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ETHICS ENRICHMENT PROGRAM: TARGET MAINS 2021

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ETHICS ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME CSE MAINS, 2021

APPTITUDE & FOUNDATIONAL VALUES OF CIVIL SERVICE

SAMPLE HANDOUT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1 Aptitude 2

1.2.1 Integrity 4

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WITH MRIDUL PUROHIT SIR (CHROME IAS)

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ETHICS ENRICHMENT PROGRAM: TARGET MAINS 2021 theIAShub

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1.1 Aptitude

Aptitude means the natural or inherent capacity of an individual to acquire an appropriate skill or ability

in the future through appropriate training. It is derived from the word “Aptos” which means “fitted for”.

- Example: Language Acquisition (human beings are born with innate ability to learn languages);

- Budhia Singh (a child from Odisha), acclaimed as the world’s youngest marathon runner. He ran more

than 50 km at the age of 5, which would not possible for a normal child. This shows he had an innate

potential and hence an aptitude to run for long distances;

- Hima Das (Athletics); Mary Kom (Boxing)

Ability is the capacity that an individual already possesses to perform a particular task/ job successfully. It

is the present description of the person’s capabilities.

Skills are the things that one has learned in the past. Skills incline more towards expertise. Example:

Checked by DGCA via

Pilot Proficiency Test Training at GATI (Government

Aviation Training Institute)

Field-level practice as assistant

pilot with commercial flights

Another Example: Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have an aptitude for driving. They trained themselves

and achieved ability in driving. They attained expertise by practicing on racing tracks for years. And now, they

can be said to have good driving skills.

Physical Aptitude Mental Aptitude

Denotes physical traits/ capability of an individual like height, stamina, chest breadth, etc.

Examples: Usain Bolt has long legs and hence, the aptitude to run.

Denotes cognitive capability of an individual

Examples: Naturally some children are blessed with good analytical and mathematical skills.

Aptitude Attitude

Aptitude is the potential to develop proficiency in a particular field.

Innate capacity It can be used to predict the future

performances of an individual. Both mental and physical aspects are involved Easier to change aptitude (through learning,

training, and skill enhancement)

Attitude is a predisposition or behavioral tendency towards socially significant objects, symbols, events or groups.

Learned tendency It can be used to predict the behavior of an individual.

Largely a mental concept Relatively hard to change (requires cognitive

dissonance, exposure, etc.)

Civil Services Aptitude includes:

- Intellectual Aptitude: To inculcate values of rationality, reasoning, scientific temper, objectivity, etc.

- Emotional Aptitude: To develop emotional intelligence, empathy, and compassion towards the weaker

and vulnerable sections of society

- Moral Aptitude: To work with honesty, integrity, impartiality, objectivity and maintain high standards

of probity in governance.

Training Practice Aptitude Ability Skill

Aptitude and Foundational Values of Civil Service 1



- Physical Aptitude like minimum height criteria for IPS (Indian Police Service)

Even a civil servant with low aptitude can develop a high level of skill by training, interest, and the right

attitude towards learning.

Attitude, Aptitude, and Success

Both aptitude and attitude are complementary to each other. “Attitude without aptitude is worthless and

aptitude without attitude is directionless”. A person with aptitude also needs to have a good attitude of

dedication, conviction, and fortitude to become successful.

Ability can’t be stretched beyond a certain limit. Attitude helps in shaping success or failure after a certain

threshold of ability is reached.

- Positive Attitude ⟹ More faith and confidence in one’s abilities (Ira Singhal topped UPSC CSE 2014

despite being a Divyangjan)

- Negative Attitude ⟹ Limits one’s abilities (Indulgence of civil servants in corruption like 2G Spectrum

Scam, Coal Block Allocation Scam, Satyam Scam (Ramalinga Raju), etc.)

Case Study: Both Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar had a high aptitude for cricket. Despite that, Kambli

failed to become a great player. Kambli was swayed by the glamour of success whereas Sachin stayed away

from the limelight and focused more on improving his game (positive attitude). Eventually, Sachin

Tendulkar became one of the most successful cricketers in the world.

There has been a rise in preference for skillset and knowledge over ethics and attitude. Less focus on the

“attitude” is restraining the “altitude” of success of the people and organizations.

- Examples: Focus on skillset while hiring employees by tech giants like Google, Facebook, etc. is leading

to issues like misuse of data (Cambridge Analytica Case).

- Pressure on kids to achieve academic accolades is leading to poor stress management and depression

and poor satisfaction.

Skills Development leads to Professional competence (doesn’t care about the means, thus, immediate &

short-lived gains) whereas Skills & Values Development leads to Holistic competence.



Intellectual Integrity

Types of Moral Integrity Integrity

Professional Integrity

1.2 Foundational Values of Civil Services

1.2.1 Integrity

Integrity is regarded as:

- Consistency in words, beliefs, actions, and behaviors.

- Doing the right thing (right end) for the right reasons (right

intent) even if nobody is watching.

- No gaps between feelings, thoughts, beliefs, standards, ideals,

and behavior.

- Principle of being moral, ethical, and honest in thoughts and

actions.

Honesty vs Integrity

Integrity is the validation of honesty.

INTEGRITY

Integrity Honesty

Integrity is consistent adherence to a moral or ethical code.

Deals with action in behavior Guarantee of honesty

Honesty implies being truthful (even if it is immoral) about a subject in consideration.

Deals with words. Not a guarantee of integrity

Honesty without integrity:

- In the epic Mahabharata, Yudhishthira was honest when he told Dronacharya about the death of

Ashwathama but he lacked integrity since he was referring to the death of an elephant and not the son

of Dronacharya. His intent was not pure.

Meaning Willingness to pursue the truth Being honest with own thinking while making judgement

Significance

Leads to morally correct judgements

Ability to admit one’s mistakes Leads to moral accountability Avoiding discrimination, stereotyping & prejudices Effective use of human conscience.

Examples Raja Rammohan Roy fought against Sati on basis of his

knowledge/ intellect that it was an immoral practice.

Meaning Doing the right thing when no one is watching Unconditional commitment to one’s moral principles

Significance Consistency in private and public ethics (no double

standards)

Examples If one values non-violenece, then he/ she shall not use

violence. (Mahatma Gandhi)

Meaning Acting in agreement with standards, norms and values of

the profession.

Significance Helps in maintaining conscientiousness (deligence) High efficiency & dedication

Examples When a doctor treats a person accused of murder to

ensure him/ her the right to equal justice.



Mass Transfers

Satyam, 2G, Commonwealth Scam

Politicians Bureaucrats

Criminalisation of Politics Politicisation of Criminals

Malpractices

Politicians + Bureaucrats

NEXUS + Businessmen Nexus Crony Capitalism +

Corruption (Lobbying)

Criminals Businessmen

Reasons for decline in Integrity of bureaucracy

Historical Factors:

- Baksheesh System: The practice of tipping which later evolved into outright bribery during the times

of Medieval History.

- The corrupt Mindset is the legacy of the British era when corruption was prevalent in the East India

Company on large scale (Robert Clive, the first Governor of Bengal Presidency, was accused of running

corrupt administration by British MPs)

Social Factors:

- Lack of public participation in ensuring integrity in governance: People themselves bribe officials to

get the work done. This emboldens the corrupt attitude of some officials.

Legal/ Governance related factors

- Poor implementation of policies and schemes such as PDS (Public Distribution System), PM-KISAN,

etc.⟹ Issues of false inclusions (ghost beneficiaries), delay in payments, etc.

- Misuse of legal protection to civil servants under Article 311.

- Increased Red-tapism and delays in policy implementation, environment clearances, etc.

- Increased Corruption: India ranked as low as 86 in 2020 in Transparency International’s Corruption

Perception Index (slipped from 80 in 2019).

Political Factors:

- Nexus between bureaucracy, politicians, criminals, and businessmen

Ineffective accountability mechanisms:

- Dilution of RTI Act and refusal to disclose the information under the same.

- Less autonomy to CBI (Supreme Court calls CBI a caged parrot)

- Dealy in the establishment of Lokpal (First Lokpal appointed in 2019 whereas the Lokpal Act was

passed in 2013)

Weak enforcement mechanisms:

- Judicial Pendency and Delays: Lack of swift action in instances of loss of integrity

o Demotivates the honest civil servants as corrupt officials are not being punished speedily.

o Reduces deterrence power of laws and rules.

Organised Crimes



- Weak enforcement has also negatively impacted some honest civil servants. Example: Govind Ragho

Khairnar (IAS), known as “Demolition Man” in Maharashtra, was accused of accepting a bribe and was

suspended. It took nearly 6 years for the HC verdict which was in favor of Khairnar. This shows the

scope of harassment of honest officials in the prevailing scheme of justice delivery.

Economic Factors:

- Inadequate remuneration as compared to the private sector

- Consumerist tendencies with globalization and economic and income growth.

Ethical Factors:

- Aptitude and attitude mismatch: Loss of Integrity = High Aptitude + Low Attitude

- Involvement in many scams: Many civil servants led scams like 2G Spectrum scam, Coal Block

allocation sam, etc

- Increased instances of conflict of interest: Civil servants take sides of personal affiliation.

o Example: Being in judge in his/ her own case, post-retirement sops, etc.

Examples of Integrity

Historical Mahatma Gandhi remained integral on his idea of non-violence and withdrew Non-

Cooperation Movement post the Chaura-Chauri incident

Public Life

Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then finance minister, played a major role in devaluation

of the Rupee and made some gains as he had some dollar savings of his own. He

deposited those gains in PM Relief Fund. (‘No Wealth without work’)

Lal Bahadur Shashtri was granted permission of 15 days by Britishers to meet his sick daughter. However, she died the day he reached home. He performed the last rites and returned to prison, even though he could have stayed for the duration of parole.

Ashok Khemka (IAS) and Pardeep Kasni (IAS) despite being transferred several times in their career, continue to work with high integrity.

Durga Shakti Nagpal (IAS) fearlessly fought the UP’s Sand mafia.

Personal Following traffic rules even when Traffic Police are not present. Didn’t cheat in the examination when the invigilator went out.

Professional integrity

When a doctor treats a person accused of murder to ensure him/ her the right to equal justice.

In the “Raid” movie, Amay Patnaik (IRS) didn’t stop the raid in a corrupt politician’s house without any official written communication from Minister or PM despite the threats and offers of bribe from the politician.

International Pepsi alerted Coca-Cola about the stolen trade secret instead of using it to compete.

Lack of Professional

Integrity

When a doctor prescribes unnecessary diagnostic tests & medicines for personal gains. A journalist was abducted by police in civil clothes in Karnataka. It was later revealed

as an arrest. This shows the lack of integrity on part of Police officials in performing their duty.

QUOTES

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony” – Mahatma Gandhi

Integrity requires self-discipline, fortitude, and willpower capable of resisting

temptation. Its priceless reward is peace of mind and true dignity.



Knowledge without Integrity: Leads to

clever evils and is dangerous and dreadful

Examples:

- In epic Ramayana, Ravana was highly

knowledgeable but lacked integrity

since he kidnapped Sita against her will

and refuse to even apologize.

- When a doctor uses the knowledge to

perform a sex-selective abortion.

Integrity without Knowledge: If a person

lacks knowledge, his/ her integrity cannot

be put to use by society.

Examples:

- An honest student who has not studied

for the exam will fail

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and

dreadful." – Samuel Johnson.

Importance of Integrity in Public life

Ensures transparency and accountability in public administration

- A civil servant with high integrity would ensure public availability of the information regarding the

decisions of his/ her office and lay down objective criteria of grievance redressals. This leads to fair

public dealing and impartial decision-making.

Ensures compliance with the law and upholding principles of natural justice and constitutional morality.

Improves compliance with Civil Services (Code of Conduct) Rules

- A civil servant with high integrity would abstain from accepting a gift or any other benefit which might

seem to compromise his/ her judgement.

Reduces corruption

Increases bureaucratic efficiency

Ensures proper utilization use of public resources

Builds good leadership skills: High integrity helps in building faith and trust which in turn enhances the

persuasive power of the officials. Example: Former President, APJ Abdul Kalam, flew his family members

to Rashtrapati Bhawan during his swearing-in ceremony as President of India, but he bore the expenses

himself. Similar instances of high integrity in the life of Dr. Kalam made him a great leader.

Ways to inculcate high standards of integrity in governance

ARC Recommendation: Bring out a code of ethics for all departments.

Increased vigilance through institutional mechanisms:

- Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

- Civil Services (Code of Conduct) Rules

- Central and State Vigilance Commissions

- Central Board of Investigation (CBI)

- Lokpal and Lokayuktas



- Right to Information Act, 2005

Attitudinal Change: Preaching and teaching Zero tolerance towards corruption

- Building Emotional Intelligence (Sensitivity training, Role Playing, etc.)

- Promoting best practices of ethical and honest civil servants ⟹ NITI Aayog could maintain a manual of

‘Best Practices & Civil Servants of the Year’ which would encourage officers to be enlisted.

- Conducting Integrity surveys and issuing integrity certificates to recognize the officials of high

integrity.

- “Debo Na, Nebo Na” (Won’t give, won’t take) Initiative of Cachar District Administration (Assam) to

curb corruption in the district by S Lakshmanan (IAS).

Ensuring public participation in governance mechanisms:

- Social Audit should be included in all schemes just as in schemes like PMAY-G, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

(SBM), MGNREGA, Mid-Day-Meal (MDM) Scheme, etc.

- Role of Media: There is a need for vigilance and checks and balances by media to discourage unethical

activities among civil servants.

- Spreading awareness about the online grievance redressal platforms like CPGRAMS (Centralized Public

Grievance Redress And Monitoring System)

- Educating masses about the proper use of RTI through online audiovisual tutorials.

Innovative steps were taken by the government to inculcate integrity:

- Rewarding young officers for their good performance on Civil Service Day

- Compulsory/ forced retirement of IRS officers for loss of integrity (facing charges of corruption, sexual

harassment, fraud, etc.) ⟹ “Permanent Bureaucracy” is no longer “permanent” for the dishonest,

corrupt and inefficient.

- 3600 Appraisal Report introduced in 2016 which goes beyond the Annual Confidential Report (ACR)

and receives feedback on the performance of the civil servant from all concerned stakeholders

- Attempts to cultivate a committed civil service: Proposal of giving weightage to the mandatory

“combined foundation” course while allocating services and cadres.

o Lateral Entry system: Increase in the number of lateral entries would increase the efficiency,

competition, and integrity of officers inducted through direct recruitment.

- All India Services Conduct (Amendment) Rules, 2014 focuses on integrity, transparency, and

accountability.

- Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014 to provide a mechanism to investigate alleged corruption and

misuse of power by public servants and also protect anyone who exposes alleged wrongdoing in

government bodies, projects, and offices.

Integrity Pact: It is a tool developed by Transparency International, which is a legally binding agreement

between all parties to comply with anti-corruption best practices and allows the monitor to make sure it

happens. Many PSUs have implemented it and ARC recommends implementing it in civil services too.

Constitutional Protection to civil servants under Articles 311 and 312 should be removed as recommended

by the 2nd ARC.

International Measures and treaties should be implemented in letter and spirit

- UN Declaration against Corruption and Bribery

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