As a senior officer in the Finance Ministry, you have access to some confidential and crucial information about policy decisions that the Government is about to announce. These decisions are likely to have far-reaching impact on the housing and construction industry. If the builders have access to this information beforehand, they can make huge profits. One of the builders has done a lot of quality work for the Government and is known to be close to your immediate superior, who asks you to disclose this information to the said builder.1) What are the options available to you?2) Evaluate each of these options and choose the option which you would adopt, giving reasons.
What the examiner wants
Decide how a Finance Ministry officer should respond when a superior asks to leak market-moving policy information to a builder.
Demand-wise check
- 1Stakeholders: public, market participants, builder, superior, government's credibility≈50 words
- 2Ethical issues: confidentiality, insider advantage, loyalty to superior vs to public interest, conflict of interest≈50 words
- 3Options: comply (breach of law, unfair gain); refuse quietly (protects info but leaves superior unchecked); refuse and seek written instructions; report to higher authority/vigilance≈50 words
- 4Chosen: firmly refuse citing rules, record the request, report to the next higher authority if pressure continues≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Treating the builder's good track record as a justification
- Not mentioning official secrecy rules
Draw this
- Decision tree: request → refuse → record → escalate if repeated
Value addition
- RuleCCS (Conduct) Rules 1964, Rule 11, bars unauthorised communication of official information.CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964
- LawSection 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 penalises wrongful communication of secret official information.Official Secrets Act, 1923
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 31 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 31 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
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