GS Paper 4 (Ethics)Administrative priorities and governanceUPSC CSE Mains 2022
Wisdom lies in knowing what to reckon with and what to overlook. An officer being engrossed with the periphery, ignoring the core issues before him, is not rare in the bureaucracy. Do you agree that such preoccupation of an administrator leads to travesty of justice to the cause of effective service delivery and good governance? Critically evaluate.
Based on 24 evaluated answers to this question on CollectorBabu: here is what aspirants most often missed, the mistakes that cost marks, and a model answer.
What most aspirants missed
- Concrete impacts of peripheral focus: delayed projects, cost overruns, citizen frustration, and the Jharkhand PDS starvation deaths as a hard-hitting case
- Defining core versus peripheral issues, for instance core outcomes such as food security against compliance tasks such as file formats
- Causes of the trap: political pressure, red-tape culture and lack of autonomy for officers
- Counter-view that procedures prevent arbitrariness, corruption and leakage, with a brief refutation
- Governance frameworks such as 2nd ARC's citizen-centric administration, Sevottam and Mission Karmayogi, with a systemic fix like outcome-based metrics
- Ethical dimension: substantive justice versus procedural compliance
Common mistakes
- No critical evaluation: the answer agrees with the premise and never offers a counter-argument
- Generic statements about trust in bureaucracy without linking them to concrete outcomes like policy failure or citizen grievances
- Examples cited without explaining how the officer's preoccupation caused the failure, such as MGNREGA budget misuse, which is not a case of peripheral focus
- Conclusion that restates the introduction, with no systemic fix or what administrators should prioritise
What the better answers did
- Clear definition of core and peripheral issues, followed by a balanced verdict on when procedure is necessary
- Real cases tied directly to the officer's focus, such as PDS exclusion and post-disaster response, with specific impacts
- Naming frameworks and reforms (2nd ARC, Sevottam, Result Framework Document, Mission Karmayogi) and offering concrete fixes like outcome metrics and technology dashboards
- Explaining why officers get trapped, covering political pressure, red tape and risk aversion
Introduction
Open by defining the core versus periphery in administration and stating that your answer will test the premise rather than simply accept it.
Conclusion
Close with a verdict that procedure is a means and outcomes are the end, backed by one concrete reform such as result-based metrics or the Result Framework Document.
Model answer
Wisdom in administration lies in distinguishing the core from the periphery. When an officer is absorbed in files, formats and ceremonial duties while the substantive problem goes unaddressed, citizens bear the cost. The premise is largely valid, but a critical view must recognise that procedures are not always peripheral.
How preoccupation damages service delivery
- Jharkhand PDS: reported starvation deaths linked to ration denial over technical issues such as Aadhaar seeding and biometric failures show procedural rigidity overriding the core entitlement.
- Bhopal Gas Tragedy: the response was dominated by claims and compensation processes, while the safety lapses that caused the disaster received less attention.
- Delayed emergency response in disasters such as the Chennai floods of 2015 has drawn criticism when paperwork slowed action where speed mattered most.
- Cynicism: when schemes exist but problems persist, citizens lose faith in governance, and trust in institutions weakens.
Officers get trapped in the periphery due to political pressure, red-tape culture, limited autonomy and a risk-averse mindset in which deviation from procedure is punished more than inaction.
The case for procedure
- Rules prevent arbitrariness and discretionary misuse, and files create audit trails for accountability.
- Safeguards check leakage and corruption in schemes like the PDS. The doctrine of proportionality requires rules to be proportionate to their objectives, not to become ends in themselves.
Systemic fixes
- Outcome-based metrics through the Result Framework Document, and Sevottam service standards with citizen charters.
- 2nd ARC's citizen-centric administration and role clarity for civil servants; Mission Karmayogi for competency building.
- Technology: dashboards that rank grievances by urgency and real-time monitoring of scheme outcomes.
- Kerala's decentralised Panchayati Raj showed that local ownership can improve health and education outcomes.
The premise holds where officers sacrifice outcomes for form. Yet procedures that protect rights and public money must stay. The officer's wisdom lies in ensuring that every file serves a citizen's entitlement.
Write this answer and get it evaluated
Handwritten answers, expert-reviewed, back in under 24 hours. Start UPSC Mains answer evaluation with the ₹49 Trial.
Evaluate my answerAsked in UPSC Mains 2022 GS Paper 4 (Ethics). See all 2022 GS Paper 4 (Ethics) questions
More GS Paper 4 (Ethics) questions
- What is meant by environmental ethics? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics.
- Vinod is an honest and sincere IAS officer. Recently, he has taken over as Managing Director of the State Road Transport Corporation, his sixth transfer in the past three years. His peers acknowledge his vast knowledge, affability and uprightness. The Chairman of the State Road Transport Corporation is a powerful politician and is very close to the Chief Minister. Vinod comes to know about many alleged irregularities of the Corporation and the high-handedness of the Chairman in financial matters. A Board Member of the Corporation belonging to the Opposition Party meets Vinod and hands over a few documents along with a video recording in which the Chairman appears to be demanding bribe for placing a huge order for the supply of QMR tyres. Vinod recollects the Chairman expediting clearing of pending bills of QMR tyres. Vinod confronts the Board Member as to why he is shying away from exposing the Chairman with the so-called solid proof he has with him. The member informs him that the Chairman refuses to yield to his threats. He adds that Vinod may earn recognition and public support if he himself exposes the Chairman. Further, he tells Vinod that once his party comes to power, Vinod's professional growth would be assured. Vinod is aware that he may be penalized if he exposes the Chairman and may further be transferred to a distant place. He knows that the Opposition Party stands a better chance of coming to power in the forthcoming elections. However, he also realizes that the Board Member is trying to use him for his own political gains. (a) As a conscientious civil servant, evaluate the options available to Vinod. (b) In the light of the above case, comment upon the ethical issues that may arise due to the politicization of bureaucracy.
- The principle of impartiality may conflict with the need for compassion towards marginalized communities. Discuss in the context of civil services in India.
- "Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment but a product of civil education and adherence of the rule of law." Examine the significance of constitutional morality for public servant highlighting the role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration.
- "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until and unless we obtain peace within ourselves." – Dalai Lama
- "Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make your emotions work for you instead of against you." Do you agree with this view? Discuss.