GS Paper IV 2016 · Q3 (Section A)
2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Moral thinkers & philosophers X-Ray · Core #69Q3(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own
Analyse John Rawls’s concept of social justice in the Indian context.
Approach · directive: “analyse”
What it asks · Break Rawls's justice as fairness into its principles, test each against India's Constitution, policies and social reality, and judge where it fits and where it falls short.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Explain Rawls's concept of social justice (justice as fairness)
- Analyse how far it fits India's constitutional and policy framework
- Analyse its limits in the Indian context, with a reasoned view
Open with · Rawls's social justice as justice as fairness: the principles free and equal persons would choose behind a veil of ignorance, not knowing their own place in society.
Cover
- A table maps Rawls's three principles to Indian echoes: Fundamental Rights, reservations under Article 16(4), and Article 38(2) with MGNREGA.
- Constitutional fit: the Preamble's social, economic and political justice; Article 38(2) on minimising and eliminating inequalities.
- Reaching the least advantaged: the Supreme Court's creamy layer rule and MGNREGA's 100 days of wage employment.
- Limits: caste and gender hierarchies work through family, custom and community, beyond the basic institutions Rawls addresses.
- Sen's correction: niti versus nyaya, drawn from early Indian jurisprudence, and capabilities, what people can actually do and be.
Close with · Ambedkar's warning of 'a life of contradictions' from 26 January 1950, political equality with social and economic inequality; Rawls read with Sen's eye on real lives as a test for ending it.
Add value (verified)
- Rawls's second principle: social and economic inequalities must attach to positions open to all under fair equality of opportunity and be to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged (the difference principle).John Rawls — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“Second Principle : Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two conditions: They are to be attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity ; They are to be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society (the difference principle )”
- Article 38(2) directs the State to reduce inequalities, echoing Rawls's concern for the least advantaged.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 38(2) — Legislative Department ↗“The State shall, in particular, strive to minimise the inequalities in income, and endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities”
- Amartya Sen, drawing on early Indian jurisprudence, contrasts niti (organisational propriety and behavioural correctness) with nyaya (what emerges, and in particular the lives people are actually able to lead).Dhawal Shankar Srivastav, 'Rawls's Theory of Justice through Amartya Sen's Idea', ILI Law Review, Winter 2016 — Indian Law Institute (PDF) ↗“Professor Sen took cue of the early Indian jurisprudence to shed light on the different concepts of justice, ‘Niti’ and the ‘Nyaya’. The idea of niti relates to organizational propriety as well as behavioural correctness, whereas the latter, nyaya, is concerned with what emerges and how, and in particular the lives that people are actually able to lead.”
- Sen's capability approach: freedom to achieve well-being is a matter of what people are able to do and to be, the kind of life they are effectively able to lead.The Capability Approach — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“The capability approach purports that freedom to achieve well-being is a matter of what people are able to do and to be, and thus the kind of life they are effectively able to lead.”
- B.R. Ambedkar, Constituent Assembly, 25 November 1949: from 26 January 1950 India would have political equality but social and economic inequality.Constituent Assembly Debates, 25 November 1949 — constitutionofindia.net ↗“On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 222words · Minimalist IAS
For John Rawls, social justice is justice as fairness: the principles free and equal persons would choose behind a veil of ignorance, not knowing their own place in society.
| Rawls's principle | It requires | Indian echo |
|---|---|---|
| Equal basic liberties | Same rights for all | Fundamental Rights |
| Fair equality of opportunity | Open positions, real chances | Reservations, Article 16(4) |
|---|---|---|
| Difference principle | Inequality only if it helps the worst-off | Article 38(2), MGNREGA |
- Constitutional fit: the Preamble promises social, economic and political justice; Article 38(2) directs the State to minimise inequalities in income and eliminate those in status, facilities and opportunities.
- Reaching the least advantaged: the Supreme Court's creamy layer rule keeps reservation benefits from the better-off; MGNREGA promises 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural households.
- Limits in India: Rawls looks to a society's basic institutions, but caste and gender hierarchies work through family, custom and community, so formal equality coexists with deep deprivation.
- Sen's correction: drawing on early Indian jurisprudence, Amartya Sen sets niti, correct rules and institutions, against nyaya, the lives people are actually able to lead; his capability approach asks what people can do and be.
Ambedkar warned that from 26 January 1950 India would enter 'a life of contradictions': equality in politics, inequality in social and economic life. Rawls, read with Sen's eye on real lives, offers a test for ending it.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
Q3(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own
Discuss the Public Services Code as recommended by the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Discuss the code of values, ethics and conduct the 2nd ARC recommended for public servants: why it was proposed, its structure and content, its legal form, and its merits and limits.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Explain what the 2nd ARC recommended and why
- Describe the code's structure and content
- Assess its merits and limits
Open with · A public services code as a written statement of the values and standards expected of every public servant; the 2nd ARC's 4th Report, Ethics in Governance (2007), on defining Public Service Values for all tiers, and its 10th Report's three-tier design.
Cover
- A table sets out the three tiers: values and a Code of Ethics in statute, and a Code of Conduct of precise do's and don'ts.
- Core values: commitment to the Constitution, probity and integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, and commitment to citizens' concerns and the public good.
- Teeth: transgression of the values to be treated as misconduct inviting punishment; conflicts of interest covered comprehensively in the codes.
- Legal form: the values and Code of Ethics in a proposed Civil Services Bill, carrying statutory weight.
- Assessment: merits (one reference for every tier, a basis for training, appraisal and discipline) and limits (values resist enforcement by penalty alone).
Close with · The last value on the ARC's list, empathy for the vulnerable and weaker sections of society, as the heart of the design: compassion made a duty of office moves the service from compliance to conscience.
Add value (verified)
- The Second ARC's Ethics in Governance recommendation, as summarised by the Mizoram DP&AR: public service values are to be defined for all public servants.The 2nd ARC and its recommendations — Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms, Government of Mizoram (summary of the 4th report, Ethics in Governance) ↗“Public Service Values for all public servants should be defined”
- 2nd ARC, 4th Report, Ethics in Governance (January 2007), recommendation 2.7.12: Public Service Values to be defined for all tiers of government and parastatal organisations, any transgression to be treated as misconduct inviting punishment, and conflicts of interest to be covered comprehensively in the codes of ethics and conduct.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (January 2007), summary of recommendations, 2.7.12 — DARPG (archived PDF) ↗“‘Public Service Values’ towards which all public servants should aspire, should be defined and made applicable to all tiers of Government and parastatal organizations. Any transgression of these values should be treated as misconduct, inviting punishment. *b. Conflict of interests should be comprehensively covered in the code of ethics and in the code of conduct for officers.”
- The 2nd ARC's 10th Report (ch. 16, Civil Services Code) conceives a comprehensive Civil Service Code at three levels, with values at the apex.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 10th Report: Refurbishing of Personnel Administration (DARPG, archived copy) ↗“A comprehensive Civil Service Code can be conceptualized at three levels. At the apex level, there should be a clear and concise statement of the values and ethical standards that a civil servant should imbibe.”
- The values the 2nd ARC listed (para 16.11): commitment to the Constitution, probity and integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, commitment to the public good, and empathy for the vulnerable.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 10th Report: Refurbishing of Personnel Administration (DARPG, archived copy) ↗“16.11 Th e Commission is of the view that in addition to commitment to the Constitution these values should include: a. Adherence to the highest standards of probity, integrity and conduct b. Impartiality and non-partisanship c. Objectivity d. Commitment to the citizens’ concerns and public good e. Empathy for the vulnerable and weaker sections of society”
- The 2nd ARC wanted the values and the Code of Ethics given statutory backing through a proposed Civil Services Bill, with a separate Code of Conduct of precise do's and don'ts.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 10th Report: Refurbishing of Personnel Administration (DARPG, archived copy) ↗“Code of Conduct stipulating in a precise and unambiguous manner, a list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and actions. Th e Commission feels that the values and the Code of Ethics should be given a statutory backing by including them in the proposed Civil Services Bill.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 224words · Minimalist IAS
A public services code is a written statement of the values and standards expected of every public servant. The 2nd ARC's 4th Report, Ethics in Governance (2007), asked that 'Public Service Values' be defined for all tiers of government; its 10th Report gave the code three tiers.
| Level | Content | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Values | Probity, impartiality, empathy | In statute |
| Code of Ethics | Broad principles of behaviour | In statute |
|---|---|---|
| Code of Conduct | Precise do's and don'ts | Detailed rules |
- Core values: commitment to the Constitution; probity and integrity; impartiality and non-partisanship; objectivity; and commitment to citizens' concerns and the public good.
- Teeth: any transgression of these values was to be treated as misconduct, inviting punishment, and conflicts of interest covered comprehensively in the codes.
- Legal form: the values and the Code of Ethics were to sit in a proposed Civil Services Bill, carrying statutory weight rather than remaining exhortation.
- Merits: one clear reference for every tier and parastatal body, and a basis for training, appraisal and discipline, above today's scattered service rules.
- Limits: values resist enforcement by penalty alone; they live through leaders who model them and protection for officers who act on them.
The last value on the ARC's list, empathy for the vulnerable and weaker sections of society, is the heart of the design: making compassion a duty of office moves the service from compliance to conscience.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
