Probity in Governance

What the official syllabus says

UPPCS Main Examination, General Studies IV:

Probity in Governance: concept of public service, philosophical basis of governance and probity, information sharing and transparency in government. Right to Information, codes of ethics, codes of conduct, citizen's charter, work culture, quality of service delivery, utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.

Topics in detail

Concept of public service

• Public service as a public trust: power held for the people.
• Public service and private employment compared: purpose, accountability, motivation.
• Constitutional framework: Part XIV (Articles 308 to 323); Article 311 (safeguards in dismissal); Article 312 (All India Services); Article 315 (Public Service Commissions, including the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission).
• Public service motivation: the wish to serve the public interest.

Philosophical basis of governance and probity

• Meaning of probity: integrity, uprightness and honesty in the use of public office.
• Indian ideas: rajadharma, Kautilya's welfare State, Ashoka's dhamma, Gandhi's trusteeship and Ram Rajya.
• Western ideas: the social contract, Plato's guardians, Kant's duty, the utilitarian aim of public welfare.
• Probity as the base of legitimacy and public trust.

Information sharing and transparency in government

• Why transparency: accountability, participation, prevention of corruption.
• Proactive disclosure by public authorities; open government data.
• E-governance, online services and dashboards as tools of transparency.
• Social audit and public hearings.
• Limits: national security, privacy, commercial confidentiality, cabinet papers; the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Right to Information

• Background: the right to know read into Article 19(1)(a) by the Supreme Court; the grassroots campaign of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in Rajasthan.
• The Right to Information Act, 2005: Public Information Officers, the 30-day time limit (48 hours where life or liberty is concerned), first appeal, Information Commissions.
• Proactive disclosure under Section 4; exemptions under Section 8.
• Penalties under Section 20 for refusing or delaying information without reason.
• The Central and State Information Commissions, including the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission; the 2019 amendment on commissioners' tenure and terms of service.
• Issues: pendency of appeals, vacancies, weak record-keeping, safety of RTI users, misuse.

Codes of ethics and codes of conduct

• A code of ethics states broad values; a code of conduct lists specific do's and don'ts.
• Conduct rules for civil servants: on gifts, assets, political activity, private trade, use of influence.
• Codes for ministers and legislators; the Model Code of Conduct during elections.
• Professional codes for doctors, lawyers, journalists and others.
• The case for a separate code of ethics for civil servants, as recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.

Citizen's charter

• Origin in the United Kingdom (1991) and adoption in India (1997).
• Contents: services offered, standards and time limits, grievance redressal, responsibilities of citizens.
• Weaknesses: lack of consultation, no legal backing, poor awareness.
• Sevottam: a model for service delivery excellence linking charters, grievance redressal and capability.
• Right to services laws; in Uttar Pradesh, the Janhit Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2011.

Work culture and quality of service delivery

• Work culture: punctuality, discipline, teamwork, ownership, respect for citizens; hierarchy and file-pushing as obstacles.
• Capacity building of civil servants: Mission Karmayogi (2020).
• Quality of service delivery: timeliness, accessibility, reliability, courtesy, cost.
• Tools: e-governance, single-window systems, direct benefit transfer, online grievance redressal, feedback from citizens.

Utilisation of public funds

• Public money as a trust: financial propriety and value for money.
• Budgeting, outcome budgeting and the General Financial Rules.
• Audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General; legislative scrutiny through the Public Accounts Committee.
• Transparent procurement: e-tendering, the Government e-Marketplace.
• Leakages and wasteful expenditure; the role of technology in reducing them.

Challenges of corruption

• Meaning and kinds: petty and grand, collusive and coercive, political and bureaucratic.
• Causes: discretion, monopoly, low accountability, social acceptance, complex rules, election finance.
• Effects: loss to the exchequer, poor services, injustice to the poor, loss of trust in the State.
• Institutions: the Santhanam Committee (1962 to 1964) and the Central Vigilance Commission; the CVC Act, 2003; Lokpal and Lokayuktas; the Central Bureau of Investigation; State vigilance bodies.
• Laws: Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002; Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016; Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.
• International: the UN Convention against Corruption, ratified by India in 2011.
• Remedies: simpler procedures, e-governance, transparency, whistle-blower protection, swift punishment, a culture of integrity.

Overlaps

• Transparency, accountability, citizen's charters and e-governance are also in UPPCS Mains: General Studies II.
• For Uttar Pradesh, good governance, eradication of corruption, Lokayukta, citizen charters, e-governance, Right to Information and redressal policy are in UPPCS Mains: General Studies V.