as it could be a cause of concern for investors.

It has also recommended that Sebi should have the power to act against auditors if the need arises.

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