General Studies 4 - Page 7 of 18

Online methodology is being used for day-to-day meetings, institutional approvals in the administration and for teaching and learning in education sector to the extent telemedicine in the health sector is getting popular with the approval of the competent authority. No doubt it has advantages and disadvantages for both the beneficiaries and the system at large. Describe and discuss reticle issues involved in the use of the online method, particularly to the vulnerable section of the society. [2022]

There are a number of potential risks and issues involved in the use of the online method, particularly for vulnerable members of society. Some of…

What do you understand by the term ‘good governance? How far recent initiatives in terms of e-Governance steps taken by the State have helped the beneficiaries? Discuss with suitable examples. [2022]

Good governance refers to the way in which a government or organization is run, with a focus on fairness, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness. It involves…

What does each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do. “-Potter Stewart (b) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel that there are three key societal members who can make a difference They are father, mother and teacher.”- APJ Abdul Kalam

(a) “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.” – Potter Stewart To me,…

It is believed that adherence to ethics in human actions would ensure in smooth functioning of an organization / system. If so, what does ethics seek to promote in human life? How do how do ethical values assist in the resolution of conflicts faced by him in his day to day functioning? [2022]

Ethics is a set of principles and values that guide behavior and decision-making in a manner that is considered morally right or acceptable. In the…

The Rules and Regulations provided to all the Civil servants are same, yet there is difference in the performance. Positive minded officers are able to interpret the Rules and Regulations in favour of the case and achieve success, Whereas, negative minded officers are unable to achieve goals by interacting the same Rules and Regulations against the case. Discuss with illustrations. [2022]

It is true that the rules and regulations provided to all civil servants are the same, but there can be differences in performance due to…

Apart from intellectual competency and moral qualities, empathy and compassion are some of the other viral attributes that facilitate the civil servants to be more competent in tackling the crucial issues or taking critical decisions. Explain with suitable illustrations. [2022]

Empathy and compassion are important qualities for civil servants to possess as they can help them to be more effective in their roles. Empathy is…

Wisdom lies in knowing what to reckon with and what to overlook. An officer being engrossed with the periphery ignoring the core issues before him is not rare in the Bureaucracy. Do you agree that such preoccupation of an administrator leads to travesty of justice to the cause of effective service delivery and good governance? Critically evaluate (150 words) [2022]

Yes, I agree that an administrator who is preoccupied with peripheral issues can lead to a travesty of justice and hinder effective service delivery and…

Pawan is working as an officer in the State Government for the last ten years. As a part of the routine transfer, he was posted to another department. He joined a new office along with five other colleagues. The head of the office was a senior officer conversant with the functioning of the office. As a part of general inquiry, Pawan gathered that his senior officer carries the reputation of being a difficult and insensitive person having his own disturbed family life. Initially, all seem to go well. However, after some time Pawan felt that the senior officer was belittling him and at times unreasonable. Whatever suggestions given or views expressed by Pawan in the meetings were summarily rejected and the senior officer would express displeasure in the presence of others. It became a pattern of the boss’s style of functioning to show him in bad light highlighting his shortcomings and humiliating him publicly. It became apparent that though there are no serious work-related problems/shortcomings, the senior officer was always on one pretext or the other and would scold and shout at him. The continuous harassment and public criticism of Pawan resulted in the loss of confidence, self-esteem and equanimity. Pawan realized that his relations with his senior officer are becoming more toxic and due to this, he perpetually tensed, anxious and stressed. His mind was occupied with negativity and caused him mental torture, anguish and agony. Eventually, it badly affected his personal and family life. He was no longer joyous, happy and contented even at home. Rather without any reason, he would lose his temper with his wife and other family members. The family environment was no longer pleasant and congenial. His wife who was always supportive of him also became a victim of his negativity and hostile behaviour. Due to harassment and humiliation suffering by him in the office, comfort and happiness virtually vanished from his life. Thus, it damaged his physical and mental health.

a) What are the options available with Pawan to cope up with the situation? b) What approach Pawan should adopt for bringing, peace, tranquillity and…

A reputed food product company based in India developed a food product for the international market and started exporting the same after getting necessary approvals. The company announced this achievement and also indicated that soon the product will be made available for domestic consumers with almost the same quality and health benefits. Accordingly, the company got its product approved by the domestic competent authority and launched the product in the Indian market. The company could increase its market share over a period of time and earned substantial profit both domestically and internationally. However, the random sample test conducted by the inspecting team found the product being sold domestically in variance with the approval obtained from the competent authority. On further investigation, it was also discovered that the food company was not only selling products that were not meeting the health standard of the country but also selling the rejected export products in the domestic market. This episode adversely affected the reputation and profitability of the food company.

a) What action do you visualize should be taken by the competent authority against the food company for violating the laid down domestic food standard…