Honesty and Integrity are priceless for Civil Services

Context

Need for setting a mechanism for institutionalizing the high standards of ethical conduct of integrity and Good Governance for Civil Servants.

Background

Honesty or absolute integrity, truthfulness and hard work without indulgences form an inherent part of the life a civil servant whose sole objective is to efficiently deliver services to the public. This article will discuss points which are vitally important to become a good IAS officer. In addition to that must-have skills in a candidate to crack civil services examination will also be talked over.

Ethics

Ethics tells us how to act rightly. It aims at defining terms like good and bad, right and wrong. Ethics is often misunderstood to be doing something which society accepts, but we should not forget that the standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is ethical. An apt and ethical administrator never compromises on the highest standards of quality in administrative decisions and actions due to complacency or convenience.

Essential Qualities in a Civil Servant

Responsiveness and Resilience

Responsiveness and resilience are among the most sought-after and must-have skills. Responsiveness helps you connect with people and pare down communication gap, the right response at the time, sometimes, can help avert awkward situations. Likewise being resilient means you are ready to face down all the challenges of future with great finesse.

Commitment and Dedication

A committed and a dedicated person excel and bring incredibly noticeable results wherever he puts his efforts. There is no substitute of hard and committed work. So an aspirant of UPSC examination must be a committed worker.

Ensuing Excellence in Job

Determination to give nothing but the best instills in our heart courage to get the better of all agonies and problems and taste success. While striving for excellence, many seen and unseen problems are wiped out and we are on the way of giving optimal performance.

Utilitarianism: Modern Principles

An administrator counts on the principle that all his decisions should lead to the greatest good of the greatest number. Relying on the principle means that an administrator’s reach is to most powerful as well as underprivileged classes of the society as well. After deciding to do maximum good for the society, all the decisions already become rational.

Compassion

Compassion for the poor, the disabled and the weaker segment of the society is the highest virtue. It actually determines how successful you are as an administrator. In fact all great administrators and leaders of society have been a compassionate person which is why they could connect to the masses.

Transparency

Civil servants make all their decisions in a transparent manner. Transparency leaves no room for ambiguity. Civil services aspirants show utmost transparency in all their deeds.

Rationality and Law

A nation having law-abidance citizens always grow and prosper so it becomes utmost essential for law enforcers to follow the law and rules to govern and guide. A civil servant has deepest respect for the law and its enforcement.

National Interest

A nation’s prestige comes first and is above everything. A civil servant like a selfless soldier always measures the impact of his action on his nation’s strength and prestige.

Principle of Justice

Administrators must observe principles of equity, equality, impartiality, fairness and objectivity.

Integrity

While undertaking any administrative action, an administrator practices utmost honesty and never uses his power, position and discretion to serve his personal interest.

Mission Karmayogi on Civil Services Reforms for New India

Mission Karmayogi is a nationwide programme aimed to standardise training and lay the foundation for capacity building of civil servants.

Called as the "National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building", the mission plans to transform human resource management from a 'rule-based' to a 'role-based system', according to the government.

"Mission Karmayogi will help end subjective evaluation and ensure scientifically-devised, objective and real-time assessment of employees. It focuses on individual (civil servants) and institutional capacity building. At the top, there will be the Prime Minister's HR council consisting of chief ministers and international experts. The council will be headed by the Prime Minister himself.

Measure Need to be Taken

The Government and the Civil Society must work in tandem to achieve the excellence in the civil services. Some may be as follow

Anticipating specific threats to ethics standards and integrity in the public services: Attention needs to be paid to systemic threats that could weaken adherence to core public sector ethics values, and commitment to good governance, and to preparing the necessary political and management responses.

Strengthening the ethical competence of civil servants, and strengthening mechanisms to support professional ethics: New techniques need to be undertaken to institutionalize ethically competent decision making, disinterested advice to Government, and, ultimately, an ethical culture which supports professional responsibility, self-discipline, and support for the rule of law.

Developing administrative practices and processes which promote ethical values and integrity: New and proposed pro-ethics laws require effective implementation through effective performance management techniques which support the entrenchment of the ethical values set out in Civil Service Codes of Ethics.

Way Forward

The mechanics of good governance have to be replicated and adapted throughout. There is a need for a common and integrated action plan of Nation Building through an Effective Delivery of Civil Services in a Transparent, Accountable, Citizen Friendly, Innovative, High Quality, Cost effective and timely manner.

Connecting the Article

Question for Prelims

Mission Karmayogi scheme is related to

(a) Farmers Reform
(b) Civil Services Reform
(c) Judicial Reforms
(d) None of the Above

Question for Mains

What does ethics seek to promote in a Civil Servant and why is it important in public administration?