Mains Marathon

Day 45: Full Length Test GS 4

Q1: (i) With the increasing use of technology and data in governance, analyse the ethical challenges related to digital privacy and data security in the public sector. (150 words)

(ii) Evaluate the ethical dimensions of police misconduct and brutality. What reforms are needed to ensure greater accountability and ethical behaviour within law enforcement agencies? (150 words)

Q2: (i) Ethical leadership is the cornerstone of good governance, as it inspires public trust and champions transparency, accountability, and inclusivity within government institutions. Comment. (150 words)

(ii) There is a view that the Official Secrets Act is an obstacle to the implementation of Right to Information Act. Do you agree with the view? Discuss. (150 words)

Q3: (i) Discuss the ethical dilemmas associated with space exploration and commercialization. How can governments and international organizations promote responsible space activities while considering the potential impact on celestial bodies and extraterrestrial life? (150 words)

(ii) What do you understand by this quote: Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." - C.S. Lewis (150 words)

Q4: (i) The ethical way is the intelligent way. What does this quote mean for the role of public servants in upholding ethical standards? (150 words)

(ii) Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do." – Potter Stewart. Discuss the significance of this quote in the context of public administration and decision-making. (150 words)

(iii) What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? How can empathy help a civil servant in understanding the needs and feelings of the stakeholders and delivering better public service? Give suitable examples. (150 words)

Q5: (i) How can emotional intelligence help in resolving ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest in public administration? Illustrate with a case study of your choice. (150 words)

(ii) Character is like a tree, and reputation is like its shadow." - Abraham Lincoln. Discuss the importance of character in ethical leadership, and how it influences a leader's reputation in the public sector. (150 words)

Q6: (i) How can you develop a positive attitude towards life and work? Explain the benefits of having a positive attitude. (150 words)

(ii) What is the difference between moral relativism and moral universalism? How do they affect your ethical judgments and actions? (150 words)

Q7: You are the head of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that offers palliative care to cancer patients from the poor sections of the society. Since the last few months funding for your noble cause is dwindling due to which you are not able to fulfil the needs of the dependent people. One day, you are contacted by the owner of a big tobacco company who is willing to fund your NGO because he has to meet Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) targets. However, over the years working with cancer patients you have developed a deep hatred for tobacco companies. Now, the owner’s offer has put you in a moral dilemma. On the one side, you detest the thought of accepting support from a company that is doling out cancer through its products, and on the other hand, you feel that the company's aid is a godsend opportunity for your NGO to provide better care to patients.

(a) What are the various ethical issues involved here?

(b) Will it be morally right for you to accept money from the tobacco company?

Q8: You are posted as a District Magistrate. You come to know about a situation in the village under your jurisdiction where the population is suffering from Anaemia. An initiative was taken to provide fortified rice to villagers in order to provide nutrition to them, but villagers deny eating them as they have the misconception of the rice being the plastic rice. On the other hand, the village is also influenced by the Leftist movement, and you get to know that Naxalites are using this public perception for their own benefit, making it more difficult for the government to reach the people.

An alternate initiative was taken by providing iron tablets to people, but it created another misconception among villagers that these tablets lead to more weight of babies in pregnant mothers leading to delivery complications. Thus, it also ended in failure.

(a) What are the various issues involved in the above case study?

(b) How will you change the perception of the people in the backdrop of the spread of misinformation by the Naxalites?

Q9: Elections have been declared in the state. According to the election code of conduct, all major decisions have been put on hold. In this situation, chief secretary, Deepankar Prakash faced a delicate problem that arose from the failure of rains in some parts of the state.

In this case, extra power has to be supplied to farmers to enable them to run irrigation pump sets. Power was also needed to tackle drinking water supply problems. The situation led to public dissatisfaction and the Chief Minister knew that it would affect the party’s election prospects.

However, the state had no generation capacity, power has to be purchased at a high cost. Further, the state electricity board had no money. Funds can be given to the board only by withdrawing a large sum from the contingency fund.

In this situation, the chief minister has asked Deepankar Prakash to do something about the matter.

Imagine yourself as the chief secretary and discuss the different options available and how will you respond in this case?

Q10: Sunanda Vashisht, IAS, comes from a family with strong moral and religious inclinations. She is the DM of a Hindu majority district with substantial Muslim population. There is only one good town hall in the district headquarters controlled by the estate department under the DM. Every year, both Hindus and Muslims used to celebrate their prominent festivals like Eid, Diwali or Ganesh Puja, in this hall. This year Eid and a well-known Hindu festival coincides. And the groups of both communities protesting for allotting the hall to celebrate their religious festival.

(a) Mention the ethical and situational challenges that are faced by the DM.

(b) Also mention your course of action to resolve the issue so that both communities can celebrate their festivals peacefully.

Q11: Suppose you are newly appointed as a District Collector, and a businessman approaches you to seek permission regarding building a mall in your city with a modernised ambience that once built will be a glorious addition to the city. However, the projected land for the mall is surrounded by slums, and therefore must be cleared before construction can begin.

The subordinate informed you that the slums were built illegally and have been breeding grounds for drug dealers and phone snatchers.

In addition, the businessman proposes that if you approve the tender, he will facilitate the purchase of a large plot of land in a renowned area of the city in the name of your wife/husband.

Critically examine various conflicts of interest and explain your course of action as a public servant.

Q12: You are a senior executive at a large healthcare organization that has recently implemented an artificial intelligence (AI) system to assist doctors in diagnosing and treating patients. The system uses machine learning algorithms to analyze patient data, identify patterns and predict outcomes. It has been designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

However, the system has recently come under scrutiny from the media, patient groups and regulators who are concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in healthcare. There are concerns that the system may be biased, as it has been trained on data that may not represent all patient populations. There are also concerns about the potential loss of privacy and autonomy for patients, as their data is being collected and analyzed without their explicit consent.

You have been tasked with addressing these ethical concerns and ensuring that the healthcare organization is operating in a responsible and ethical manner.

What steps will you take to address biases in AI systems and ensure that they are transparent and accountable?