Public Service Ethics, Probity in Governance and Case Studies

Public service values

• Values: integrity, impartiality, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, empathy for the weaker sections, efficiency, and commitment to constitutional values.
• Problems in practice:
  • corruption;
  • politicisation and frequent transfers;
  • red tape;
  • a status-quo mindset;
  • lack of empathy;
  • poor work culture.

Ethical dilemmas

An ethical dilemma is a choice between options that each carry moral weight. Common dilemmas in government:

• Law vs conscience: following an unjust rule.
• Loyalty to a superior vs public interest.
• Transparency vs confidentiality: RTI requests vs security.
• Efficiency vs equity: speedy projects vs land rights.
• Personal vs professional: a relative applying for a contract.

Private institutions face similar dilemmas in profit vs safety and in whistle-blowing.

Sources of ethical guidance

• Laws: the Constitution, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, RTI 2005, the Lokpal Act 2013, the Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2014.
• Rules: the CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964 and the AIS (Conduct) Rules 1968, which cover political neutrality, gifts and property returns.
• Regulations and departmental manuals.
• Conscience is the inner moral sense. It applies when rules are silent or unjust, as in Gandhi's "inner voice".

Accountability and ethical governance

• Kinds of accountability: political (to the legislature), administrative (hierarchy), legal (courts), professional and social (citizens, social audits).
• Mechanisms: the CAG, PAC, CVC, Lokpal, RTI, social audit, citizens' charters and grievance redress.
• Strengthening ethics:
  • a code of ethics (the 2nd ARC's 4th report; a Public Service Bill, never passed);
  • training in ethics (Mission Karmayogi);
  • rewarding integrity;
  • fixing tenure (T. S. R. Subramanian, 2013);
  • simplifying rules;
  • e-governance.
• Ethics in international relations: humanitarian aid, refugees, climate justice and arms sales.
• Ethics in international funding: conditions attached to aid, and FCRA compliance by NGOs.
• Corporate governance:
  • SEBI committees: Kumar Mangalam Birla (1999), Narayana Murthy (2003) and Uday Kotak (2017);
  • the Companies Act 2013 (independent directors, CSR of 2% of profits);
  • ESG reporting (BRSR).

Probity in governance

Probity means integrity and uprightness, going beyond legality. Its philosophical basis lies in Kautilya, Gandhi (trusteeship) and the idea of public office as a public trust.

Tools of probity

Tool	Notes
Information sharing and transparency	RTI Act 2005; Section 4 proactive disclosure
Code of ethics	Broad values, aspirational
Code of conduct	Specific dos and don'ts, enforceable (AIS Rules 1968)
Citizens' charter	Service standards; Sevottam model
Work culture	Punctuality, teamwork, respect for citizens
Quality of service delivery	Right to Services Acts; feedback; DBT
Utilisation of public funds	Audit (CAG), outcome budgets, PFMS, GeM procurement

Corruption

• Causes: discretion without accountability, low risk of punishment, complex rules, a culture of patronage, and the high cost of elections.
• Effects: loss of trust, inefficiency, harm to the poor and to investment.
• Remedies:
  • laws: the PC Act, amended in 2018 to make bribe-giving an offence;
  • institutions: CVC, CBI, Lokpal, Lokayuktas;
  • technology: DBT, e-procurement, online services;
  • social: media, civil society and social audit;
  • ethical leadership.
• Indices: Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. India scores about 38–39 out of 100.

How to solve a case study

1. Identify the stakeholders: who gains and who loses.
2. List the ethical issues and dilemmas, such as integrity vs loyalty, or rules vs compassion.
3. Lay out the options. For each, give its merits and demerits.
4. Choose the best option and justify it with values, law and consequences. Say what you will do immediately, in the short term and in the long term (systemic fix).
5. End with a value statement, for example the Gandhi talisman, constitutional morality, or "public interest above all".

Worked outline: the BDO housing list case (Mains question 3 above)

• Stakeholders: eligible families, the leader and MLA, the BDO, the department, taxpayers.
• Issues: fairness, rule of law, political pressure, the BDO's career risk.
• Action:
  • verify the list against the SECC and Awaas+ data, with a gram sabha verification;
  • strike off ineligible names with recorded reasons;
  • include eligible families;
  • inform the DM in writing;
  • make the list public on the notice board and the portal;
  • be polite but firm with the leader.
• Systemic fix: geo-tagging, a social audit, and grievance redress.
• Values: integrity, empathy for the landless, accountability.

Exam tip: In case studies, never choose "resign" or "do nothing" first. Examiners reward legal + humane + practical action with a long-term fix. Use real tools (RTI, DBT, social audit, CPGRAMS) and the right names: the BDO, DM and gram sabha in Bihar and Jharkhand.