Mains Practice Questions

Q. Sense of unity, pride in the past and sense of mission – which Vivekananda proclaimed greatly strengthened India’s nationalist movement. Discuss. 

Q. Maruti is working as deputy secretary in Uttar Pradesh’s revenue department, dealing with grants of government land for various purposes. As land has become very scarce and very expensive, such grants have to be carefully made. The government has formulated a policy for the grant of its land for public purposes. 

The Government’s policy has been that government lands can be granted for purposes such as public educational institutions, hostels, hospitals, charitable institutions, government offices and rural infrastructure. 

Further, land could be given to private parties in a few cases for institutions that undertake programmes of education, health and skill up-gradation for weaker sections of society. 

One day a proposal for granting land to a cultural centre proposed in a prime urban location reached Maruti’s desk. The centre was not proposed by the state culture department, but by a private group. 

As Maruti was reading the file, he received a phone call from the Revenue minister’s private secretary that the person who wants to set up the centre is closely related to a prominent central leader of the ruling political establishment. 

The private secretary added that the proposal was cleared by the lower levels in the department and that Maruti should also endorse it positively. Maruti saw that the proposal could not be cleared under the government’s policy. 

The lower level staff justified the proposal since the official policy resolution contained a residual phrase that grants can be made for “other public purposes as may be decided by the government”. Maruti feared that the grant of valuable land to a private person with political connections could lead to controversy.

In this situation, what should be the correct course of action and why?

Q. "Public service is a public trust."  In light of the statement highlight some of the major principles of the Public Service.

Q. Analyse John Rawls’s concept of justice as fairness.

Q. Corporate social responsibility envisages ethical corporate governance. Discuss.

Q. Citizen initiatives to fight corruption come from an active social consciousness. Discuss.

Q. Explain with examples what do you mean by the term empathy. Also, discuss how it is an important trait for the present-day civil servants?

Q. Sandeep Patel an IAS officer, was posted as Transport Commissioner. While performing chi’s duties he found that the whole of the Transport department including its Minister are steeped in corruption.

It is widely believed that the Minister of the Department has arranged posting of ‘bad elements’ to sensitive jobs with the sole objective of facilitating rent seeking. Due to this, corrupt practices took place mainly in check-posts.

There is heavy vehicle traffic to the neighbouring state which has many ports. There is a parking area where the drivers of the trucks first park the vehicle. They then collect ‘challans’ (demand note) after standing in a long queue before the window of the challan issuing officers.

The driver may have to wait in the queue anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour to collect the challan from the clerk. Along with the challan amount, the truck drivers also paid an ‘extra’ amount as indicated in a coded sign language by the challan issuing staff.

Further, due to the manual system, vehicles are held up for considerable time at the check-posts.

In Sandeep’s place how would you try to improve the system?

Q. Discuss Kautilya’s philosophy of “Yatha Raja Tatha Praja” (As the king is, so will be the people) in the context of today’s political leadership in India. 

Q. Explain the term probity and its relevance to civil services in India.

Q. 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?

Q. Citizen’s Charter seeks to continuously improve the quality of public services for the people so as to respond to their needs and wishes. In the light of the statement discuss the foundational features of a citizen’s charter and what do citizens expect out of it.

Q. Highlight the differences between codes of ethics and codes of conduct.

Q. Discuss the term Constitutional Morality and its significance?

Q. Discuss the basic principles of the communitarianism school of thought.

Q. Chulbul was a close aide of a minister in his constituency. He is known for his hooliganism. Once he got into a fracas in a mall and badly beat up a shop owner’s son. Normally, Chulbul had his way in such matters. However, the shop owner took a firm stand and registered a case against Chulbul. The police officer in charge was new and was proceeding according to law. He refused to dilute the case against him. He makes appeals to the minister for not interfering in the matter. However, the minister tells him that he will transfer the police officer. Further, it is rumored, that a close relative of the minister will be joining as his replacement.

Imagine yourself as the police officer who is to be transferred. Discuss the different options available and how will you respond in this case? 

Q. Illustrate the contribution of Plato in the evolution of the theory of virtue.

Q. Explain the term cultural relativism and associated problems with it.

Q. The government under PM Awas yojana has promised to provide affordable housing to the urban poor. However, after the inspection, it was found that there is a shortage of residential plots in the city. 

You as the District Magistrate have requested the government to release some vacant public land for the construction of houses under this scheme.  While accepting the proposal, the concerned minister suggests that 20% of houses should be allotted from his discretionary quota. In this situation, you have the following options:

1. Simply follow the orders of the minister. 

2. Tell the minister that the proposed discretionary allotments will lead to serious controversy. 

3. Delay the matter.

4. Oppose the decision tooth and nail.

Analyze these options and what advice you would have given to the minister?

Q. Globalisation has been widely debated as a matter of boon or bane for the world. In this context, discuss the ethical challenges posed by the process of globalization. 

Q. What are the main factors responsible for gender inequality in India? Discuss the contribution of Savitribai Phule in this regard. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus.

On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused, the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears.

You have leant many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate 2 the sufferings of migrants in similar situations? (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Distinguish between laws and rules. Discuss the role of ethics in formulating them. (UPSC Mains GS-4 2020)

Q. What teachings of Buddha are most relevant today and why? Discuss. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Rampura, a remote district inhabited by a tribal population, is marked by extreme backwardness and abject poverty. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local population, though it is primarily subsistence due to the very small land holdings. There is insignificant industrial or mining activity. Even the targeted welfare programs have inadequately benefited the tribal population. In this restrictive scenario, the youth has begun to migrate to other states to supplement the family income. Plight of minor girls is that their parents are persuaded by labour contractors to send them to work in the Bt Cotton farms of a nearby state. The soft fingers of the minor girls are well suited for plucking the cotton. The inadequate living and working conditions in these farms have caused serious health issues for the minor girls. NGOS in the districts of domicile and the cotton farms appear to be compromised and have not effectively espoused the twin issues of child labour and development of the area.

You are appointed as the District Collector of Rampura. Identify the ethical issues involved. Which specific steps will you initiate to ameliorate the conditions of minor girls of your district and to improve the over-all economic scenario in the district?  (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. What are the main components of emotional intelligence (EI)? Can they be learned? Discuss. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Rajesh Kumar is a senior public servant, with a reputation of honesty and forthrightness, currently posted in the Finance Ministry as Head of the Budget Division. His department is presently busy in organising the budgetary support to the states, four of which are due to go to the polls within the financial year.

This year’s annual budget had allotted 78300 crores for National Housing Scheme (NHS), a centrally sponsored social housing scheme for the weaker sections of society. 775 crores have been drawn for NHS till June.

The Ministry of Commerce had long been pursuing a case for setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in a southern state to boost exports. After two years of detailed discussions between the centre and state, the Union Cabinet approved the project in August. Process was initiated to acquire the necessary land.

Eighteen months ago, a leading Public Sector Unit (PSU) had projected the need for setting up a large natural gas processing plant in a northern state for the regional gas grid. The required land is already in possession of the PSU. The gas grid is an essential component of the national energy security strategy. After three rounds of global bidding the project was allotted to an MNC, M/s XYZ Hydrocarbons. The first tranche of payment to the MNC is scheduled to be made in December.

Finance Ministry was asked for a timely allocation of an additional 6000 crores for these two developmental projects. It was decided to recommend re-appropriation of this entire amount from the NHS allocation. The file was forwarded to Budget Department for their comments and further processing. On studying the case file, Rajesh Kumar realized that this re-appropriation may cause inordinate delay in the execution of NHS, a project much publicized in the rallies of senior politicians. Correspondingly, non-availability of finances would cause financial loss in the SEZ and national embarrassment due to delayed payment in an international project.

Rajesh Kumar discussed the matter with his seniors. He was conveyed that this politically sensitive situation needs to be processed immediately. Rajesh Kumar realized that diversion of funds. from NHS could raise difficult questions for the government in the Parliament.

Discuss the following with reference to this case:

a. Ethical issues involved in re-appropriation of funds from a welfare project to the developmental projects.

b. Given the need for proper utilization of public funds, discuss the options available to Rajesh Kumar. Is resigning a worthy option? (250 words) (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. “Education is not an injunction, it is an effective and pervasive tool for all-round development of an individual and social transformation”. Examine the New Education Policy, 2020 (NEP, 2020) in light of the above statement. (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020)

Q. Discuss the role of ethics and values in enhancing the following three major components of Comprehensive National Power(CNP) viz. human capital, soft power(culture and policies), and social harmony. (150 words) (UPSC GS-4 Mains 2020).

You are part of a football team at an international tournament representing your country. Your team has played really well to reach the final. However, a day before the final match you witness the best forward players who scored the maximum goals in the tournament were injecting something using a syringe in private. When you approach them, they explain that it is a performance enhancing drug which is very common in such competitions and they suggested, you should take the same as well. When you enquire more about it, you get to know that those players have been taking the drug throughout the tournament at the advice of the coach himself. You discuss this issue with the coach but he tells you to ignore all this and concentrate on your own performance and threatens you of dire consequences if you reveal this to anyone.

a. Highlight the stakeholders and their ethical issues in this case

b. Discuss your course of action in such a scenario.

c. What long term measures would you suggest to stop the usage of such unfair means in sports.