QUESTION 2(a)
GS4
10 marks
What is meant by public interest? What are the principles and procedures to be followed by civil servants in public interest?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain public interest and the principles and procedures civil servants should follow to serve it.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: welfare of the community as a whole, above private, sectional or political gain; includes future generations≈30 words
- 2Principles: constitutional values, impartiality, fairness, transparency, proportionality, protecting the weakest≈30 words
- 3Procedures: reasoned and recorded decisions, consultation and hearings, RTI disclosure, conflict-of-interest declarations, impact assessment, grievance redress≈30 words
- 4Tension: majority wish vs rights of minorities≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
DefinitionPrinciplesProceduresExample of balancingConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Not separating principles from procedures
- Defining public interest as what the majority wants
Draw this
- Two columns: principles and procedures
Value addition
- ThinkerWalter Lippmann: public interest is what men would choose 'if they saw clearly, thought rationally, acted disinterestedly and benevolently'.The Public Philosophy, 1955
- LawSection 8(2) of the RTI Act allows disclosure of exempt information if public interest outweighs harm.RTI Act, 2005
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shubhankar Patilak · Page 18 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus 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.