The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the apex recruiting body in India responsible for selecting candidates for various prestigious civil services positions. In 2015, the General Studies Paper 4, also known as the Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude paper, presented candidates with a challenging array of questions aimed at evaluating their ethical and moral reasoning, decision-making abilities, and overall aptitude. This paper, a critical component of the UPSC examination, tests not only the knowledge but also the character and judgment of aspiring civil servants. Let’s delve into the solved questions of the UPSC 2015 GS 4 paper to gain insight into the rigorous standards expected of future administrators and leaders in India.
Q6. Today we find that in-spite of various measures of prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanisms, corrupt practices are not coming under control. (150 Words, 10 Marks)
- (a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications
- (b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace
Tags: Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Decoding the Question:
- In Intro, try to evaluate the effectiveness of given measures with justifications.
- In Body,
- Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace.
- In Conclusion, try to suggest some reforms for holistic control of corrupt practices.
Answer:
(a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications:
The present initiative has been met with limited success in curbing corruption. The main reasons are:
- Code of Conduct: They set out the values, principles and responsibilities with regard to responsibilities of government functionaries, but lack of enforcement mechanism and lack of revision, limits its efficiency to fight corruption. Use of legal vocabulary and different interpretations make them of little use. Codes of conduct might not have been able to control grossly corrupt behavior by some, but have been effective in showing the virtuous path to an average official and keeping the public services relatively buoyant and beneficial.
- Vigilance Commissions: They have been effective in unearthing many corruption cases, but due to lack of autonomy and limited powers they have not been able to make a huge difference. CBI for example was recently referred to as a ‘caged parrot’ by the Supreme Court. They check any money laundering and corruption like they did in 2g spectrum enquiry. Vigilance commissions have been effective in instilling fear among many officials of getting caught in an illegal act. It has certainly reduced excessive coercion by the public officials of some concerned people who fell in the nets of the law.
- RTI and Media: Active Media, considered as 4th pillar of democracy, have been functional in unearthing many scams like 2G scam, Coal block allocation scam etc.RTI is also a check that has compelled various officials to keep their records in proper order and their decisions in line with propriety and prudence. Active media, forgiving their recent perversion, have also been effective in bringing some issues to light, such as Nirbhaya case in Delhi, instances of Dalit exploitation in some remote areas, mob lynching incidents etc. Such things when inadvertently come to light through the media creates pressure on the government to take swift and stringent action. But they are also misused sometimes. Also killing of RTI activists pose a challenge. This has limited their effectiveness.
- Legislative measures: Though with time amendments have been done to curb various types of corrupt practices, implementation remains weak. This provides loopholes to the corrupt people.
(b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace:
- Bringing about the change in Attitude of People and imparting Value Education: The focus has to be on inculcating positive moral values in our children who will be the future of the country. Methods of social influence and persuasion can be used to change the attitude of people towards foundational values such as honesty, truthfulness and to inculcate social values in them.
- Incorporation of ICT Mechanisms in practice: Adopting digital mechanisms like e-governance, e-courts,Direct Benefit Transfer, in the governance will help in better targeting of beneficiaries and hence ensuring efficient service delivery to citizens.
- Simplification of Complex Procedures: In government departments, red-tapism and excessive bureaucracy results in corruption. Simplifying the procedure and decentralization of decision making power with supervisory mechanisms can improve this situation.
- Leading by Example: Public servants must lead by example so that they can motivate their subordinates.
- Effective Law Enforcement: To ensure that the corrupts are being punished, successful enforcement approaches should be supported by a strong legal framework, strong enforcement agencies and independent and fair judiciary. Civil society, including various NGOs can also add to the support system by taking various initiatives like spreading awareness, social influence, etc.
- Empowerment of Citizens: Empowering citizens to hold the government accountable is a sustainable approach that helps to bring trust and accountability between citizens and the government.
Reforms emphasizing on the role of auditing agencies and improving financial management has a great impact on curbing the menace of corruption. Also, strengthening anti corruption agencies like CBI, Anti Corruption Bureau(ACB) and Vigilance Commission by providing autonomy to them will ensure a check on corruption.
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