QUESTION 1
GS4
10 marks
Conflict of interest in the public sector arises when(a) official duties,(b) public interest, and(c) personal interest are taking priority one above the other. How can this conflict in administration be resolved? Describe with an example.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain how a public servant resolves clashes between official duty, public interest and personal interest, with an example.
Describe with an exampleAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Nature: personal interest (family, business, ideology) can bias judgment; duty and public interest can also clash (rule-bound duty vs larger good)≈30 words
- 2Resolution: disclosure, recusal, divestment, cooling-off periods, codes of conduct, institutional checks; public interest prevails, within law≈30 words
- 3Example: officer on a recruitment or tender panel where a relative applies should declare and recuse≈30 words
- 4Prevention: asset declarations, transparent processes, ethics training≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Three interests and how they clashResolution mechanismsExamplePreventive systemsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- No example like recusing from a tender or recruitment panel with a relative
- Treating it only as corruption
Draw this
- Triangle: duty, public interest, personal interest, with recusal/disclosure at the centre
Value addition
- RuleThe 2014 amendment to the AIS (Conduct) Rules requires officers to declare private interests related to public duties and resolve conflicts.AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968
- ThinkerNolan's principle of 'selflessness': decisions solely in the public interest.Committee on Standards in Public Life, 1995
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
- G Sanjana · AIR 55 · Page 3 ↗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.