-
05 Apr 2025
GS Paper 4
Theoretical Questions
Day 26: You have been working as a Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in a district of Uttar Pradesh which has a majority rural population. The health department of the state has asked you to implement a family planning project which involves the free distribution of contraceptive pills and condoms in your district, which has seen a large rise in population in the last two decades. However, the district is marred by a low literacy rate, and the use of contraceptive techniques is considered taboo and irreligious by the local population. Your administrative staff, which includes a substantial number of local residents, is also not very optimistic about the success of the project.
What steps will you take in order to motivate your staff and persuade local people for successful implementation of the project. (Answer in 200 words)Approach
- Briefly introduce the case study.
- Highlight the ethical issues.
- Separately write the steps to motivate your staff and local people.
- End with the conclusion.
Introduction
The above case study shows how superstition can obstruct the development process of a nation. It presents a situation where emotional intelligence, persuasion power, dedication, and spirit of service of the civil servant will be checked.
Body
Ethical issues involved in this case:
- Common good: Stable and healthy population is in the national interest.
- Rights: The right to follow your own religious belief and tradition is a fundamental right. Right to the health of children and the right to self-determination.
- Virtues: Optimism and dedication on the part of officers of the medical office and commitment of government employees towards government policies and programs.
- Justice: Injustice with children who will not get better facilities and environment due to population explosion.
- Utilitarian approach: Output will be better for the public in the long run but accepting the public sentiment here will also set a wrong precedent.
Steps for successful implementation of the project :
- For Administrative Staff
- Conduct orientation programs to emphasize the health and ethical dimensions.
- Share success stories from similar districts (peer learning).
- Offer incentives and recognition for proactive workers.
- Promote teamwork and a shared vision through internal meetings.
- For Community Engagement
- Collaborate with local influencers—religious leaders, schoolteachers, panchayat heads.
- Use IEC (Information, Education, Communication) materials in local languages with visuals.
- Conduct awareness camps in a non-judgmental, gender-sensitive manner.
- Involve women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and ASHA workers to build trust.
- For Cultural & Religious Sensitivities
- Frame the project as a maternal and child health initiative, not population control.
- Address myths and misinformation through scientifically backed, culturally acceptable messages.
- Ensure privacy and confidentiality to increase acceptance.
- For the long term, sex education should be provided to students in schools and colleges.
Conclusion
Religion, low literacy rate, and rationality often clash with each other and make the process of development slow in society. This also makes society vulnerable to diseases like AIDS. It is the duty of the state to direct society towards the right path and should deliver the people what they deserve.
