2025

UPSC CSE (Main) 2025

GS Paper IV 2025

Ethics, integrity & aptitude.

UPSC's question paper: open the official PDF ↗

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GS Paper IV 2025 · Q1 (Section A)

2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Ethics & human interface X-Ray · Core #3

Q1(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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.

Approach · directive: “describe”

What it asks · Describe the main ethical dilemmas of the social-media age: the clashes of values that users, platforms and the State must resolve.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Describe the key ethical dilemmas that social media raises, value against value
Show how they confront users, platforms and the State

Open with · An ethical dilemma: two sound values compete, so that honouring one sacrifices the other; social media has made every user a publisher and a few platforms the gatekeepers of debate, so users, platforms and the State face such clashes daily.

Cover

A table sets three values against their rivals: free expression against harm, connectivity against privacy, virality against truth.
Free speech vs harm: Mill's harm principle; Shreya Singhal (2015) struck down Section 66A, so curbs on speech must be precise.
Privacy vs connectivity: Puttaswamy (2017) on privacy under Article 21; the DPDP Act, 2023 balancing that right against lawful processing.
Truth vs virality, anonymity vs accountability, well-being vs engagement, and the private power of unelected platforms over public speech.

Close with · Precise laws, transparent algorithms and digital literacy to ease these tensions, in the spirit of Tagore's prayer for a country where words come out from the depth of truth, not broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls.

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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.”
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.”
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.”
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”
Tagore, Gitanjali (1912), poem 35: a prayer for a country where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls, and where words come out from the depth of truth.Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali (1912), poem 35 — Project Gutenberg ↗“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth;”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 222words · Minimalist IAS

An ethical dilemma arises when two sound values compete and honouring one sacrifices the other. Social media has made every user a publisher and a few platforms the gatekeepers of debate, so users, platforms and the State face such clashes daily.

Value	Collides with	Seen in
Free expression	Protection from harm	Hate speech, trolling

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Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.

Q1(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“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: “examine (highlighting)”

What it asks · Examine why constitutional morality matters to a public servant, bringing out its role in good governance and in accountability.

It asks 3 things — answer each

Explain constitutional morality and why it must be cultivated
Examine its significance for the public servant
Highlight its role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration

Open with · Grote's definition, adopted by Ambedkar in 1948: a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution, joined to open speech and censure of authority; Ambedkar's warning that it is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.

Cover

Significance: a compass where rules are silent, guided by the Preamble's justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
A service duty: the AIS (Conduct) Rules bind members to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values.
Ambedkar wrote forms of administration into the Constitution because a diffusion of constitutional morality could not be presumed; officers must supply it.
Good governance: Manoj Narula (2014), constitutional morality as bowing to constitutional norms, a laser beam in institution building.
Accountability: Grote's unrestrained censure of authority, today reasons on file, RTI, audit, courts and lawful refusal of unlawful orders.

Close with · Ambedkar's warning of 25 November 1949: however good a Constitution may be, it turns out bad if those who work it happen to be a bad lot; public servants decide which it becomes.

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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”
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;”
Ambedkar (4 November 1948): administrative detail could be left out of a Constitution only where people are saturated with constitutional morality; its diffusion could not be presumed, for it is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol. VII, 4 November 1948 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — sansad.in ↗“that one can take the risk of omitting from the Constitution details of administration and leaving it for the Legislature to prescribe them. The question is, can we presume such a diffusion of Constitutional morality? Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated.”
Manoj Narula v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 27 August 2014): constitutional morality means bowing to the norms of the Constitution and not acting against the rule of law or arbitrarily; it guides institution building like a laser beam.Manoj Narula vs Union of India, Supreme Court, 27 August 2014 — Indian Kanoon ↗“The principle of constitutional morality basically means to bow down to the norms of the Constitution and not to act in a manner which would become violative of the rule of law or reflectible of action in an arbitrary manner. It actually works at the fulcrum and guides as a laser beam in institution building.”
Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly (25 November 1949): however good a Constitution may be, it turns out bad if those called to work it are a bad lot, and however bad, it may turn out good if they are a good lot.Constituent Assembly Debates, 25 November 1949 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — constitutionofindia.net ↗“Because I feel, however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 221words · Minimalist IAS

Constitutional morality, in Grote's words adopted by Ambedkar in 1948, is 'a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution', joined to open speech and censure of authority. Ambedkar warned that it 'is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated'.

Significance for the public servant

Compass where rules are silent: discretion follows the Preamble's justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, not personal, partisan or majority preference.
A service duty: the AIS (Conduct) Rules bind every member to 'uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values'.
Filling the gaps: Ambedkar justified writing forms of administration into the Constitution because one could not presume 'such a diffusion of Constitutional morality'; officers must now supply it.

The full answer goes on to cover

Role in good governance and accountability

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GS Paper IV 2025 · Q2 (Section A)

2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Ethics in public administration X-Ray · Core #33

Q2(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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.

Approach · directive: “critically analyse (in the present context)”

What it asks · Test Clausewitz's claim that war continues diplomacy, or policy, by other means against today's conflicts: where it holds, where it fails, and a reasoned verdict.

It asks 4 things — answer each

Explain the statement: war as policy continued by other means
Analyse where it holds in contemporary geopolitical conflicts
Analyse where it fails, legally and ethically
Give a reasoned verdict

Open with · Clausewitz's own formulation in On War: war continues policy by other means, force serving a political purpose and ending at the bargaining table; today's conflicts show both its realism and its danger.

Cover

A table reads war through three lenses: realist (largely holds), legal (fails under the UN Charter) and ethical (only a last resort).
Where it holds: leverage in Russia–Ukraine and West Asia, coercion short of war, and Operation Sindoor's calibrated, non-escalatory force (May 2025).
Where it fails: the UN Charter's bar on the threat or use of force, just war's proportionality and last resort, and Kautilya's preference for peace.
Verdict: a fair description of how states behave but a dangerous norm, given civilian suffering and nuclear risk.

Close with · Gandhi's seed and tree: means and ends are inseparable, so peace sown with violence yields violence.

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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”
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.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 223words · Minimalist IAS

Clausewitz's own formulation in On War is that war continues policy by other means: force serves a political purpose and ends at the bargaining table. Today's conflicts show both its realism and its danger.

Lens	Reading of war	Verdict
Realist	Bargaining by force	Largely holds
Legal	UN Charter bars force	Fails
Ethical	A last resort only	Conditional

Where it holds today

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, energy leverage and cyber operations put force and diplomacy on one continuum.
Calibrated force: India called Operation Sindoor (May 2025) 'focused, measured and non-escalatory': force tied to a limited aim.

The full answer goes on to cover

Where it fails

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Q2(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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: “examine (keeping national security in mind)”

What it asks · With national security in view, examine the ethical dilemmas in controversies over environmental clearance for development projects in ecologically fragile border areas.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Keep national security in view: why roads, tunnels and airstrips in border areas matter
Examine the ethical dilemmas in clearing such projects in ecologically sensitive areas

Open with · The South Lhonak glacial lake outburst (October 2023), a 50–60 ft surge down Sikkim's Teesta; the same fragile Himalaya must carry the frontier roads, tunnels and airstrips, so clearance pits security against ecology.

Cover

A table sets the security claim against the ecological claim in three dilemmas: speed vs scrutiny, mobility vs stability, secrecy vs voice.
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, and present vs future: Brundtland's test of meeting present needs without compromising future generations.
Balance: the Supreme Court's 2021 Char Dham decision allowing wider defence roads under oversight; strategic and cumulative impact assessment and resilient engineering.

Close with · Article 51A(g), the duty to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes and rivers: a road that a glacial flood washes away defends no one.

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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.”
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”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 213words · Minimalist IAS

In October 2023 a glacial lake outburst at South Lhonak sent a 50–60 ft surge down Sikkim's Teesta. The same fragile Himalaya must carry the roads, tunnels and airstrips our forces need, so every clearance pits security against ecology.

Dilemma	Security claim	Ecological claim
Speed vs scrutiny	Build fast at the frontier	Exemptions skip appraisal

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GS Paper IV 2025 · Q3 (Section A)

3 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Moral thinkers & philosophers X-Ray · Core #25

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

Q3(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“Those who in trouble untroubled are, Will trouble trouble itself.” – Thiruvalluvar

Approach · directive: “what does it convey (in the present context)”

What it asks · Explain Thiruvalluvar's point that one who stays calm in trouble defeats trouble itself, and show what it conveys today for the individual, public service and the nation.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain what Thiruvalluvar's couplet means
Bring out what it conveys in the present context, with an example

Open with · Thiruvalluvar's Tirukkural: one who stays untroubled in trouble turns trouble back on itself; panic multiplies a crisis, while equanimity keeps judgement clear.

Cover

A flowchart traces the couplet's logic: trouble strikes, a calm mind, clear judgement, right action, trouble overcome.
The individual: exam failure, job loss or an online smear; resilience and emotional intelligence as learnable public-service competencies.
Public service: Gujarat's comprehensive preparedness on IMD's advance warnings before Cyclone Biparjoy (June 2023).
The nation: the Silkyara tunnel collapse (November 2023), where the trapped workers' perseverance gave the rescuers strength and all 41 came out after 17 days.
Caution: composure is not indifference but the steadiness that lets compassion act.

Close with · The Gita's sthitaprajna, one whose mind is not shaken by adversity: the steady wisdom that every crisis manager needs.

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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.”
New India Samachar (16–31 December 2023): the 41 workers stuck for 17 days in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel showed courage, and their perseverance gave strength to all the rescuing agencies; part of the tunnel had caved in on 12 November.New India Samachar, 16–31 December 2023 (Government of India fortnightly) — newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in ↗“The 41 workers who spent 17 days stuck in Uttarkashi's Silkyara Tunnel embodied, passion, vigour, and courage beyond words. It was the perseverance of the workers trapped in the tunnel that was giving strength to all the agencies in the country.”
New India Samachar (16–31 December 2023): after 17 days of a very difficult rescue operation, all 41 workers were successfully rescued.New India Samachar, 16–31 December 2023 (Government of India fortnightly) — newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in ↗“In a very difficult rescue operation, after 17 days of tireless hard work 41 workers were successfully rescued by overcoming unprecedented challenges.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 185words · Minimalist IAS

In the Tirukkural, Thiruvalluvar holds that one who stays untroubled in trouble turns trouble back on itself. Panic multiplies a crisis; equanimity keeps judgement clear, so the difficulty, not the person, gives way.

The individual: an exam failure, a lost job or an online smear tests this capacity; resilience and emotional intelligence can be learnt, and both are core public-service competencies.

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Q3(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.” – William James

Approach · directive: “what does it convey (in the present context)”

What it asks · Explain James's claim that changing one's attitudes changes one's life, and show what it conveys today for the individual, public service and society.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain what William James's statement means
Bring out what it conveys in the present context, with an example

Open with · James's attitude: a settled way of thinking and feeling that steers what we choose and do; being learnt, attitudes can be changed, and a changed attitude remakes habits, character and life.

Cover

A flowchart shows the chain: new attitude, new choices, new habits, new character, an altered life.
The individual: failure read as feedback, not a verdict; a growth mindset turning setbacks into skill.
Public service: Kiran Bedi's Tihar (1993), where work, study, yoga and inmates' panchayats imbued prisoners with positive attitudes.
Society: Swachh Bharat Mission and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao employed behavioural insights (Economic Survey 2018-19); attitude cannot replace structural change.

Close with · Epictetus: men are disturbed not by things but by the views they take of things; James gave that ancient insight the backing of modern psychology.

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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.”
William James (Principles of Psychology, chapter on Habit): we should make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy by forming as many good habits as we can, as early in life as we can.William James — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“We should strive to make our “nervous system our ally instead of our enemy” by forming as many good habits as we can, as early in life as we can.”
Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (Kiran Bedi, 1994 Award for Government Service): as inspector general of prisons from 1993 she transformed Tihar, India's largest prison complex, through work, study, yoga and inmates' panchayats, imbuing inmates with positive attitudes.Kiran Bedi, 1994 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service — Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation ↗“In 1993 BEDI became inspector general of prisons (Delhi) and took charge of Tihar, India’s largest prison complex.”
Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation: in Tihar, Bedi's charges were being imbued with positive attitudes and practical skills for life beyond the walls.Kiran Bedi, 1994 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service — Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation ↗“Tihar is a different world today. In it BEDI’s charges are being imbued with positive attitudes and practical skills for life beyond the walls.”
Epictetus, Enchiridion V: men are disturbed not by things but by the views they take of them; when hindered or disturbed, we should impute it to our own views.Epictetus, The Enchiridion, V — Project Gutenberg ↗“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 210words · Minimalist IAS

For William James, an attitude, our settled way of thinking and feeling about people and events, steers what we choose and do. Because attitudes are learnt, they can be changed, and a changed attitude remakes habits, character and finally life.

He urged us to make our 'nervous system our ally instead of our enemy' by forming good habits as early as we can.

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Q3(c) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“The strength of a society is not in its laws, but in the morality of its people.” – Swami Vivekananda

Approach · directive: “what does it convey (in the present context)”

What it asks · Explain Vivekananda's view that a society's strength lies in its people's morality rather than its laws, and show what it conveys today for society, civic life and public service.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain what Vivekananda's statement means
Bring out what it conveys in the present context, with an example

Open with · Vivekananda: laws set only a minimum and work when most people obey them willingly; a society's real strength is its people's character, with unselfishness the foundation of morality.

Cover

A flowchart links value education, inner morality and willing compliance to a strong society.
Society and civic life: dowry and child marriage persist despite laws; road safety, waste segregation and tax compliance rest on voluntary conduct.
Public service: an officer's integrity governs where no rule reaches.
Example: Ralegan Siddhi (Ahmadnagar), where a youth group worked against dowry, caste discrimination and untouchability, and no case has since been referred to the police (NCERT).
Balance: law as the floor that can lead reform, as in the Constitution's ban on untouchability.

Close with · Confucius: people led by laws and punishments try to avoid the punishment but have no sense of shame; led by virtue, they become good.

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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”
Confucius, Analects II.3 (tr. James Legge): people led by laws and punishments try to avoid the punishment but have no sense of shame; led by virtue and propriety, they have the sense of shame and become good.The Analects of Confucius, Book II, Chap. III (tr. James Legge) — Project Gutenberg ↗“If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. 2. 'If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 196words · Minimalist IAS

For Swami Vivekananda, morality rests on unselfishness, 'the foundation of morality'. Laws set only a minimum and work when most people obey them willingly; a society's real strength is the character of its people, and morality works where no law can watch.

Society: laws against dowry and child marriage have long existed, yet both practices persist wherever social approval outweighs fear of the law.

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GS Paper IV 2025 · Q4 (Section A)

2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Foundational values for civil service X-Ray · Core #25

Q4(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“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.

Approach · directive: “justify (with suitable examples)”

What it asks · Argue, with examples, why a civil servant who re-engineers society through welfare schemes must reason from evidence, think critically and stay within ethical limits.

It asks 3 things — answer each

Justify why social re-engineering through welfare schemes needs reason and critical thinking
Justify why both must work within an ethical framework
Support the argument with suitable examples

Open with · Social re-engineering defined: using public policy to change entrenched behaviour and structures; such intimate power is safe only when reason designs it, critical thinking tests it and ethics limits it.

Cover

A table matches each faculty to its role and an example: reason, critical thinking and ethics.
Reason: the Aspirational Districts Programme's data ranking and its principles of competition, convergence and collaboration.
Critical thinking: the 15th Finance Commission's call for rigorous performance evaluation; fixing authentication failures that exclude eligible ration-card holders.
Ethics: the Emergency's coercive mass sterilisation as the warning; Amartya Sen's capability approach as the compass.

Close with · Article 51A(h): the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform, joining reason, critical thinking and ethics in one duty of the civil servant.

Add value (verified)

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.”
Amartya Sen pioneered the capability approach, which holds that the freedom to achieve well-being is a matter of what people are able to do and to be, and so of the kind of life they can effectively lead.The Capability Approach — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“it is economist-philosopher Amartya Sen who pioneered the approach and philosopher Martha Nussbaum and a growing number of other scholars across the humanities and the social sciences who have significantly developed it. The capability approach purports that freedom to achieve well-being is a matter of what people are able to do and to be”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 218words · Minimalist IAS

Social re-engineering means using public policy to change entrenched behaviour and structures, from open defecation to keeping girls out of school. Power so intimate is safe only when reason designs it, critical thinking tests it and ethics limits it.

Faculty	Its role	Example
Reason	Design from evidence	Aspirational Districts' data ranking

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Q4(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

What are the major teachings of Mahavir? Explain their relevance in the contemporary world.

Approach · directive: “what (are the major teachings); explain (relevance)”

What it asks · State Mahavira's major teachings and explain how they speak to the problems of the contemporary world.

It asks 2 things — answer each

State the major teachings of Mahavira
Explain their relevance in the contemporary world

Open with · Mahavira, the 24th tirthankara (sixth century BCE), taught a conquest of the self: the jina is a conqueror not of territory but of ignorance and attachments, an ethic of restraint for an age of violence, excess and polarisation.

Cover

Teachings: the three jewels of right faith, knowledge and conduct; the five great vows; anekantavada and syadvada; equal souls and one's own effort.
A table maps ahimsa, aparigraha and anekantavada to present problems: hate and war, consumerism and climate stress, post-truth polarisation.
Ecology: the interdependence of all creatures as an ethic for biodiversity; Mission LiFE as mindful consumption.
Public life: satya and asteya against corruption and misinformation; equal souls against caste and gender bias.

Close with · Mahavira's saying that living creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away: a charter for a violent, warming world.

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 215words · Minimalist IAS

Mahavira, the 24th tirthankara (sixth century BCE), taught a conquest of the self: the jina is a conqueror not of territory but of ignorance and attachments. That ethic of restraint speaks directly to an age of violence, excess and polarisation.

Major teachings of Mahavira

Three jewels (triratna): right faith, right knowledge and right conduct form the path of liberation.
Five great vows: ahimsa (non-violence in thought, speech and action), satya, asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (no possession beyond need) and brahmacharya (renouncing passions).
Anekantavada and syadvada: truth has many aspects, and our knowledge is partial and relative.
Equal souls, own effort: all souls are potentially equal, and liberation comes through one's own conduct, not ritual.

The full answer goes on to cover

Their relevance in the contemporary world

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (215 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q5 (Section A)

2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Foundational values for civil service X-Ray · Core #1

Q5(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

“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.

Approach · directive: “analyse (with reference to responsibility and fulfilment)”

What it asks · Analyse how devotion to duty shapes a civil servant's sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment, and where such devotion needs limits.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Analyse devotion to duty with reference to a civil servant's sense of responsibility
Analyse it with reference to personal fulfilment

Open with · The Bhagavad Gita (18.45): devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection; for a civil servant, that duty is the role the Constitution and citizens entrust, building responsibility and fulfilment.

Cover

A flowchart shows the virtuous cycle: devotion, ownership of outcomes, public value, inner fulfilment and deeper devotion.
Responsibility: the AIS (Conduct) Rules' demand of absolute integrity and devotion to duty; ownership of outcomes, owed to citizens rather than superiors.
Fulfilment: Armstrong Pame's 100-km people's road; work done without craving reward frees the mind and sharpens judgement.
Limits: Arendt traced Eichmann's crimes to his devotion to Hitler and his thoughtlessness, so devotion must serve lawful ends; and devotion is not burnout.

Close with · The Gita's counsel, thy right is to work only, never to the fruits: duty so done is the citizen's due and the officer's deepest reward.

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.”
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.”
Bhagavad Gita 18.45: devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection.Bhagavad Gita, tr. Swami Swarupananda (1909) — sacred-texts.com, ch. 18 ↗“45. Devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection. How engaged in his own duty, he attains perfection, that hear.”
Bhagavad Gita 2.47: one's right is to work only, never to its fruits; nor should one be attached to inaction.Bhagavad Gita, tr. Swami Swarupananda (1909) — sacred-texts.com, ch. 2 ↗“47. Thy right is to work only; but never to the fruits thereof. Be thou not the producer of the fruits of (thy) actions; neither let thy attachment be towards inaction.”
Hannah Arendt (Eichmann in Jerusalem) attributed Eichmann's monstrous deeds not to fanatical hatred but to his devotion to Hitler and his 'thoughtlessness', an inability to see from another's point of view.Hannah Arendt — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗“Arendt attributed his monstrous deeds not to a fanatical hatred of Jews (EJ, 146), but to his devotion to Hitler (EJ, 149) and his “thoughtlessness” (LM, 4), by which she understood his “inability ever to look at anything from the other’s point of view” (EJ, 48).”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 220words · Minimalist IAS

The statement echoes the Bhagavad Gita (18.45): 'Devoted each to his own duty, man attains the highest perfection.' For a civil servant, that duty is the role the Constitution and citizens entrust; devotion to it builds responsibility and, through it, fulfilment.

Devotion and the sense of responsibility

A rule as well as a value: the AIS (Conduct) Rules require every member to 'maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty' at all times.
Ownership: devotion turns a post into a vocation; the officer answers for outcomes, not files, and to citizens, not to superiors or self.

The full answer goes on to cover

Devotion and personal fulfilment

Read the full model answer (220 words) →

Q5(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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: “suggest (specific measures)”

What it asks · Suggest specific measures by which a civil servant can enable and actively facilitate holistic development instead of acting mainly as a regulator.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain the shift from regulator to enabler and facilitator for holistic development
Suggest specific measures to achieve it

Open with · Holistic development in the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision: economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability and good governance, needing officers who remove hurdles and connect citizens to opportunity.

Cover

A table contrasts the regulator and enabler mindsets: permission-giver against problem-solver, prior approvals against self-certification, rules against roles.
Capacity and trust: Mission Karmayogi's rules-to-roles shift; the Economic Survey 2024-25 on getting out of the way; Jan Vishwas (2023) decriminalising 183 provisions.
Convergence and handholding: district plans with gram sabhas and urban local bodies; credit, markets and skills for FPOs, SHGs, MSMEs and start-ups.
Responsive services and guardrails: time-bound online delivery and dashboards; transparent criteria and conflict-of-interest disclosure against capture.

Close with · The Prime Minister's 2020 counsel to officer trainees: every bureaucrat's role is to ensure Minimum Government and Maximum Governance, with less interference and the common man empowered.

Add value (verified)

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.”
Viksit Bharat@2047 is the vision to make India a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of independence, spanning economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability and good governance (PIB, December 2023).PM to launch 'Viksit Bharat @2047: Voice of Youth' on 11th December — PIB, 10 December 2023 ↗“Viksit Bharat@2047 is the vision to make India a developed nation by 2047, the 100th year of its independence. The vision encompasses various aspects of development, including economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability, and good governance, among others.”
Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, passed by the Lok Sabha (27 June 2023) and the Rajya Sabha (2 August 2023): 183 provisions in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 ministries or departments decriminalised, so that minor, technical or procedural defaults do not bring imprisonment.Rajya Sabha passes Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023 in Parliament — PIB, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, 2 August 2023 ↗“Through The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, a total of 183 provisions are being proposed to be decriminalized in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments.”
The Prime Minister, interacting with civil service officer trainees (31 October 2020), said the role of all bureaucrats is to ensure Minimum Government and Maximum Governance, reducing interference in citizens' lives and empowering the common man.Prime Minister interacts with Officer Trainees of Indian Civil Services ('Aarambh') — PIB, 31 October 2020 ↗“He said the role of all bureaucrats in the present mode of working in the country is to ensure Minimum Government and Maximum Governance. He urged the civil servants to ensure that the interference in the lives of citizens is reduced and the common man is empowered.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 217words · Minimalist IAS

Holistic development, in the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047, spans economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability and good governance. It needs officers who remove hurdles and connect citizens to opportunity, not ones who merely grant or refuse permission.

Regulator mindset	Enabler mindset
Permission-giver	Problem-solver

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GS Paper IV 2025 · Q6 (Section A)

2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Probity in governance X-Ray · Core #69

Q6(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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?

🧭 How to think about this question · directive: “what measures (would you adopt)”

Decode the demand

Directive 'what measures would you adopt': prescriptive and in the first person, at your workplace; the examiner wants doable steps, not a lecture on ethics.
Two cultures named: value-based works from inside (character, conscience, example); compliance-based works from outside (rules, declarations, sanctions). The code of ethics is the hinge the question hands you.
Each measure must be concrete, with the rule, thinker or real model that backs it inside the point.

Think in a structure

Open by separating a code of ethics from a code of conduct, with an authority such as the 2nd ARC.
A table contrasting the two cultures, then measures under two headings, each led by an ethical keyword; a diagram of the pillars.
Close on how the two meet as one culture, anchored in a thinker's insight about habit and character.

Facts checked at source (4)· open

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 (Nicomachean Ethics, Book II): virtues come by practice, as builders by building; by doing just actions we come to be just, and law-givers make citizens good by habituation.Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, Book II (tr. D. P. Chase) — Project Gutenberg ↗“exactly so, by doing just actions we come to be just; by doing the actions of self-mastery we come to be perfected in self-mastery; and by doing brave actions brave. And to the truth of this testimony is borne by what takes place in communities: because the law-givers make the individual members good men by habituation,”
2nd ARC, 4th Report (Ethics in Governance), section 3.6 'Protection to Whistleblowers': whistle-blowers play a crucial role in providing information about corruption, and the Commission sought legal protection for them.2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, 4th Report: Ethics in Governance (2007), section 3.6 (DARPG copy, archived) ↗“Whistleblowers play a crucial role in providing information about corruption.”
Gandhi on trusteeship: taking and keeping what one does not need for one's immediate use is theft from someone else; applied to office, a public servant holds power and resources in trust.M. K. Gandhi, Trusteeship, chapter 1 'Fundamental Law of Nature' — mkgandhi.org (complete book online) ↗“I suggest that we are thieves in a way. If I take anything that I do not need for my own immediate use, and keep it, I thieve it from somebody else.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Guidance: Minimalist IAS, checked 8 Nov 2026 (how we verify). ·

Model answer· 358words · Minimalist IAS

A code of ethics states the values an organisation lives by; a code of conduct turns them into enforceable rules. The 2nd ARC wanted both: 'Public Service Values' for all tiers of government, with any transgression treated as misconduct. A work culture needs the two together.

Culture	Works through	Instrument	Risk if alone
Value-based	Conscience, character, example	Code of ethics, mentoring	Fine words without teeth
Compliance-based	Rules, declarations, sanctions	Code of conduct, audit	'What can I get away with'

Value-based measures I would adopt

Ownership of the code: a short code drafted with the staff, revisited yearly.
- Built on the 2nd ARC's values: integrity, impartiality, accountability, service.
Exemplary conduct (tone from the top): disclose my interests, keep time, explain decisions.
- Gandhi's trusteeship: an office is held in trust, not owned.
Habituation (Aristotle): a monthly case discussion of real dilemmas and mentoring of new entrants, because 'by doing just actions we come to be just'.
Principled motivation (Kohlberg): reward integrity in appraisals, so staff act from principle rather than fear of being caught.

The full answer goes on to cover

Compliance-based measures I would adopt
Where the two meet

With 1 diagram you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (358 words) →

Reviewed by Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) on 8 Nov 2026 · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 8 Nov 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.

Q6(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own

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?

🧭 How to think about this question · directive: “what specific measures (would you recommend)”

Decode the demand

Directive 'recommend specific measures': concrete mechanisms, not slogans; the question names two problems, under-utilisation (money left idle) and misutilisation (money diverted), and one goal, accountability that turns funds into growth.
The ethics angle: public money is a trust; keywords are stewardship, probity, transparency, answerability.
Each measure needs the rule or model that already exists, so the examiner sees you know the system.

Think in a structure

Open with one number that proves leakage can be stopped, then link money to growth.
A flowchart of the fund cycle, then measures under the two problems, then a heading on what you as an officer would do.
Close on a commitment that ties accountability to the growth goal, not on the problem.

Facts checked at source (9)· open

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”
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).”
SNA-SPARSH, developed on PFMS and being piloted in 2023, aims at just-in-time releases under centrally sponsored schemes: the Union's share is released only against expenditure actually incurred, followed by a claim (Department of Expenditure, Year Ender 2023).Ministry of Finance Year Ender 2023: Department of Expenditure — PIB, 27 December 2023 ↗“SNA SPARSH has been developed under GIFMIS on the PFMS platform to facilitate 'Just-in-time' releases under Centrally Sponsored Schemes and is currently being piloted. Aims to achieve 'Just-in-time' fund flow from Centre and State Consolidated Funds through an integrated network of State IFMIS and e-kuber of RBI. Facilitates more effective cash management. Key features: The Union Government's share in fund release based only on incurred actual expenditure”
MKSS (Rajasthan, 1990s): the jan sunwai, a public hearing in which panchayat expenditure records were read out to villagers, became the template for social audit and the people's right to information.Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh, 'Demanding accountability', Seminar 500 (2001) ↗“Their exploration led to the identification of the jan sunwaii or public hearing as an effective mode where they could speak and be heard.”
In April 2017 Meghalaya enacted the Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017, the first state law of its kind, implemented by the Meghalaya Society for Social Audit and Transparency.Centre for Policy Research, 'Making It Work: Institutionalising Social Audits in Meghalaya' (2023) ↗“In April 2017, Meghalaya enacted the Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017 (henceforth the ‘Act’). The Meghalaya Society for Social Audit and Transparency (MSSAT) is responsible for implementing the Act.”
SDG Target 16.6: develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels; its first indicator is primary government expenditure as a proportion of the approved budget.United Nations — Sustainable Development Goal 16, Target 16.6 ↗“Target 16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels Indicators 16.6.1 Primary government expenditures as a”
Gandhi on trusteeship: taking and keeping what one does not need is theft from someone else; a public officer holds funds in trust.M. K. Gandhi, Trusteeship, chapter 1 'Fundamental Law of Nature' — mkgandhi.org ↗“If I take anything that I do not need for my own immediate use, and keep it, I thieve it from somebody else.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Guidance: Minimalist IAS, checked 8 Nov 2026 (how we verify). ·

Model answer· 337words · Minimalist IAS

Leakages are large, but systems can stop them: direct benefit transfer alone has saved ₹3.48 lakh crore by plugging leakages (PIB, April 2025). Every rupee left idle or diverted is growth lost on the road from fourth- to third-largest economy.

Against under-utilisation: money left idle

Release on need: the Union's share released only against expenditure actually incurred.
- SNA-SPARSH, piloted in 2023 for centrally sponsored schemes.
Track every agency: every implementing agency registered on PFMS, so unspent balances are visible, not parked.
End the March rush: quarterly expenditure plans in place of year-end spending.
- GFR Rule 62(3) treats a rush of spending in the closing months as a breach of financial propriety.

The full answer goes on to cover

Against misuse and leakage: money diverted
What I would do as an administrator

Read the full model answer (337 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q7 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #72

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.

It asks 4 things — 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 · The crux, public duty versus filial duty, and W.D. Ross's view that such duties are prima facie, binding but not absolute, so the situation decides which prevails.

Cover

Stakeholders: disaster victims, rescue teams and subordinates; the State government; Vijay, his sister and relatives.
(a) Options: leave at once with an informal handover; stay while relatives perform the rites; or hand over formally, attend briefly and return.
(b) Dilemmas as value conflicts: public vs filial duty, continuity vs grief, indispensability vs institution, devotion vs self-care.
(c) A table weighing each option's merit and cost.
(d) Option 3: inform the Chief Secretary, brief a stand-in, return at once; the DM Act 2005 gives the District Authority an ADM-rank CEO.
(d) Ethical basis: Ross held the duty not to harm more pressing than the duty to do good; fallback: stay if no stand-in can reach.
Systemic fix: leave and succession protocols in district disaster plans, a trained deputy as incident commander, and counselling for officers.

Close with · Duty and compassion meeting in an orderly handover: the office must never be headless, but the officer is also a son.

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· 370words · Minimalist IAS

Public duty versus filial duty: Vijay owes as much to thousands of disaster-hit citizens as to his mother's last rites. W.D. Ross called such duties prima facie, binding but not absolute; the situation decides which prevails.

Stakeholders

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

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) Options available to Vijay
(b) Ethical dilemmas Vijay faces
(c) Critical evaluation of each option
(d) Most appropriate course and why
Systemic fix

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (370 words) →

Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 1 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q8 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #1

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.

It asks 3 things — 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 crux, shelter versus the forest: the Supreme Court counts both the right to shelter and the right to pollution-free water and air among the rights read into Article 21.

Cover

Stakeholders: homeless and EWS families; tribal and nomadic forest users; wildlife and downstream farmers; the administration; future generations.
(a) Consequences: the housing gain is local and replaceable; the loss of trees, micro-climate, soil and livelihoods is long-term and largely irreversible.
(a) Justice and consent: Rawls's difference principle fails when one poor group is uprooted to house another; Niyamgiri upheld the Gram Sabha's prior decision.
(a) Verdict: wildlife conflict and hideouts call for mitigation and policing; clearing is not justified while alternatives exist, at most a minimal last resort.
(b) Socio-economic, administrative and ethical challenges in a table; the State's duty under Article 48A and the citizen's under Article 51A(g).
(c) Other land and PMAY housing models; community forest rights, corridors and conflict compensation; the Chipko model; consultation and impact assessment.

Close with · Shelter and forests as both matters of dignity: other land and better design, so that housing the homeless never means dispossessing 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· 362words · Minimalist IAS

Shelter versus the forest: the case sets one right against another within Article 21, for 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.

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) Can deforestation be justified to house the homeless?
(b) Challenges in balancing conservation with development
(c) Alternatives and policy interventions for ecology and dignity

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (362 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q9 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #7

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.

It asks 3 things — 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 · The crux, family and political loyalty versus duty to the public, and the Arthashastra's test of ministers' character by offering temptations.

Cover

Stakeholders: landowners along the alignment, honest bidders, taxpayers, Subash's family and the Minister himself.
(a) Issues as value conflicts: confidentiality vs filial affection, family gain vs public interest, merit vs favouritism, neutrality vs loyalty, private profit vs public cost.
(b) Share the location with his son: breach of conduct rules, possible criminal misconduct, blackmail risk. Reject.
(b) Oblige the Minister's nephew: vitiates the tender, with legal and reputational ruin. Reject. Refusing both but staying silent leaves the pressure unrecorded.
(b) Refuse both and act formally: integrity with a written record, at the cost of family strain and a possible transfer.
(c) Refuse his son; declare the conflict and recuse; tell the Minister the tender will be open; restrict project data; escalate if pressed.
Systemic fix: need-to-know alignments until notification, a watch on unusual land registrations along the corridor, and published tender criteria.

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

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· 362words · Minimalist IAS

Family and political loyalty versus duty to the public: Subash holds price-sensitive information, pressed by his son's profit motive and his Minister's favouritism. The Arthashastra examines ministers' character "by offering temptations"; this is that test.

Stakeholders

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

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) Ethical issues involved
(b) Options critically examined
(c) Most appropriate course and why
Systemic fix

With 1 flowchart you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (362 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q10 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #7

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.

It asks 3 things — 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 · The crux as value conflicts, career security versus integrity and obedience versus financial propriety: whether anxiety about his ACR will make Rajesh bend a rule he knows.

Cover

Stakeholders: Rajesh, his reporting officer, the PSU's public money, rival vendors, the dealing staff and audit.
(a) Options: split the order; refuse outright; one proposal for the boss's sanction, bought through GeM or competitive bids; report to vigilance at once.
(b) Issues as value conflicts: propriety vs expediency (GFR Rule 157), fairness vs favour (Rule 144), career vs integrity, custom vs rule, obedience vs accountability.
(b) Common practice is no defence: Gandhi's epigram that an error does not become truth by multiplied propagation.
(c) Options table; vigilance in reserve; Option 3 best: note on file, the next authority's sanction, GeM or open bids, oral orders confirmed in writing.
Systemic fix: an annual procurement plan, the 2nd ARC's internal price checks on stationery and computer accessories, and two reviewers in appraisals.

Close with · Rules, not fear: a transparent process protects the organisation, the boss and Rajesh's own career better than any shortcut.

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”
Gandhi: 'An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it' (Epigrams from Gandhiji, mkgandhi.org).Epigrams from Gandhiji (T) — mkgandhi.org ↗“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.”

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· 370words · Minimalist IAS

Career security versus integrity, obedience versus financial propriety: the real test is whether anxiety about his ACR will make Rajesh bend a rule he knows.

Stakeholders

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

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) Options available to Rajesh
(b) Ethical issues involved
(c) Most appropriate option and why
Systemic fix

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (370 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q11 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #11

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.

It asks 3 things — 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 · The crux, accountability to the rural poor versus loyalty to the service: shielding a predecessor would betray workers whose right to work (Article 41) the programme secures.

Cover

Stakeholders, led by genuine job-seekers; dilemmas: loyalty to a colleague vs accountability, speed of relief vs due process, punishment vs restoring work.
(a) Reaction: a breach of public trust; act on evidence, neither shielding the predecessor nor starting a witch-hunt.
(a) Immediately: freeze suspicious payments, secure records, order a special audit of every work and job card, and reopen demand registration.
(b) A table matching the seven irregularities to actions; NMMS attendance, geotagging and Aadhaar-based payment; FIRs, recovery and disciplinary action through due process.
(c) Options: hush it up, punish only, or correct, recover and reform (chosen); firm but fair conduct; social audit and the MKSS jan sunwai model.
Systemic measures: regular social audits, an ombudsperson, timely wages, training for panchayat staff, and transparency boards at worksites.

Close with · Transparency, technology and community oversight restoring a genuine safety net, workers' trust as the measure of success, and a since-then note on the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025.

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 has been enabled for 96.3% of total 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· 368words · Minimalist IAS

Accountability to the rural poor versus loyalty to the service: money meant for the poorest was stolen, and shielding a predecessor would betray workers whose right to work (Article 41) the programme secures.

Stakeholders and dilemmas

Most affected: genuine job-seekers and their families; also panchayat functionaries, the predecessor, the State government and taxpayers.
Dilemmas: loyalty to a colleague versus accountability; speed of relief versus due process; punishment versus restoring work.

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) My reaction, and restoring the programme
(b) Actions on the listed issues
(c) How I would deal with the situation
Systemic measures

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (368 words) →

GS Paper IV 2025 · Q12 (Section B)

20 marks · 250 words Case studies X-Ray · Core #6

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.

It asks 4 things — 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 · The crux, humanity versus sovereignty and security, as Ashok must act without orders; Kant's cosmopolitan right of hospitality sets the floor of temporary shelter in an emergency.

Cover

Stakeholders: injured civilians, the soldiers, border police and residents, the State and Union, and India's diplomatic interests.
(a) Options table: deny entry, admit all freely, or controlled entry, each with merits and demerits.
(b) Dilemmas: humanity vs sovereignty, compassion vs security, initiative vs instructions; outside the 1951 Convention, yet Article 21 protects every person (NHRC case).
(c) Controlled entry: admit civilians at one point, first aid, disarm and separate the soldiers, then register, screen and report; no asylum, no push-back.
(d) Disarm first; intern apart (Hague Convention V, 1907); treat humanely; coordinate with the Army, intelligence and border guarding force; hand over on Union orders.
Long-term: an SOP for mass arrivals, medical and shelter capacity at border posts, satellite links, and clear Union guidance.

Close with · Humanity and security served together: save lives first, contain the risk, and let the Union decide diplomacy.

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· 373words · Minimalist IAS

Humanity versus sovereignty and security: Ashok must act without orders. 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.

The full answer goes on to cover

(a) Options available to Ashok
(b) Ethical and legal dilemmas
(c) More appropriate option: controlled entry
(d) Extra precautions with soldiers in uniform
Long-term measures

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

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