QUESTION 8
GS4
10 marks
Public servants are likely to confront 'Conflict of Interest'. What do you understand by this term, how does it manifest in public decision-making, and how would you resolve such a situation? Explain with examples.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain conflict of interest, how it shows in public decisions, and how to resolve it, with examples.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: private interest of an official could improperly influence official duty - actual, apparent or potential≈30 words
- 2Manifestations: awarding contracts to relatives, recruitment, post-retirement jobs with regulated firms, gifts, shareholding≈30 words
- 3Resolution: disclosure, recusal, divestment, cooling-off periods, codes and registers of interests≈30 words
- 4Example: ICICI-Videocon case≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Definition and typesManifestationsResolution stepsPersonal exampleConclusion
Where marks usually go
- No personal resolution approach
- Confusing conflict of interest with conflict of values
Draw this
- Flow: identify → disclose → recuse → document
Value addition
- ExampleICICI Bank's CEO Chanda Kochhar faced action (2018-19) over loans to Videocon linked to her husband's firm - a conflict of interest case.Justice Srikrishna inquiry, 2019
- Principle'Nemo judex in causa sua' - no one should be a judge in their own cause.Natural justice
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Astha · Page 17 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Ayush Pathak · Page 17 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Chitwan Jain · Page 17 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 7 ↗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.