QUESTION 2(b)
GS4
10 marks
What do you understand by 'probity' in public life? What are the difficulties in practicing it in the present times? How can these difficulties be overcome?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Define probity, explain why it is hard to practise today, and how to overcome these difficulties.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: complete honesty and adherence to the highest moral principles; beyond mere legality≈35 words
- 2Difficulties: political pressure, nexus of business and politics, peer culture of corruption, weak protection for honest officers, complex procedures, materialism≈35 words
- 3Solutions: transparency (RTI, e-governance), Lokpal, whistleblower protection, codes of ethics, values training, social audit, leadership by example≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
DefinitionPresent-day difficultiesInstitutional and personal remediesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Defining probity as just 'honesty' without its wider scope
- Listing laws without personal-level measures
Draw this
- Table: difficulty → remedy
Value addition
- LawLokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 and Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2014.Parliament
- Report2nd ARC 4th Report (2007) recommended a statutory code of ethics for civil servants.2nd ARC, 2007
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Abhijit Asokan · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aditi Arora · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Devansh Saraswat · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.