2025

UPSC CSE (Main) 2025

GS Paper IV 2025

Ethics, integrity & aptitude.

UPSC's question paper: open the official PDF ↗

GS Paper I GS Paper II GS Paper III GS Paper IV Essay

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q1 (Section A)

20 marks · 150 words Ethics & human interface

(a) In the present digital age, social media has revolutionised our way of communication and interaction. However, it has raised several ethical issues and challenges. Describe the key ethical dilemmas in this regard. (b) “Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment but a product of civil education and adherance of the rule of law.” Examine the significance of constitutional morality for public servant highlighting the role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration.

Approach · directive: “describe / examine”

What it asks · (a) Set out the core ethical tensions social media creates for users, platforms and the State; (b) explain constitutional morality and show how it helps public servants govern well and answer for their actions.

The question has 2 parts — answer each

(a) Describe the key ethical dilemmas that social media raises for users, platforms and the State
(b) Examine the significance of constitutional morality for a public servant, highlighting its role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration

Open with · (a) Social media has made every user a publisher and a few platforms the gatekeepers of debate; (b) Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly that constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.

Cover

(a) Free expression vs harm: hate speech, trolling and incitement — and who decides what comes down: platforms, the State or users?
(a) Privacy vs connectivity: data harvesting, profiling and surveillance, with consent that is rarely informed.
(a) Truth vs virality: misinformation and deepfakes outrun corrections; algorithms reward outrage over accuracy.
(a) Well-being and identity: addiction and self-image pressure among the young, cyber-bullying; anonymity that shields dissent but also abuse.
(b) Meaning: fidelity to the Constitution’s values — rule of law, dignity, equality, liberty, fraternity — above personal, partisan or majoritarian preference.
(b) For the public servant: guides discretion where rules are silent, resists unlawful orders, protects the weakest, follows due process under pressure.
(b) Governance and accountability: reasoned, transparent decisions, respect for RTI and judicial review; cultivated through training, codes of conduct and leadership by example.

Close with · Both parts ask for internalised restraint: digital literacy for citizens and the Constitution's values as the officer's compass, cultivated through civic education and value-based training.

Add value (verified)

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 states the privacy dilemma in its own long title — individual rights versus lawful processing of data. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), MeitY ↗“An Act to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes”
Ambedkar, moving the Draft Constitution on 4 November 1948, quoted the historian Grote: constitutional morality is 'a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution' joined to open speech and censure of authority. Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol. VII, 4 November 1948 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — sansad.in ↗“By constitutional morality Grote meant "a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution, enforcing obedience to authority acting under and within these forms yet combined with the habit of open speech, of action subject only to definite legal control, and unrestrained censure of those very authorities as to all their public acts”
The Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (order of 24 March 2015). Information Technology Act, 2000 (updated), footnote to Section 66A — India Code ↗“Section 66A has been struck down by Supreme Court’s Order dated 24th March, 2015 in the Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India, AIR 2015 SC. 1523.”
Mill's harm principle (On Liberty, 1859), as quoted by the Supreme Court in Puttaswamy (2017): power may be used against an individual's will only to prevent harm to others. Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, judgment of 24 August 2017 — Supreme Court of India ↗“thesis “On Liberty”, John Stuart Mill, as far back as in 1859, had this to say: “…. the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self- protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
Puttaswamy (2017): privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21. Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, judgment of 24 August 2017 — Supreme Court of India ↗“(iii) The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.”
All India Services (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(2B): every member shall commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(2B) — Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“(i) commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values; (ii) defend and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of State, public order, decency and morality; (iii) maintain integrity in public service;”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 424 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

Social media has made every user a publisher and a few private platforms the gatekeepers of public debate. The Constitution, in turn, asks every public servant to be its guardian. Both need a restraint that, as Ambedkar warned the Constituent Assembly, is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.

(a) Key ethical dilemmas of social media

Value	Collides with	Seen in
Free expression	Protection from harm	Hate speech, trolling
Connectivity	Privacy	Profiling, data harvesting
Virality	Truth	Deepfakes, misinformation

Free speech vs harm: Mill's harm principle permits power over an individual only "to prevent harm to others". But who judges harm: platform, State or user? In Shreya Singhal (2015) the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act, a reminder that curbs on speech must be precise.
Privacy vs connectivity: free services are paid for with attention and data, on consent rarely informed. Puttaswamy (2017) made privacy an intrinsic part of Article 21; the DPDP Act, 2023 balances the right to protect personal data against lawful processing.
Truth vs virality: engagement-driven algorithms reward outrage over accuracy; deepfakes outrun every correction.
Well-being vs engagement: addictive design, cyber-bullying and self-image pressure fall hardest on adolescents.
Anonymity: it shields whistle-blowers and dissent, but also abuse and impersonation.
Private power: platforms moderate public speech as unelected gatekeepers, with opaque rules and little answerability.

(b) Constitutional morality: why it matters for the public servant

Meaning: fidelity to the Constitution's values (rule of law, equality, liberty, dignity, fraternity) above personal, partisan or majority preference. On 4 November 1948 Ambedkar borrowed Grote's definition: "a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution", joined to open speech and censure of authority.
Cultivated, not innate: as the statement says, it grows through civic education and daily adherence to the rule of law.
Legal anchor: the All India Services (Conduct) Rules require every member to "commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values".
Good governance: it guides discretion where rules are silent, keeps decisions reasoned, non-arbitrary and impartial, and protects the weakest even against popular pressure.
Accountability: reasons recorded on file, respect for judicial review, RTI and legislative scrutiny; unlawful orders refused through lawful channels, not obeyed silently.
Cultivation in practice: case-based ethics training, codes of conduct, and seniors who model the values.

Both parts ask for internalised restraint: citizens who pause before they post, and officers whose compass is the Constitution rather than the crowd's mood. Digital literacy from school and value-based training of civil servants can cultivate what Ambedkar knew does not come naturally.

Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q2 (Section A)

20 marks · 150 words Ethics in public administration

(a) Carl von Clausewitz once said, “War is a diplomacy by other means.” Critically analyse the above statement in the present context of contemporary geo-political conflict. (b) Keeping the national security in mind, examine the ethical dilemmas related to controversies over environmental clearance of development projects in ecologically sensitive border areas in the country.

Approach · directive: “critically analyse / examine”

What it asks · (a) Test the idea that war and diplomacy are continuous tools of state policy against today’s conflicts; (b) weigh security-driven infrastructure in fragile border areas against ecological and community concerns.

The question has 2 parts — answer each

(a) Critically analyse Clausewitz's claim that war continues diplomacy (policy) by other means, in the context of contemporary geopolitical conflict: where it holds, where it fails, and a verdict
(b) Examine, with national security in mind, the ethical dilemmas in controversies over environmental clearance of development projects in ecologically sensitive border areas

Open with · (a) Clausewitz’s own formulation in On War is that war is a continuation of policy by other means — force as an instrument of political purpose.

Cover

(a) Still true in part: in Russia–Ukraine and West Asia, force is used to gain leverage, and talks run alongside fighting.
(a) The line has blurred: sanctions, trade and energy leverage and cyber operations are coercion short of war.
(a) Critique: the UN Charter outlaws force except in self-defence; nuclear risk and civilian suffering make war a failure of diplomacy, not its extension.
(a) Ethical lens: just-war tests of cause, proportionality and distinction; the Gandhian view that means must be as pure as ends.
(b) Dilemma: roads, tunnels and airstrips in the Himalaya and island territories are vital for defence, but slopes, glaciers and forests are fragile.
(b) Values in tension: security and duty to soldiers vs disaster risk, intergenerational equity, tribal rights and transparency of fast-tracked clearances.
(b) Balance: strategic and cumulative impact assessment, resilient engineering, independent oversight — as the Supreme Court did while allowing wider Char Dham defence roads (2021).

Close with · Security and sustainability are not rivals: keep war the last resort, as Kautilya and the just-war tests advise, and build border infrastructure that fragile terrain can bear.

Add value (verified)

The UN Charter bars the threat or use of force against any state’s territorial integrity — the legal answer to treating war as routine policy. Charter of the United Nations — Article 2(4) ↗“All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”
The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 takes forest land within 100 km of international borders, the LoC and the LAC out of the Act's clearance regime when it is used for strategic linear projects of national importance — the policy choice behind the clearance controversy. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 (No. 15 of 2023) — Gazette of India, August 2023 ↗“such forest land,— (i) as is situated within a distance of one hundred kilometres along international borders or Line of Control or Line of Actual Control”
Operation Sindoor (7 May 2025): the Government described its strikes on terrorist infrastructure as 'focused, measured and non-escalatory'. Operation Sindoor: Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strike at terrorist camps — PIB, 7 May 2025 ↗“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
Just war theory's jus ad bellum tests include proportionality and last resort (necessity): no less harmful way to achieve the just cause. War — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“Proportionality: the morally weighted goods achieved by the war outweigh the morally weighted bads that it will cause. Last Resort (Necessity): there is no other less harmful way to achieve the just cause.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra, Book VII): when peace and war bring equal advantage, prefer peace, for war always brings loss of power and wealth. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book VII Ch. II — archive.org ↗“WHEN the advantages derivable from peace and war are of equal character, one should prefer peace; for disadvantages, such as the loss of power and wealth, sojourning, and sin, are ever- attending upon war.”
Gandhi, Hind Swaraj: means and ends are inseparable, as seed and tree. Hind Swaraj, Ch. XVI (Brute Force) — mkgandhi.org ↗“The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree; and there is just the same inviolable connection between the means and the end as there is between the seed and the tree.”
A glacial lake outburst at South Lhonak, Sikkim (October 2023) sent a surge of about 50-60 ft down the Teesta — the hazard border infrastructure must withstand. Beyond Battlefield: Indian Armed Forces in HADR — PIB backgrounder, 15 February 2026 ↗“Glacial Lake Outburst, South Lhonak (October 2023) A Glacial Lake Outburst in South Lhonak, located in Sikkim's far northwestern region,produced a ~50-60 ft surge in the Teesta.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 423 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

Clausewitz's own formulation in On War is that war is the continuation of policy by other means: force as an instrument of political purpose. Today's conflicts show where that holds, and where it becomes a dangerous licence.

(a) Where the statement holds in today's conflicts

Force for leverage: in Russia–Ukraine and West Asia, battlefield gains become bargaining chips and talks run alongside the fighting.
Coercion short of war: sanctions, trade and energy leverage and cyber operations place force and diplomacy on one continuum.
Calibrated force: India described Operation Sindoor (May 2025) as "focused, measured and non-escalatory": force tied to a limited political aim.

Where it fails

Law: the UN Charter bars the threat or use of force against any state's territorial integrity.
Just war ethics: force must pass the tests of proportionality and last resort: no less harmful way to the just cause.
Kautilya's realism: when peace and war offer equal advantage, "one should prefer peace", since war always costs power and wealth.
Gandhi: means and ends are linked like seed and tree; violent means corrupt the peace they seek.
Human cost: civilian suffering and nuclear risk make war the failure of diplomacy, not its extension.
Verdict: a fair description of how states behave, but an unacceptable norm; war must remain the last resort under law.

(b) Ethical dilemmas in environmental clearance of border projects

Dimension	Security view	Ecological view
Speed	Roads, tunnels needed fast	Exemptions skip scrutiny
Terrain	Mobility for troops	Fragile slopes, glaciers
People	Secure border villages	Tribal rights, disaster risk

Speed vs scrutiny: the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 exempts forest land within 100 km of borders, the LoC and the LAC for strategic linear projects.
Security vs safety: fragile terrain strikes back; the South Lhonak glacial lake outburst (October 2023) sent a surge of about 50–60 ft down Sikkim's Teesta.
Present vs future: the Brundtland Report's test of sustainable development is that today's needs are met without eroding the capacity of future generations to meet theirs; lost glaciers and old forests do not return.
Secrecy vs accountability: defence secrecy limits public hearings, while local and tribal communities bear the costs.
Balance: the Supreme Court allowed wider Char Dham roads for defence (2021) under independent oversight; strategic and cumulative impact assessment and resilient engineering should follow everywhere.

Security and sustainability are not rivals: a road that a glacial flood washes away defends no one. Kautilya's preference for peace and the Brundtland test point the same way: keep war the last resort, and build border infrastructure that the mountains can bear.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q3 (Section A)

30 marks · 150 words Moral thinkers & philosophers

Given below are three quotations of great thinkers. What do each of these quotations convey to you in the present context?

(a)“Those who in trouble untroubled are, Will trouble trouble itself.” – Thiruvalluvar
(b)“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.” – William James
(c)“The strength of a society is not in its laws, but in the morality of its people.” – Swami Vivekananda

Approach · directive: “what do these quotations convey”

What it asks · Read each quotation in plain terms, then apply it to present-day life and public service with a concrete example.

The question has 3 parts — answer each

(a) Thiruvalluvar: read the couplet on staying untroubled in trouble, and say what it conveys in the present context
(b) William James: read the claim that altering attitudes alters life, and say what it conveys in the present context
(c) Swami Vivekananda: read the claim that a society's strength lies in its people's morality rather than its laws, and say what it conveys in the present context

Open with · Three thinkers, one thread: inner strength (composure, attitude and character) shapes outcomes more than circumstances or rules.

Cover

(a) Thiruvalluvar: calm in adversity defeats adversity itself; panic multiplies problems, composure finds solutions — close to the Gita’s ideal of the sthitaprajna.
(a) Today: a collector steering flood relief, a student after failure; resilience and emotional intelligence as core public-service competencies.
(b) William James: attitudes — beliefs, feelings, dispositions — drive behaviour; change them and life outcomes change.
(b) Today: growth mindset in learners; public campaigns such as Swachh Bharat succeed by shifting attitudes, not only by rules.
(c) Vivekananda: laws set a minimum; a society’s strength lies in its people’s character, which makes laws obeyed willingly.
(c) Today: dowry and child marriage persist despite laws; tax compliance, road safety and clean public spaces depend on civic morality.
Common thread: institutions work best when citizens and officials internalise values — the purpose of ethics education.

Close with · Composure keeps judgement clear, attitude turns setbacks into growth, and character makes laws self-enforcing; a public servant who embodies all three governs by example.

Add value (verified)

Bhagavad Gita 2.56: the sage of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna) is one whose mind is not shaken by adversity. Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, Ch. II, verse 56, tr. Swami Swarupananda — sacred-texts.com ↗“56. He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after happiness, who has become free from affection, fear, and wrath, is indeed the Muni of steady wisdom.”
Very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy crossed the Kutch coast near Jakhau on 15 June 2023; acting on IMD's advance warnings, Gujarat made comprehensive preparedness with national agencies. Ministry of Home Affairs, Annual Report 2023-24 (disaster management chapter) ↗“A very severe cyclonic storm "BIPARJOY" crossed Saurashtra & Kutch 179 between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) on 15.06.2023 with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 145 kmph. Based on the advance warnings given by IMD, comprehensive preparedness was made by the State Government of Gujarat, along with National agencies to deal with the situation.”
William James (Principles of Psychology, chapter on Habit): the ethical implications of habit concern which habits we choose to develop, and when. William James — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“The “ethical implications of the law of habit,” (PP 124) as James sees them, concern which habits we choose to develop, and when.”
Economic Survey 2018-19, Ch. 2 (Leveraging the Behavioural Economics of Nudge): Swachh Bharat Mission and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have successfully employed behavioural insights. Economic Survey 2018-19, Vol. 1, Ch. 2 (Leveraging the Behavioural Economics of Nudge) — indiabudget.gov.in (archived) ↗“This chapter illustrates how the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) have successfully employed behavioural insights.”
Swami Vivekananda, quoted by the 2nd ARC (Ethics in Governance, Box 2.7): as knowledge grows, morality evolves; unselfishness is the foundation of morality. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), Box 2.7 — DARPG (archived) ↗“as knowledge comes, person grows, morality is evolved, and idea of non- separateness begins. Whether men understand it or not, they are impelled by that power behind to become unselfish. That is the foundation of morality. It is the quintessence of all ethics, preached in any language, or any religion, or by any prophet in the world”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 454 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

Three thinkers from three traditions locate strength inside the person: composure in adversity, the power to change one's attitude, and a character that makes law almost unnecessary.

Thinker	Core value	Present application
Thiruvalluvar	Composure	Crisis management
William James	Attitude	Behaviour change
Vivekananda	Character	Voluntary compliance

(a) Thiruvalluvar: staying untroubled in trouble

Meaning: one who stays calm in trouble turns trouble back on itself. Panic multiplies a crisis; equanimity keeps judgement clear and finds the way out.
Indian echo: the Gita's sthitaprajna, the sage of steady wisdom, is one "whose mind is not shaken by adversity" (2.56).
Present context, governance: before Cyclone Biparjoy (June 2023), Gujarat acted on IMD's advance warnings with comprehensive preparedness alongside national agencies. Calm planning, not panic, protects lives.
Present context, individuals: an exam failure, a lost job or an online smear campaign tests the same capacity. Resilience and emotional intelligence can be learnt, and both are core competencies of public service.
Caution: composure is not indifference; it is the steadiness that lets compassion act effectively.

(b) William James: change the attitude, change the life

Meaning: attitudes, our settled ways of thinking and feeling, drive behaviour, and they can be changed. A failure read as feedback becomes a lesson.
James's own psychology: in his account of habit, the ethical question is which habits we choose to develop, and when; repeated choices harden into character.
Present context, policy: the Economic Survey 2018-19 showed that Swachh Bharat Mission and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao "successfully employed behavioural insights": they nudged behaviour instead of relying on rules alone.
Present context, individuals: a growth mindset in learners; recovery from addiction begins with a changed self-view; an officer who treats a hard posting as an opportunity transforms it.
Limit: attitude cannot replace structural change; poverty is not a state of mind.

Meaning: laws set the minimum and work only when most people obey them willingly; a society held together by enforcement alone is brittle.
His view of ethics: in a passage quoted by the 2nd ARC in Ethics in Governance, he calls unselfishness "the foundation of morality".
Present context: dowry and child marriage persist despite laws against both; tax compliance, road safety and waste segregation depend on voluntary conduct that no inspector can police; corruption survives where citizens tolerate it.
Rights and duties: the Fundamental Duties remind citizens that rights need reciprocal morality.
Implication: build character alongside statutes, through value education, role models and community participation, so that law and morality reinforce each other.

Composure keeps judgement clear, attitude turns setbacks into growth, and character makes laws self-enforcing. A public servant who embodies all three governs by example, the surest way to make a society strong from within.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q4 (Section A)

20 marks · 150 words Foundational values for civil service

(a) “For any kind of social re-engineering by successfully implementing welfare schemes, a civil servant must use reason and critical thinking in an ethical framework.” Justify this statement with suitable examples. (b) What are the major teachings of Mahavir? Explain their relevance in the contemporary world.

Approach · directive: “justify / what / explain”

What it asks · (a) Show with examples why implementing welfare schemes needs reasoned, evidence-based judgement within ethical limits; (b) state Mahavir’s core teachings and apply them to today’s problems.

The question has 2 parts — answer each

(a) Justify, with suitable examples, why a civil servant implementing welfare schemes for social re-engineering must use reason and critical thinking within an ethical framework
(b) State Mahavir's major teachings and explain their relevance in the contemporary world

Open with · (a) Welfare schemes change social behaviour, so the administrator must reason like a scientist and act like a trustee, as Kautilya's welfare-first ruler did; (b) Mahavir's ethics of restraint and plural truth.

Cover

(a) Reason: design from evidence — identify real beneficiaries, test assumptions through pilots and data, anticipate unintended effects.
(a) Critical thinking: question inclusion and exclusion errors — e.g. authentication failures shutting out eligible ration-card holders; fix the process, not blame the poor.
(a) Ethical frame: dignity, equity and consent; Gandhi’s talisman of the poorest person; no coercive targets like the sterilisation drives of the 1970s.
(a) Examples: Aspirational Districts (data-driven ranking with local adaptation), JAM trinity against leakages, social audits of rural works.
(b) Teachings: five vows — ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha; the three jewels of right faith, knowledge and conduct; anekantavada; self-effort over ritual.
(b) Relevance: ahimsa for conflict and animal welfare; aparigraha against consumerism and climate stress; anekantavada for polarised, post-truth debates.
(b) Also: equality of all souls against caste and gender discrimination; self-discipline for mental health; simple living that anticipates Mission LiFE.

Close with · Reasoned compassion unites both parts: every scheme and choice should help the weakest without harming any living being.

Add value (verified)

Kautilya (Arthashastra): in the happiness of his subjects lies the king's happiness, in their welfare his welfare. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book I Ch. XIX — archive.org ↗“Of a king, the religious vow is his readiness to action; satisfactory discharge of duties is his performance of sacrifice; equal attention to all is the offer of fees and ablution towards consecration. In the happiness of his subjects lies his happiness; in their welfare his welfare;”
The 15th Finance Commission noted the Aspirational Districts Programme rests on competition, convergence and collaboration, but asked for rigorous performance evaluation of its effect. Report of the 15th Finance Commission for 2020-21, para 4.35 — fincomindia.nic.in ↗“The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), piloted by NITI Aayog, is based on three principles of competition, convergence and collaboration. There has been improvement in the social and economic indicators of the targeted areas, but rigorous performance evaluation is required to establish the effectiveness of the ADP in bringing about or accelerating such improvement even without providing any additional funding.”
Gandhi's talisman: recall the face of the poorest and most helpless person and ask whether the step you contemplate will be of use to him. The Gandhi Talisman — mkgandhi.org (This Was Bapu, 70) ↗“Recall the face of the poorest and the most helpless man whom you may have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 369 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

Kautilya held that "in the happiness of his subjects lies his happiness". Modern welfare carries the same trust, but schemes now seek to change behaviour, from sanitation to girls' schooling, so the administrator must reason like a scientist and act like a trustee.

(a) Why social re-engineering needs reason and critical thinking within ethics

Reason, evidence first: identify real beneficiaries, pilot, measure and adapt. The Aspirational Districts Programme ranks districts on data and rests on competition, convergence and collaboration.
Critical thinking, testing claims: even for this programme, the 15th Finance Commission asked for "rigorous performance evaluation" before crediting it with the gains.
Fix the process, not the poor: when authentication failures shut out eligible ration-card holders, the answer is an offline fallback and grievance redress, not blame.
Ethics, the limit on engineering: during the National Emergency (1975–77) a coercive programme of mass sterilisation led to forced sterilisations, a warning that welfare targets pursued without ethics become coercion.
Ethical compass: Gandhi's talisman asks whether a step will be "of any use" to the poorest and most helpless person one has seen.
Tools that join all three: the JAM trinity against leakages and social audits of rural works let citizens verify the reasoning.
Synthesis: reason finds what works, critical thinking finds what fails, and ethics decides what is permissible.

(b) Mahavir's major teachings and their relevance today

Teaching	Meaning	Relevance today
Ahimsa	Non-violence in thought, speech, action	Hate speech, conflict, animal welfare
Aparigraha	No possession beyond need	Consumerism; Mission LiFE
Anekantavada	Truth has many aspects	Polarised, post-truth debate

Five great vows: ahimsa, satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha and brahmacharya (celibacy).
Three jewels (triratna): right faith, right knowledge and right conduct form the path of liberation.
Reverence for life: no living creature should be slain, abused or tormented.
Syadvada: our knowledge is partial and relative, so views should be held with humility.
Public life: satya and asteya mean integrity against corruption and misinformation; the equality of all souls counters caste and gender discrimination; self-discipline aids mental health in a distracted age.

Reasoned compassion unites both parts. Kautilya's welfare-first ruler, Gandhi's talisman and Mahavir's restraint ask one question before any scheme or choice: will it help the weakest without harming any living being?

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q5 (Section A)

20 marks · 150 words Foundational values for civil service

(a) “One who is devoted to one’s duty attains highest perfection in life.” Analyse this statement with reference to sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment as a civil servant. (b) To achieve holistic development goal, a civil servant acts as an enabler and active facilitator of growth rather than a regulator. What specific measures will you suggest to achieve this goal?

Approach · directive: “analyse / what specific measures”

What it asks · (a) Explain how devotion to duty links a civil servant’s responsibility to personal fulfilment; (b) suggest concrete ways an officer can enable and facilitate development rather than only regulate.

The question has 2 parts — answer each

(a) Analyse the statement that devotion to duty brings the highest perfection, with reference to a civil servant's sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment
(b) Suggest specific measures by which a civil servant can act as an enabler and active facilitator of holistic development rather than a regulator

Open with · (a) The line echoes the Bhagavad Gita (18.45): devotion to one's own duty brings perfection; Kautilya treats the ruler's discharge of duty as his sacrifice; (b) the officer as enabler.

Cover

(a) Responsibility: duty to the Constitution and citizens, not to superiors or self; ownership of outcomes, not just of files.
(a) Fulfilment: meaning comes from service — officers remembered for transforming a district’s schools or health — intrinsic motivation over postings and perks.
(a) Caveat: devotion is not blind obedience or burnout; duty is to lawful ends, balanced with health and family.
(b) Mindset: from permission-giver to problem-solver; trust-based, citizen-first administration with minimal, time-bound compliance (single window, self-certification).
(b) Measures: convergence of schemes at district level; handholding of FPOs, SHGs, MSMEs and start-ups; faster credit and market linkages.
(b) Measures: digital services with grievance redress, public outcome dashboards, participatory planning with gram sabhas and urban local bodies.
(b) Guardrails: facilitation with integrity — transparent criteria, conflict-of-interest disclosure, regulation retained where safety, environment or rights are at stake.

Close with · An officer fulfilled by duty and trained to own a role rather than guard a rulebook becomes the State's best development instrument, with guardrails against capture.

Add value (verified)

All India Services (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(1): every member shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(1) — Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“Every member of the Service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra): for a ruler, satisfactory discharge of duties is his sacrifice, and his happiness lies in the happiness of his subjects. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book I Ch. XIX — archive.org ↗“Of a king, the religious vow is his readiness to action; satisfactory discharge of duties is his performance of sacrifice; equal attention to all is the offer of fees and ablution towards consecration. In the happiness of his subjects lies his happiness; in their welfare his welfare;”
Armstrong Pame, an IAS officer posted as SDO of Tousem sub-division, mobilised local communities and resources to build a 100-km rural road. People's Road: Connecting Rural Populations — Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University (2018) ↗“a young and dynamic native-born IAS officer named Armstrong Pame took up road connectivity as an immediate requirement in the area. While posted as Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Tousem sub-division, he and his elder brother mobilized resources and local communities. They created a Facebook page seeking donations to construct a 100-km rural road.”
Mission Karmayogi: a core guiding principle is supporting the transition from 'rules based' to 'roles based' HR management. Cabinet approves Mission Karmayogi (NPCSCB) — PIB, 2 September 2020 ↗“The core guiding principles of the Programme will be: Supporting Transition from 'Rules based' to 'Roles based* HR Management.”
Economic Survey 2024-25: 'getting out of the way' and letting businesses focus on their core mission is a significant contribution governments can make. Economic Survey 2024-25 — indiabudget.gov.in ↗““Getting out of the way” and allowing businesses to focus on their core mission is a significant contribution that governments around the country can make to foster innovation and enhance competitiveness.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 362 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

The line echoes the Bhagavad Gita (18.45): one devoted to one's own duty attains perfection. Kautilya said the same of rulers: "satisfactory discharge of duties is his performance of sacrifice".

(a) Devotion to duty: responsibility and personal fulfilment

A legal duty too: the All India Services (Conduct) Rules require every member to "maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty" at all times.
Responsibility: devotion turns a job into a vocation; the officer owns outcomes, not just files, and owes duty to the Constitution and citizens, not to superiors or self.
Fulfilment: for Kautilya the ruler's happiness lies in the happiness of his subjects; meaning comes from service rather than from postings and perks.
Exemplar: Armstrong Pame, as SDO of a remote sub-division, mobilised local communities and resources to build a 100-km rural road: fulfilment found in a public outcome.
Nishkama karma: acting without attachment to reward frees the officer from anxiety over results and sharpens judgement.
Caveats: devotion is not blind obedience, since duty runs to lawful ends; nor is it workaholism, since health and family are duties too.

(b) Measures to act as an enabler rather than a regulator

Regulator mindset	Enabler mindset
Permission-giver	Problem-solver
Prior approvals	Self-certification, deemed approval
Rules followed	Roles and outcomes owned

Capacity: Mission Karmayogi supports a transition from rules-based to roles-based HR management; competence-based training should reach every field office.
Trust-based compliance: the Economic Survey 2024-25 calls "getting out of the way" a significant contribution governments can make; hence self-certification, time-bound single windows and decriminalised minor lapses.
Convergence: one district plan that pools schemes, funds and departments around outcomes, prepared with gram sabhas and urban local bodies.
Handholding: FPOs, SHGs, MSMEs and start-ups get credit and market linkages and skilling matched to local industry.
Responsive services: online delivery with time limits, grievance redress with escalation, and public outcome dashboards.
Guardrails: facilitation is not capture; transparent criteria, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and regulation kept where safety, environment or rights are at stake.

An officer fulfilled by duty and trained to own a role rather than guard a rulebook becomes the State's most effective development instrument. The guardrails keep the facilitator from becoming a captive, so that growth stays inclusive.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q6 (Section A)

20 marks · 150 words Probity in governance

(a) It is said that for an ethical work culture, there must be code of ethics in place in every organisation. To ensure value-based and compliance-based work culture, what suitable measures would you adopt in your work place? (b) India is an emerging economic power of the world as it has recently secured the status of fourth largest economy of the world as per IMF projection. However, it has been observed that in some sectors, allocated funds remain either under-utilised or misutilised. What specific measures would you recommend for ensuring accountability in this regard to stop leakages and gaining the status of third largest economy of the world in near future?

Approach · directive: “what measures / recommend”

What it asks · (a) Propose measures that build both a values-based and a rules-based ethical culture at work; (b) recommend accountability measures that stop under-use and misuse of allocated public funds.

The question has 2 parts — answer each

(a) Suggest suitable measures to build a work culture that is both value-based and compliance-based, anchored in a code of ethics
(b) Recommend specific accountability measures to stop under-utilisation and misuse of allocated funds, so that public money drives growth towards the third-largest-economy goal

Open with · A code of ethics states values and a code of conduct enforces rules; the 2nd ARC wanted defined Public Service Values with any transgression treated as misconduct.

Cover

(a) Values-based: leadership by example, a short code of ethics drafted with staff, case-based ethics training, recognition of integrity.
(a) Compliance-based: clear code of conduct, conflict-of-interest declarations, rotation in sensitive posts, internal audit, whistle-blower protection, time-bound disciplinary action.
(a) Climate: fair appraisal, open grievance channels, respect and inclusion (POSH compliance), periodic integrity audits.
(b) Under-utilisation: realistic budgeting, just-in-time release of funds, release linked to physical progress, capacity building of implementing agencies.
(b) Misuse: end-to-end digital tracking through PFMS, direct benefit transfer, GeM procurement, geo-tagging of assets, third-party and social audits.
(b) Accountability: outcome budgets with published indicators, follow-up of CAG and committee findings, fixed responsibility and penalties for diversion, proactive RTI disclosure.
(b) Incentives: reward efficient spenders, public dashboards and citizen report cards — money follows performance.

Close with · Values make compliance willing and systems make values credible; tracking every rupee from release to result turns public money into outcomes on the road to the third-largest economy.

Add value (verified)

A PIB-released assessment (April 2025) estimates that direct benefit transfer has produced cumulative savings of ₹3.48 lakh crore by plugging leakages — the scale of misuse that end-to-end tracking can stop. India's DBT: Boosting Welfare Efficiency — PIB, 21 April 2025 ↗“India’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system has helped the country achieve cumulative savings of ₹3.48 lakh crore by plugging leakages in welfare delivery”
2nd ARC (Ethics in Governance, rec. 2.7.12): 'Public Service Values' should be defined for all tiers of government, and any transgression treated as misconduct. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), Summary of Recommendations — DARPG (archived) ↗“‘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.”
Aristotle: practical wisdom is acquired through proper upbringing and habits, not by learning general rules alone. Aristotle's Ethics — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“In order to apply that general understanding to particular cases, we must acquire, through proper upbringing and habits, the ability to see, on each occasion, which course of action is best supported by reasons. Therefore practical wisdom, as he conceives it, cannot be acquired solely by learning general rules.”
GFR 2017 (PFMS rule): all implementing agencies are registered on PFMS to track fund flow and unspent balances, and payments released 'just-in-time'. General Financial Rules 2017 (updated), Rule 86 — Directorate General of Military Aviation copy (dgma.gov.in) ↗“(2) All the ministries sanctioning grant-in-aid shall register all implementing agencies till last level of implementation on PFMS to track fund flow and unspent balances. (3) All the payment, to the extent possible, shall be released ‘just- in-time’ by the Ministries through PFMS.”
GFR 2017, Rule 62(3): a rush of expenditure in the closing months of the financial year is a breach of financial propriety. General Financial Rules 2017 (updated), Rule 62 — dgma.gov.in ↗“Rule 62 (3) Rush of expenditure, particularly in the closing months of the Financial Year, shall be regarded as a breach of financial propriety and shall be avoided.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra): as fish moving under water cannot be seen drinking, so government servants cannot be caught taking money — hence systems of checks. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book II Ch. IX — archive.org ↗“Just as fish moving under water cannot possibly be found out either as drinking or not drinking water, so government servants employed in the government work cannot be found out (while) taking money (for themselves).”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 371 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS

A code of ethics states values; a code of conduct enforces rules. The 2nd ARC's Ethics in Governance wanted both: defined 'Public Service Values' for all tiers of government, with any transgression treated as misconduct.

(a) Measures for a value-based and compliance-based work culture

Values by habit: Aristotle held that practical wisdom comes through proper upbringing and habits, not from general rules alone; so ethics must be practised daily through case discussions and mentoring, not framed on walls.
Own the code: a short code of ethics drafted with staff, built on integrity, impartiality, accountability and service.
Tone from the top: leaders disclose interests, keep time and explain decisions; no double standards.
Recognise integrity: reward it in appraisals and awards, not targets alone.
Compliance: a clear code of conduct with red lines; annual asset and conflict-of-interest declarations; rotation in sensitive posts; segregation of duties; internal audit.
Speak-up culture: protected whistle-blower channels, POSH compliance and open grievance redress.
Swift, fair discipline: proportionate penalties, with outcomes made known so that rules visibly bind everyone.

(b) Accountability measures to stop under-use and leakage of funds

Realistic allocationJust-in-time releaseTracked spendingSocial and CAG auditFunds follow outcomes

Why systems: Kautilya warned that officials taking money are as hard to detect as fish drinking under water; trust needs verification.
Against under-utilisation: realistic, bottom-up budgets; the GFR require every agency implementing a grant-in-aid to be registered on PFMS to track fund flow and unspent balances, with payments released just-in-time where possible.
End the March rush: GFR Rule 62(3) treats a rush of spending in the closing months as a breach of financial propriety; quarterly expenditure plans should replace it.
Against misuse: direct benefit transfer has saved ₹3.48 lakh crore by plugging leakages (PIB, April 2025); GeM procurement, geo-tagged assets and third-party and social audits extend the same logic.
Answerability: outcome budgets with published indicators; time-bound action on CAG and committee findings; fixed responsibility, recovery and penalties for diversion; proactive RTI disclosure.
Incentives: performance-linked grants and public dashboards, so that money follows results.

Values make compliance willing, and systems make values credible. When every rupee is tracked from release to result, public money becomes outcomes, and the climb from fourth- to third-largest economy rests on firm ground.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q7 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

Vijay was Deputy Commissioner of remote district of Hilly Northern State of the country for the last two years. In the month of August heavy rains lashed the complete state followed by cloud burst in the upper reaches of the said district. The damage was very heavy in the complete state especially in the affected district. The complete road network and telecommunication were disrupted and the buildings were damaged extensively. People’s houses have been destroyed and they were forced to stay in open. More than 200 people have been killed and about 5000 were badly injured. The Civil Administration under Vijay got activated and started conducting rescue and relief operations. Temporary shelter camps and hospitals were established to provide shelter and medical facilities to the homeless and injured people. Helicopter services were pressed in, for evacuating sick and old people from remote areas. Vijay got a message from his hometown in Kerala that his mother was seriously sick. After two days Vijay received the unfortunate message that his mother has expired. Vijay has no close relative except one elder sister who was US citizen and staying there for last several years. In the meantime, the situation in the affected district deteriorated further due to resumption of heavy rains after a gap of five days. At the same time, continuous messages were coming on his mobile from his hometown to reach at the earliest for performing last rites of his mother.

(a) What are the options available with Vijay? (b) What are the ethical dilemma being faced by Vijay? (c) Critically evaluate and examine each of these options identified by Vijay. (d) Which of the options, do you think, would be most appropriate for Vijay to adopt and why?

Approach · directive: “what / critically evaluate and examine / which”

What it asks · Identify Vijay’s options, name the clash between public duty in a worsening disaster and filial duty, weigh each option, and recommend a course.

The question has 4 parts — answer each

(a) What options are available to Vijay
(b) What ethical dilemmas Vijay faces
(c) Critically evaluate and examine each option: its merits and its costs
(d) Which option is most appropriate for Vijay to adopt, and why

Open with · Vijay faces a clash of two genuine (prima facie) duties: to thousands of disaster-hit citizens and to his mother's last rites; no option is free of cost.

Cover

Stakeholders: affected people and rescue teams; the State government; Vijay, his sister abroad and relatives; the hometown community.
Dilemmas: public duty vs filial and cultural duty; continuity of leadership vs personal grief; emotional well-being vs responsibility.
Option 1 — leave at once: fulfils filial duty, but leaves the district leaderless as rains resume; risk to lives and to morale.
Option 2 — stay and forgo the rites: best for the response, but grief, guilt and social criticism; his sister cannot easily step in.
Option 3 — ask relatives or community elders to perform the rites, join by video, hold rituals later; practical but emotionally hard.
Recommended: inform the Chief Secretary, seek a stand-in and brief the ADM fully; after handing over charge, travel for the rites and return quickly.
Why: disaster response is institutional — district plan, SDRF/NDRF, SOPs; if no stand-in is possible, stay and let relatives begin the rites.

Close with · Duty and compassion can be reconciled through an orderly handover; disaster response that does not hinge on one person is the lasting lesson.

Add value (verified)

Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 25(2)(a): the Collector, District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner is ex officio Chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority. Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 25 — Meghalaya Police (megpolice.gov.in) ↗“(a) the Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner, as the case may be, of the district who shall be Chairperson, ex officio;”
Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 25(4): an officer of at least Additional Collector / ADM / Additional DC rank is the Chief Executive Officer of the District Authority. Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 25(4) — megpolice.gov.in ↗“(4) The State Government shall appoint an officer not below the rank of Additional Collector or Additional District Magistrate or Additional Deputy Commissioner, as the case may be, of the district to be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Authority”
W.D. Ross characterised our basic moral duties as prima facie rather than absolute or exceptionless. William David Ross — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“Ross’s major innovation involves characterising these as prima facie duties rather than absolute or exceptionless duties.”
Ross held the duty not to harm ('do evil to no one') more pressing than the duty to do good, unless the good substantially outweighs the evil. William David Ross — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“He writes: ‘We think the principle ‘do evil to no one’ more pressing than the principle ‘do good to every one’, except when the evil is very substantially outweighed by the good’”
All India Services (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(1): absolute integrity and devotion to duty at all times. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(1) — Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“Every member of the Service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 378 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

Vijay faces a clash of two genuine duties: to thousands of disaster-hit citizens and to his mother's last rites. W.D. Ross called such duties prima facie, binding but not absolute; judgement in the situation decides which prevails.

Stakeholders

Directly affected: disaster victims, rescue teams and subordinates; the State government; Vijay, his sister and relatives.

(a) Options available to Vijay

Option 1: leave at once for Kerala, handing over informally.
Option 2: stay; relatives perform the rites, Vijay joins by video and does later rituals himself.
Option 3: hand over formally to a briefed stand-in, attend the rites briefly and return.

(b) Ethical dilemmas Vijay faces

Public duty vs filial duty: a son's obligation to his mother's last rites against the lives at stake.
Continuity vs grief: leadership as rains resume, against personal loss and exhaustion.
Indispensability vs institution: is the Deputy Commissioner irreplaceable, or is that ego?
Devotion vs self-care: the conduct rules demand "devotion to duty", yet a sleepless, grieving officer judges poorly.

Option	Merit	Cost
1. Leave at once	Honours filial duty	District headless; near dereliction
2. Stay	Continuity of response	Grief, guilt; impaired judgement
3. Formal handover	Meets both duties	Needs a stand-in and travel window

(d) Most appropriate course and why

Option 3, in sequence: inform the Chief Secretary; secure a stand-in; give a written status note on shelters, evacuation, supplies and forecasts; stay reachable; return at once.
Legal basis: under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 the Deputy Commissioner chairs the District Authority, but an officer of at least ADM rank is its Chief Executive Officer; the institution, not one person, runs the response.
Ethical basis: Ross held the duty not to harm more pressing than the duty to do good; leaving without a handover risks harm, while an orderly handover honours both duties.
Fallback: if no stand-in can reach or travel is impossible, stay; relatives begin the rites.

Systemic fix

Succession by design: leave and succession protocols in district disaster plans, a trained deputy as incident commander, and counselling for officers in long crises.

Duty and compassion meet in an orderly handover: the office must never be headless, but the officer is also a son. Preparedness that does not hinge on one person is the lasting lesson.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q8 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

In line with the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Indian Constitution, the government has a constitutional obligation to ensure basic needs – “Roti, Kapda aur Makan (Food, Clothes and Shelter)” – for the under-privileged. Pursuing this mandate, the district administration proposed clearing a portion of forest land to develop housing for the homeless and economically weaker sections of the society.

The proposed land, however, is an ecologically sensitive zone densely populated with age-old trees, medicinal plants and vital biodiversity. Besides, these forests help to regulate micro-climate and rainfalls; provide habitat for wildlife, support soil fertility and prevent land/soil erosion and sustain livelihoods of tribal and nomadic communities.

Inspite of the ecological and social costs, the administration argues in favour of the said proposal by highlighting that this very initiative addresses fundamental human rights as a critical welfare priority. Besides, it fulfils the government’s duty to uplift and empower the poor through inclusive housing development. Further, these forest areas have become unsafe due to wild-animal threats and recurring human-wild life conflicts. Lastly, clearing forest-zones may help to curb anti-social elements allegedly using these areas as hideouts, thereby enhancing law and order.

(a) Can deforestation be ethically justified in the pursuit of social welfare objectives like, housing for the homeless? (b) What are the socio-economic, administrative and ethical challenges in balancing environmental conservation with human development? (c) What substantial alternatives or policy interventions can be proposed to ensure that both environmental integrity and human dignity are protected?

Approach · directive: “can / what / what alternatives”

What it asks · Judge whether clearing an ecologically sensitive forest to house the poor is defensible, set out the competing challenges, and propose alternatives that protect both ecology and dignity.

The question has 3 parts — answer each

(a) Can deforestation be ethically justified for social welfare objectives such as housing for the homeless — a reasoned judgement
(b) The socio-economic, administrative and ethical challenges in balancing environmental conservation with human development
(c) Substantial alternatives or policy interventions that protect both environmental integrity and human dignity

Open with · The case sets two rights read into Article 21 against each other, shelter and a clean environment, alongside the State's duty to safeguard forests and wildlife.

Cover

Stakeholders: homeless and EWS families; tribal and nomadic forest users; wildlife; downstream communities; the administration; future generations.
(a) Consequences: housing benefits are local and immediate; losses — biodiversity, micro-climate, soil, livelihoods — are long-term and often irreversible.
(a) Justice: housing one vulnerable group by uprooting another is not welfare; so deforestation is not ethically justified here.
(a) The other arguments are weak: wildlife conflict and hideouts call for conflict mitigation and policing, not clear-felling.
(b) Challenges: scarce and costly land, forest clearance and Forest Rights Act consent, pressure of targets, human–wildlife conflict; intergenerational equity vs immediate need.
(c) Alternatives: degraded or non-forest government land, vacant urban plots, in-situ slum redevelopment, rental and multi-storey housing under PMAY.
(c) Also: community forest rights for tribals, eco-sensitive design, wildlife corridors and early-warning systems, and public consultation before any decision.

Close with · Shelter and forests are both matters of dignity: find other land and better design so that housing the homeless never dispossesses the forest-dweller.

Add value (verified)

Article 48A directs the State to protect the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife — a duty the housing plan must honour too. The Constitution of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, as on 1 May 2024) — Article 48A ↗“The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wild life of the country.”
The Supreme Court in Puttaswamy (2017) lists among the rights read into Article 21 both the right to shelter (Shantistar Builders, 1990) and the right to pollution-free water and air (Subhash Kumar, 1991). Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, 24 August 2017, footnote 8 (rights under Article 21) — Supreme Court of India ↗“(14) The right to shelter. Shantistar Builders v. N.K. Totame (1990) 1 SCC 520 at para 9 and 13; (15) The right to pollution free water and air. Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar (1991) 1 SCC 598 at para 7;”
Article 51A(g): every citizen's duty to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures. Constitution of India (as on 2024), Article 51A — Legislative Department ↗“(g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;”
Niyamgiri case: the Supreme Court upheld the Forest Rights Act rules requiring the Gram Sabha's prior decision before traditional forest habitats are diverted. Land and Governance under the Fifth Schedule — Ministry of Tribal Affairs (tribal.nic.in) ↗“In a detailed judgment passed by a three-judges bench in the Niyamgiri case,18 the Court unambiguously upheld the provisions of the Forest Rights Act and various government circulars issued under it which require prior decision of the Gram Sabha before their traditional habitats in forest areas are diverted for non-forest purposes.”
Rawls's difference principle: social and economic inequalities must be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged. John Rawls — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“They are to be to the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged members of society (the difference principle )”
PMAY: 4.21 crore houses sanctioned since inception by June 2024, with 3 crore more committed; over 70% allocated to women. Women's empowerment backgrounder — PIB (September 2024) ↗“More than 70% of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have been allocated to women, ensuring they have ownership and security over essential assets. In June 2024, after sanctioning 4.21 crore houses since the scheme's inception, the government committed to constructing an additional 3 crore houses”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 366 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

The case sets one right against another within Article 21: the Supreme Court counts both the right to shelter and the right to pollution-free water and air among the rights read into the right to life.

Stakeholders

People and nature: homeless and EWS families; tribal and nomadic forest users; wildlife and downstream farmers; the administration; future generations.

(a) Can deforestation be justified to house the homeless?

Consequences: the housing gain is local and replaceable, since other land exists; the loss of old trees, medicinal plants, micro-climate, soil and livelihoods is long-term and largely irreversible.
Justice: Rawls's difference principle allows inequality only to "the greatest benefit of the least-advantaged"; housing one poor group by uprooting another fails that test.
Consent: in the Niyamgiri case the Supreme Court upheld Forest Rights Act provisions requiring the Gram Sabha's prior decision before forest habitats are diverted.
Weak arguments: wildlife conflict and hideouts call for mitigation and policing, not clear-felling.
Verdict: not justified while alternatives exist; at most a last resort, at minimal scale, with consent and compensation.

(b) Challenges in balancing conservation with development

Dimension	Key challenge
Socio-economic	Scarce land; two poor groups compete; livelihoods lost
Administrative	Housing targets vs clearance; departments in silos
Ethical	Present need vs future generations; human- vs eco-centred values

Dual duty: the State must safeguard forests under Article 48A, and every citizen must protect the environment and "have compassion for living creatures" under Article 51A(g).

Other land: degraded or non-forest government land, vacant urban plots and land banks; in-situ slum redevelopment, multi-storey and rental housing under PMAY, which had sanctioned 4.21 crore houses by June 2024.
Forest livelihoods: recognise community forest rights; minor forest produce and eco-tourism; wildlife corridors, early warning and compensation for conflict.
Community model: the Chipko movement showed that people can resist deforestation and that community afforestation with indigenous species succeeds.
Process: public consultation and cumulative impact assessment; reasons on record; if diversion is unavoidable, strict minimisation with compensatory afforestation.

Shelter and forests are both matters of dignity. The ethical path is to find other land and better design, so that housing the homeless never means dispossessing the forest-dweller; that is sustainable development in practice.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q9 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

Subash is Secretary, PWD in the State Government. He is a senior officer, known for his competence, integrity and dedication to work. He enjoys the trust and confidence of Minister Incharge of PWD and Programme Implementation. As a part of his job profile, he is responsible for policy formulation, execution of projects relating to infrastructure initiatives in the State. Besides, he oversees the technical and administrative aspects relating to planning, designing and construction etc.

Subash’s Minister is an important Minister in the state and significant growth in urban infrastructure development and road network has been registered during his tenure. He is very keen for launching of ambitious road construction project in the near future.

Subash is in regular touch with the Minister and is working various modalities of road construction project. Regular meetings, interactions and presentations are made by him to the Minister before a formal public announcement of the project is made by the Minister. Subash’s only son Vikas is in real estate business. His son from his own sources is aware that a mega road project is on the anvil and announcement in this regard is expected anytime. He is very keen to know from his father the exact location of the upcoming project. He knows that there would be quantum jump in the prices of land in the vicinity. Buying land at this stage at cheaper prices would pay him rich dividends. He is pleading with him (his father) day in and day out to share him location of the proposed project. He assured him that he would handle the matter discretely as it would not attract any adverse notice as he in the normal course, keeps on buying land as a part of his business. He feels pressurised because of constant pleadings by his son.

Another significant aspect of the matter pertained to the extra/undue interest in the above project by the Minister PWD. His nephew was also having big infrastructure project company. In fact, the Minister has also introduced his nephew to him and indicated to him to take care of his nephew’s business interest in the forthcoming project. The Minister encouraged him to act fast in the matter as early announcement and execution of mega road project would enhance his status in the party and public life.

In the above backdrop, Subash is in a fix as to the future course of action.

(a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the case. (b) Critically examine the options available to Subash in the above situation. (c) Which of the above would be most appropriate and why?

Approach · directive: “discuss / critically examine / which”

What it asks · Identify the issues of confidential information, conflict of interest and political favouritism; weigh Subash’s options; and justify the most appropriate one.

The question has 3 parts — answer each

(a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the case
(b) Critically examine the options available to Subash
(c) Which option is most appropriate, and why

Open with · Subash holds price-sensitive official information and is tested from two sides, his son's profit motive and his Minister's favouritism; Kautilya examined ministers' character by temptations.

Cover

Issues: misuse of confidential information for private gain; conflict of interest (son); nepotism (Minister’s nephew); loyalty to the Minister vs to the public.
Stakeholders: landowners who would lose to speculators; honest bidders; public trust in government; Subash’s family; the Minister’s reputation.
Option 1 — tell his son the location: breach of conduct rules and possibly criminal misconduct; a betrayal of public trust. Reject.
Option 2 — favour the Minister’s nephew: rigged procurement and corruption, with legal and reputational risk for all. Reject.
Option 3 — refuse both but stay silent: keeps his own hands clean, yet leaves the pressure and the risk of manipulation in place.
Best: refuse his son firmly; declare the conflict of interest in writing; tell the Minister politely that tendering will be open and competitive.
Also: restrict access to project details, record instructions on file, recuse from decisions touching relatives; if pressure persists, escalate to the Chief Secretary.

Close with · Integrity is proved under pressure: guarding information, disclosing conflicts and insisting on open process protect the public interest, the family's good name and the Minister too.

Add value (verified)

AIS (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(2B)(iv)-(v): decide solely in public interest; declare private interests relating to public duties and resolve conflicts to protect the public interest. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(2B) — Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“(iv) take decisions solely in public interest and use or cause to use public resources efficiently, effectively and economically; (v) declare any private interests relating to his public duties and take steps to resolve any conflicts in a way that protects the public interest;”
AIS (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(2B)(vii)-(viii): no decisions to benefit self, family or friends; decisions on merit alone. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(2B) — thc.nic.in ↗“(vii) not misuse his position as civil servant and not take decisions in order to derive financial or material benefits for himself, his family or his friends; (viii) make choices, take decisions and make recommendations on merit alone;”
AIS (Conduct) Rules, Rule 9: no member shall communicate official information to anyone not authorised to receive it. All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 9 — thc.nic.in ↗“9. Unauthorised communication of information.— No member of the Service shall except in accordance with any general or special order of the Government or in the performance in good faith of duties assigned to him, communicate directly or indirectly any official document or part thereof or information to any Government servant or any other person to whom he is not authorised to”
2nd ARC (Ethics in Governance, Ch. 9): a civil servant must implement the orders of government without bias, with honesty and without fear or favour. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), Ch. 9 — DARPG (archived) ↗“A civil servant is required to implement the orders of government without bias, with honesty and without fear or favour.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra, Book I Ch. X) prescribes examining ministers' character by offering temptations. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book I Ch. X — archive.org ↗“ASCERTAINING BY TEMPTATIONS PURITY OR IMPURITY IN THE CHARACTER OF MINISTERS. ASSISTED by his prime minister (mantri) and his high priest, the king shall, by offering temptations, examine the character of ministers (amdtya) appointed in government departments of ordinary nature.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 376 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

Subash holds price-sensitive official information and is pressed from two sides: his son's profit motive and his Minister's favouritism. Kautilya would recognise the test, since the Arthashastra examines ministers' character "by offering temptations".

Stakeholders

Affected: landowners along the alignment, honest bidders, taxpayers, Subash's family and the Minister himself.

(a) Ethical issues involved

Confidentiality: the All India Services (Conduct) Rules bar communicating official information to anyone not authorised to receive it; leaking the location is insider abuse of office.
Conflict of interest: his son's business stands to gain. The rules require him to declare private interests linked to his duties and forbid decisions that benefit "his family or his friends".
Favouritism: steering the project to the Minister's nephew rigs procurement; the rules demand decisions "on merit alone".
Neutrality vs loyalty: the 2nd ARC expects civil servants to implement orders "without fear or favour"; loyalty is owed to lawful policy, not to a Minister's private interest.
Public cost: speculation inflates land prices, raising acquisition costs and hurting small landowners.

(b) Options critically examined

Share the location with his son: family peace, but a breach of confidentiality and conduct rules, possible criminal misconduct and lifelong blackmail risk. Reject.
Oblige the Minister's nephew: keeps the Minister's favour, but vitiates the tender and exposes everyone to legal and reputational ruin. Reject.
Refuse both, stay silent: clean hands, yet the pressure persists and the Minister's improper instruction goes unrecorded.
Refuse both and act formally: integrity with a written record; the costs are family strain and a possible transfer.
Seek a transfer: escapes the dilemma but abandons the project to others; a last resort.

Refuse son, explain the lawDeclare conflict, recuseTell Minister: open tenderRestrict project dataEscalate if pressed

Why: it guards confidentiality, satisfies the conduct rules and keeps competition fair; disclosure is the first remedy for a conflict; the written record protects Subash; open e-procurement still meets the Minister's legitimate aim of speed. Courage with courtesy.
Systemic fix: keep alignments need-to-know until formal notification, watch unusual land registrations along the corridor, and publish tender criteria.

Integrity is proved under pressure: by guarding information, disclosing conflicts and insisting on open process, Subash protects the public interest, his family's good name and even his Minister.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q10 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

Rajesh is a Group A officer with nine years of service. He is posted as Administrative Officer in an Oil Public Sector undertaking. As an Administrative Officer he is responsible for managing and coordinating various administrative tasks to ensure smooth functioning of office. He also manages office supplies, equipment etc.

Rajesh is now sufficient senior and is expecting his next promotion in JAG (Junior Administrative Grade) in the next one or two years. He knows that promotion is based on examination of ACRs/Performance Appraisal of last few years (5 years or so) of an officer by a DPC (Departmental Promotion Committee) and an officer lacking requisite grading of ACRs may not be found fit for promotion. Consequences of losing promotion may entail financial and reputational loss and set-back for career progression. Though he also puts his best efforts in official discharge of his duties, yet he is unsure of assessment by his superior officer. He is now putting extra efforts so that he gets thumping report at the end of financial year.

As Administrative Officer, Rajesh is regularly interacting with his immediate boss, who is his reporting officer for writing his ACR. One day he calls Rajesh and wants him to buy computer-related stationery on priority from a particular vendor. Rajesh instructs his office to initiate action for procuring these items. During the day, the dealing Assistant brings an estimate of Rupees Thirty Five Lakhs covering all stationery items from the same vendor. It is noticed that as per delegated financial powers, as provided in the GFR (General Financial Rules) as applicable in that Organisation, expenditure for office items exceeding Rupees Thirty Lakhs requires sanction of the next higher authority (boss in the present case). Rajesh knows that immediate superior would expect all these purchases should be done at his level and may not appreciate such lack of initiative on his part. During discussions with office, he learns that common practice of splitting of expenditure (where large order is divided into a series of smaller ones) is followed to avoid obtaining sanction from higher authority. This practice is against the rules and may come to the adverse notice of Audit.

Rajesh is perturbed. He is unsure of taking decision in the matter.

(a) What are the options available with Rajesh in the above situation? (b) What are the ethical issues involved in this case? (c) Which would be the most appropriate option for Rajesh and why?

Approach · directive: “what / which”

What it asks · Lay out Rajesh’s options when his ACR-writing boss wants a ₹35 lakh purchase from one vendor that exceeds Rajesh’s powers, identify the ethical issues, and choose the right course.

The question has 3 parts — answer each

(a) What options are available to Rajesh
(b) What ethical issues the case involves
(c) Which option is most appropriate for Rajesh, and why

Open with · GFR Rule 157 forbids splitting a demand to avoid a higher authority's sanction; the real test is whether anxiety about his ACR will override Rajesh's integrity.

Cover

Issues: rule-bending (splitting orders) vs financial propriety; possible favouritism to one vendor; career self-interest vs integrity; fear of the reporting officer; a culture of shortcuts.
Option 1 — split the order to stay within his powers: pleases the boss, but breaks rules, invites audit objection and personal liability.
Option 2 — refuse outright: correct in law, but may look uncooperative, hurt his appraisal and leave the office’s real need unmet.
Option 3 — process the full ₹35 lakh proposal and put it up to the boss for sanction, with competitive quotations or GeM purchase.
Option 4 — report to vigilance at once: premature without evidence of wrongdoing, and damaging to trust.
Best: Option 3 — explain the rule respectfully, note that splitting draws audit objections, seek sanction, and buy through GeM or open tender.
Why: it meets the need, protects both officers and upholds financial propriety; a good ACR earned by breaking rules is not worth the risk.

Close with · Rules, not fear, should decide: a transparent process protects the organisation, the boss and Rajesh's own career better than any shortcut, and sets the standard for his staff.

Add value (verified)

GFR 2017, Rule 157: a demand must not be split into small piecemeal purchases to avoid the sanction of higher authority. General Financial Rules 2017 (updated), Rule 157 — dgma.gov.in ↗“Rule 157 A demand for goods should not be divided into small quantities to make piecemeal purchases to avoid the necessity of obtaining the sanction of higher authority required with reference to the estimated value of the total demand”
GFR 2017, Rule 144: procurement must bring efficiency, economy and transparency, fair treatment of suppliers and competition. General Financial Rules 2017 (updated), Rule 144 — dgma.gov.in ↗“Rule 144 Fundamental principles of public buying (for all procurements including procurement of works). Every authority delegated with the financial powers of procuring goods in public interest shall have the responsibility and accountability to bring efficiency, economy, and transparency in matters relating to public procurement and for fair and equitable treatment of suppliers and promotion of competition in public procurement.”
CCS (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(2)(iv): a government servant who receives an oral direction from a superior shall seek its confirmation in writing as early as possible. Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, Rule 3(2) — DoPT ↗“(iv) A Government servant who has received oral direction from his official superior shall seek confirmation of the same in writing as early as possible, whereupon it shall be the duty of the official superior to confirm the direction in writing.”
Kant's categorical imperative (preliminary formulation): act only on a maxim one could will to become a universal law. Kant's Moral Philosophy — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗““I ought never to act except in such a way that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law” (G 4:402).”
2nd ARC (Ethics in Governance, para 6.8.5): internal reviews of prices paid for stationery, computer accessories and other purchases by field offices. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), para 6.8.5 — DARPG (archived) ↗“6.8.5 Reviews/checks could be conducted internally for information relating to price paid for a wide range of purchases made by different field departments, local bodies and parastatals for stationery, computer accessories and office equipment”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 387 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

The General Financial Rules are blunt: a demand "should not be divided into small quantities" to avoid a higher authority's sanction. The real test is whether ACR anxiety will override Rajesh's integrity.

Stakeholders

Affected: Rajesh, his reporting officer, the PSU's public money, rival vendors, the dealing staff and audit.

(a) Options available to Rajesh

Option 1: split the ₹35 lakh order into smaller ones within his own powers.
Option 2: refuse the purchase outright.
Option 3: process one proposal, put it to the boss for sanction, and buy through GeM or competitive bids.
Option 4: report the matter to vigilance at once.

(b) Ethical issues involved

Financial propriety vs expediency: splitting to evade sanction breaks GFR Rule 157 and invites audit objection and personal liability.
Fairness and competition: the GFR demand efficiency, economy, transparency and "fair and equitable treatment of suppliers"; a pre-chosen vendor fails that test.
Career vs integrity: fear of the ACR-writing officer tests his courage of conviction.
Normalised wrongdoing: "common practice" is no defence; by Kant's universal-law test, if every officer split orders, delegated limits would mean nothing.
Accountability: Rajesh signs the orders; "the boss wanted it" will not protect him.

Option	Merit	Flaw
1. Split order	Pleases boss	Unlawful; audit risk
2. Refuse outright	Lawful	Need unmet; confrontational
3. One proposal for sanction	Lawful; need met	Boss may be displeased

Option 4 is premature without evidence of mala fide; keep it in reserve.
Option 3 is best: explain respectfully that sanction lies with the next authority and that splitting draws audit objection; put a note on file; buy through GeM or open bids.
Put it in writing: the CCS (Conduct) Rules, the model for government servants, require them to seek written confirmation of an oral direction "as early as possible"; Rajesh should follow the same practice.
Why: it meets the office's need, protects both officers and upholds the rules; a good ACR earned by breaking them is worthless.

Systemic fix

Prevent recurrence: an annual procurement plan, e-procurement by default, the 2nd ARC's internal checks on prices paid for stationery and computer accessories, and more than one reviewer in appraisals.

Rules, not fear, should decide: a transparent process protects the organisation, the boss and Rajesh's own career better than any shortcut, and sets the standard for his staff.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q11 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program, MGNREGA was earlier known as National Rural Employment Scheme, NREGA. It is an Indian Social Welfare Program that aimed at fulfilling the ‘Right to Work’ provisions made in the Constitution. MGNREGA was launched in 2006 under Rural Employment Sector by the Ministry of Rural Development.

Main objective of the program is to give legal guarantee of wage employment to the adult members of rural households who are willing to do unskilled manual labour work subject to a maximum of 100 days per year for every household. Every rural household has the right to register under the scheme, job card is issued to the registered, Job Card holder can seek employment; State Government shall pay 25% of minimum wage for the first 30 days as compensatory daily unemployment allowance to the families and of wage for remaining period of the year. MGNREGA work was undertaken by various Gram Panchayats.

You have been appointed as an Administrator Incharge of the District. You have been given the responsibility of monitoring MGNREGA work undertaken by various Gram Panchayats. You are also given the authority to give technical sanctions to all MGNREGA works.

In one of the Panchayats in your jurisdiction, you notice that your predecessor has mismanaged the Program in terms of:

(i) Money not disbursed to actual job-seekers.

(ii) Muster Rolls of the Labourers not properly maintained.

(iii) Mismatch between the work done and payments made.

(iv) Payments made to fictitious persons.

(v) Job Cards were given without looking into the need of person.

(vi) Mismanagement of funds and to the extent of siphoning of funds.

(vii) Approved works that never existed.

(a) What is your reaction to the above situation and how do you restore the proper functioning of MGNREGA Program in this regard? (b) What actions would you initiate to solve the various issues listed above? (c) How would you deal with the above situation?

Approach · directive: “what / what actions / how”

What it asks · State your response on finding large-scale irregularities in the rural employment programme, and set out how to fix each problem, recover losses and restore workers’ trust.

The question has 3 parts — answer each

(a) Your reaction to the situation, and how you would restore the proper functioning of the programme
(b) The actions you would initiate to solve each of the listed issues
(c) How you would deal with the situation overall — approach and conduct

Open with · Ghost workers, fake works and siphoned funds, modern forms of the embezzlement Kautilya catalogued, defeat a programme meant to secure the rural poor's right to work; the response must be corrective and punitive.

Cover

(a) Reaction: treat it as a breach of public trust, not an inherited nuisance; act promptly and impartially, without shielding the predecessor.
Immediate: freeze suspicious payments, secure records, order a special audit and field verification of every work and job card.
Muster rolls and payments: electronic muster rolls, attendance with geo-tagged photos, wages only into verified bank accounts.
Job cards and ghosts: re-verify households in the gram sabha, cancel fictitious cards, display beneficiary and work lists publicly.
Funds and fake works: recover siphoned money; FIRs and disciplinary action against those responsible, through due process.
Systemic: regular social audits, grievance redress and ombudsperson, timely wage payment, training of panchayat staff and technical assistants.
(c) Style: firm but fair — protect whistle-blowers and honest workers, communicate openly, and report to the State for wider checks.

Close with · Transparency, technology and community oversight can turn the programme back into a genuine safety net — workers’ restored trust is the real measure of success.

Add value (verified)

The ‘Right to Work’ in the case comes from Article 41, a Directive Principle. The Constitution of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, as on 1 May 2024) — Article 41 ↗“The State shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance”
The Economic Survey 2025-26 (Ch. 10) names the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025 as aiming to strengthen the interventions — a development that answers written now should mention. Economic Survey 2025-26, Chapter 10 (Ministry of Finance) ↗“The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, aims to strengthen the interventions.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra) lists about forty ways of embezzlement, beginning with entering early receipts late and showing uncollected sums as collected. Kautilya's Arthashastra, tr. R. Shamasastry, Book II Ch. VIII — archive.org ↗“There are about forty ways of embezzlement: what is realised earlier is entered later on; what is realised later is entered earlier; what ought to be realised is not realised; what is hard to realise is shown as realised;”
Economic Survey 2024-25: MGNREGS works are geotagged before, during and after execution; 99.98% of payments go through the National Electronic Fund Management System; Aadhaar-based payment covers 96.3% of active workers. Economic Survey 2024-25, para 11.108 — indiabudget.gov.in ↗“geotagging before, during, and after the work is being done, 99.98 per cent payments are through National Electronic Fund Management System, wages are transferred under DBT, Aadhaar-based payment has been enabled for 96.3 per cent of total active workers,”
The National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) app, launched in May 2021, records real-time attendance at MGNREGA worksites with a geo-tagged photograph. Economic Survey 2022-23 — indiabudget.gov.in ↗“National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App was launched in May 2021 which permits taking real-time attendance of workers at MGNREGA worksites along with a geo-tagged photograph.”
2nd ARC (Ethics in Governance, para 5.4.1): social audit by beneficiary or civil-society groups helps prevent wrongdoing, including in the distribution of welfare payments. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), para 5.4.1 — DARPG (archived) ↗“Social audit through client or beneficiary groups or civil society groups is yet another way of eliciting information on and prevention of wrong doing in procurement of products and services for government, in the distribution of welfare payments, in the checking of attendance of teachers and students in schools and hostels, staff in the hospitals”
The 2nd ARC cites the Jan Sunwai (public hearings) of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan, as a civil-society model against corruption. 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), Ch. 5 — DARPG (archived) ↗“2) Report Card Survey of Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore; 3) Jan Sunwai by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan and Parivartan, Delhi;”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 355 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

Kautilya counted "about forty ways of embezzlement". Ghost workers, fake works and siphoned funds are their modern forms, and they defeat a programme meant to secure the rural poor's right to work (Article 41).

Stakeholders

Most affected: genuine job-seekers and their families; also panchayat functionaries, the predecessor, the State government and taxpayers.

(a) My reaction, and restoring the programme

Reaction: a breach of public trust, not an inherited nuisance; money meant for the poorest was stolen. I would act with urgency and impartiality, on evidence, neither shielding the predecessor nor starting a witch-hunt.
Immediately: freeze suspicious payments; secure records; order a special audit with physical verification of every work and job card; reopen demand registration so that genuine workers get work and wages now.

(b) Actions on the listed issues

Issues	Action
(i), (iv) Wrong or fictitious payees	Pay verified accounts only; cancel ghosts; recover
(ii), (iii) Muster and payment mismatch	App-based attendance; verified measurement before payment
(v)–(vii) Cards, funds, fake works	Gram sabha re-verification; geotagging; forensic audit

Use the tools that exist: the NMMS app (May 2021) records worksite attendance with a geo-tagged photograph; works are geotagged before, during and after execution, and Aadhaar-based payment covers 96.3% of active workers (Economic Survey 2024-25).
Accountability: FIRs, recovery and disciplinary action against officials and contractors, through due process.

Firm but fair: protect whistle-blowers and honest staff; rely on independent inquiry, not my own conclusions; keep the State informed; avoid publicity stunts.
Community oversight: the 2nd ARC sees social audit by beneficiaries as a check on wrongdoing in welfare payments, and cites the jan sunwai (public hearings) of Rajasthan's Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan as a model.
Systemic: regular social audits, a working ombudsperson, wages on time, training for panchayat staff, and transparency boards at worksites.

Transparency, technology and community oversight can turn the programme back into a genuine safety net; restored trust among workers is the real measure of success. (Since then, Parliament has enacted the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, which the Economic Survey 2025-26 says aims to strengthen these interventions.)

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q12 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies

Ashok is Divisional Commissioner of one of the border districts of the North East State. A few years back, Military has taken over the neighbouring country after overthrowing the elected civil government. Civil war situation is prevailing in the country especially in last two years. However, internal situation further deteriorated due to rebel groups taking over control of certain populated areas near own border. Due to intense fight between military and rebel groups, civilian casualties has increased manifold in recent past. In the meantime, in one night Ashok got information from the local police guarding the border check post that there are about 200-250 people mainly women and children trying to cross over to our side of the border. There are also about 10 soldiers with their weapons in military uniform part of this group who wants to cross over. Women and Children are also crying and begging for help. A few of them are injured and bleeding profusely need immediate medical care. Ashok tried to contact Home Secretary of the State but failed to do so due to poor connectivity mainly due to inclement weather.

(a) What are the options available with Ashok to cope with the situation? (b) What are the ethical and legal dilemmas being faced by Ashok? (c) Which of the options, do you think would be more appropriate for Ashok to adopt and why? (d) In the present situation, what are the extra precautionary measures to be taken by the Border Guarding Police in dealing with soldiers in uniform?

Approach · directive: “what / which / what measures”

What it asks · Identify Ashok’s options when civilians and armed soldiers seek to cross from a war-torn neighbour at night, the ethical and legal tensions, the best course, and special precautions for the soldiers.

The question has 4 parts — answer each

(a) What options are available to Ashok to cope with the situation
(b) What ethical and legal dilemmas Ashok faces
(c) Which option is more appropriate for Ashok to adopt, and why
(d) Extra precautionary measures for the border-guarding police in dealing with the soldiers in uniform

Open with · Ashok must act without orders: compassion for injured, fleeing civilians collides with border law and the risk of armed foreign soldiers; Kant's right of hospitality sets the humanitarian floor.

Cover

Stakeholders: refugees (injured women and children), the foreign soldiers, local residents, border police, State and Union governments, India’s diplomatic interests.
Dilemmas: humanitarian duty vs sovereignty and immigration law; compassion vs security; acting beyond instructions vs waiting while people bleed.
Legal: India is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, but Article 21 protects every person here; non-refoulement is widely seen as customary law.
Options: push everyone back (lawful but inhumane, may cost lives); let all in freely (humane but risky with armed men); admit selectively under control.
Best: admit civilians on humanitarian grounds at one point, give first aid and shelter, screen and record identities, keep trying to reach superiors.
(d) Soldiers: disarm them before entry, log and secure weapons, keep them apart from civilians under guard, alert the Assam Rifles and intelligence agencies.
(d) Also: treat them humanely and lawfully, verify identities, prevent rumours and local tension, and await the Union government’s decision.

Close with · Humanity and security can be served together: save lives first, contain the risk through screening and disarmament, and report so the Union can decide the diplomatic course.

Add value (verified)

Article 21 protects every ‘person’, not only citizens — the injured at the border are owed life-saving care. The Constitution of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, as on 1 May 2024) — Article 21 ↗“No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.”
Kant's cosmopolitan right of hospitality: in an emergency, states must give non-citizens temporary shelter — read by some as a basis for a duty to accept refugees. Kant's Social and Political Philosophy — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“And in an emergency such as a shipwreck, states must provide non-citizens with temporary shelter; this provision is sometimes understood as a basis for a state duty to accept refugees”
NHRC v. State of Arunachal Pradesh, quoted by the Supreme Court in 2018: the Constitution confers certain rights on every human being, not only on citizens. Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Aadhaar) v. Union of India, judgment of 26 September 2018 — Supreme Court of India ↗“In National Human Rights Commission v. State of Arunachal Pradesh19, the Supreme Court explained it again, as under: “We are a country governed by the Rule of Law. Our Constitution confers certain rights on every human being and certain other rights on citizens. Every person is entitled to equality before the law and equal protection of the laws.””
Border guarding follows 'One Border, One Border Guarding Force'; the India-Myanmar border is guarded by the Assam Rifles. Ministry of Home Affairs, Annual Report 2023-24, para 3.5 ↗“One ' Border, One Border Guarding Force (OBOBGF)'. Accordingly, domination of each border has been entrusted to a particular Border Guarding Force (BGF) as under: - 28 Name of Border Name of BGF India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan Borders Border Security Force (BSF) India-China Border Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) India-Nepal and India-Bhutan Borders Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) India-Myanmar Border Assam Rifles”
Hague Convention V (1907), Art. 11: a neutral Power receiving belligerent troops on its territory shall intern them, as far as possible, away from the theatre of war. Hague Convention (V) on the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers, 18 October 1907 — Avalon Project, Yale Law School ↗“Art. 11. A neutral Power which receives on its territory troops belonging to the belligerent armies shall intern them, as far as possible, at a distance from the theatre of war.”
Hague Convention V (1907), Art. 12: the neutral Power shall supply the interned with the food, clothing and relief required by humanity. Hague Convention (V) on the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers, 18 October 1907 — Avalon Project, Yale Law School ↗“Art. 12. In the absence of a special convention to the contrary, the neutral Power shall supply the interned with the food, clothing, and relief required by humanity.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer · 390 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS

Ashok must act without orders: compassion for injured women and children collides with border law and the risk of armed foreign soldiers. Kant's cosmopolitan right of hospitality sets the floor: in an emergency, states must give non-citizens temporary shelter.

Stakeholders

Directly affected: civilians, many injured; the soldiers; border police and residents; the State and Union; India's diplomatic interests.

(a) Options available to Ashok

Option 1: deny entry to all until orders arrive.
Option 2: admit the whole group freely.
Option 3: admit civilians under control, hold the soldiers disarmed at the post, and keep trying superiors through police wireless.

(b) Ethical and legal dilemmas

Humanity vs sovereignty: a duty to the bleeding against immigration law that bars undocumented entry.
Compassion vs security: the soldiers may be pursued or be militants in uniform; sheltering them may look like taking sides.
Initiative vs instructions: act beyond orders, or wait while people bleed.
Law: India is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, but Article 21 protects every person and non-refoulement is widely seen as customary law; in NHRC v. State of Arunachal Pradesh the Supreme Court held that the Constitution confers rights "on every human being".

Admit civilians at one pointFirst aid, evacuate the bleedingDisarm and separate soldiersRegister and screenReport at first light

Why Option 3: refusal risks grave, irreversible harm; controlled entry, only manageable harm. Ashok neither grants asylum nor pushes anyone back; he preserves lives and the Union's choice, recording every decision with reasons.

(d) Extra precautions with soldiers in uniform

Disarm first: before entry; log and seal weapons, ammunition and communication devices; search for explosives.
Intern apart: keep them separate from civilians and under guard; Hague Convention V (1907) requires a neutral Power that receives belligerent troops to intern them, as far as possible, at a distance from the theatre of war.
Treat humanely: food, clothing, medical care and "relief required by humanity"; no questioning beyond identity.
Coordinate: alert the Army, intelligence and the border guarding force (the Assam Rifles on the India–Myanmar border); watch for insurgents in borrowed uniforms; no media; hand over only on the Union's orders.

Humanity and security can be served together: save lives first, contain the risk through screening and disarmament, and report promptly so that the Union can decide the diplomatic course.