Ethics Case Studies and Best Practices for Essay: UPSC
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1.Dedication to Public Service / Foundational Values of Civil Service
Soumya Pandey, an IAS officer, was 7 months pregnant when she was appointed the nodal officer for COVID in Ghaziabad district, UP. She had the option of availing paid maternity leave, but she continued with field visits and implementation of COVID related district schemes. After giving birth, she returned to office with her baby 14 days later.
2. Quality of Service Delivery / Probity in Governance
Some rest on their laurels while some others use these as stepping stones for even bigger heights. The Nedumangad block panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district is doing the latter.
Some of the initiatives that fetched the block panchayats all the awards include a bio-village for organic farming, where training in farming is also provided. It has led the cleaning up of the first 22 km of the Killi river. A project incubation and training centre has also become a revenue-generating venture for the block panchayat, along with the large organic farm.
3.Ethical Issues in International Relations / Educational Institutions in Inculcating Values etc
In a world in which over 770 million people still lack basic reading and writing skills, Cuba is one of the few countries in the world with a literacy rate of 100 percent.
A good to know more about
“Cuban Literacy Campaign – Wikipedia” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Literacy_Campaign
4.Dedication to Public Service / Social Influence and Persuasion
While there are many things that we should be doing to save our planet (like planting trees, recycling, using public transport to cause less pollution etc) not many of us are ready to take an initiative.
However, one man in Telangana didn’t wait for others to do something and has single-handedly planted over 10 million trees. Meet Daripalli Ramaiah who is also known as Chetta Ramaiah.
He has made it a mission to bring back the green cover that has been lost due to urbanization. He calls seed as the solution for mankind to survive.
✔️In 2017, for this unhampered determination, he was awarded Padmashri — the third-highest civilian award
✔️awarded an honorary doctorate by the Academy of Universal Global Peace as well as receiving special recognition from the government of Andhra Pradesh. CM of Telangana also offered support through its green initiatives.
5. Dedication to Public Service
With more and more people realising the importance of using more eco-friendly products, great plastic alternatives are emerging in the market.
One such alternative for plastic is bamboo. And one fantastic example of using bamboo by an organisation called Zogam Bamboo at Churachandpur, Manipur and apart from being safe for the environment, they are also appealing to look at.
Eco-friendly products using local resources is key for sustainability and reviving post COVID-19 economy.
6. Human Actions / Social Influence
In a unique move, Rajaji Tiger Reserve has set up a gym for elephants in Chilla range of the forest, to help captive pachyderms, de-stress.
The captive elephants are used for patrolling and monitoring the reserve. Forest officials have arranged for balls and pipes for the elephants to play with, and the gym also has a mud bath for them to enjoy.
7. Probity in Governance / Quality of Service Delivery
For every drop of water you waste, you must know that somewhere on earth someone is desperately looking for a drop of water!
Mehmet Murat ildan
Water is a common heritage, the value of which must be recognized by all. Everyone has the duty to use water carefully and economically.
Some methods to reduce water usage:
1. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has been adopted by several farmers especially in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
2. Zero-tillage, raised-bed by planting, precision farming and drip or sprinkler irrigation
3. Participatory Governance community ponds and recharge wells
4. Lessons can also be drawn from the work of Sankalpa Rural Development Society (SRDS) which has been training farmers of Karnataka on revival of defunct borewells.
8. Social Influence / Human Actions / Dedication to Public Service
“Panch rupaiye mein dharti bachao (Save the earth with Rs 5)”, has helped them reduce the use of plastic bags in town by half in a year.
IN PUNJAB’S Muktsar, the people’s fight against plastic is all about a number.
9.Work Culture / Quality of Service Delivery / Accountability / Probity in Governance
In the state of Kerala, the distance between the school and the home is not much. There is a good government bus service that helps teachers reach schools in rural areas and over sixty per cent of the teachers are women. These factors have helped children from poorer families, including Muslim girls, attend school in much larger numbers.
10. Human Actions / Gratitude / Dedication to Public Service / Compassion Towards Weaker Sections
India’s Anil Chaudhary, an umpire in ICC’s international panel, is now a hero in his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh after he managed to resolve the longstanding problem of communication amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
For umpire Chaudhary, the gratitude and blessings are more than enough.
11. Dedication to Public Service / Civil Service Values / Aptitude & Foundational Values for Civil Service
Athar Aamir Khan, IAS: Fighting Child Marriage and Revamping Education In Bhilwara Rajasthan
He realized that the high prevalence of child marriage and lack of infrastructure in government schools required immediate intervention.
He set up a special control room at the district administration’s main office to look into cases of child marriages.
He also launched a massive awareness campaign, where the local anganwadi staff, Self-Help Groups and Gram Vikas committees were imparted extensive training on preventing the harmful practice.
From lack of cultivable land, water scarcity, high dependence on government programmes for livelihoods, caste-based divisions, high rate of school dropouts to migration, the region is both economically and socially backward.
12. Dedication to Public Service / Quality of Service Delivery / Work Culture
Parents in Leh would probably not put their children through expensive private schools if there were more government school headmasters like national award winner Sonam Gyaltsan.
This national award-winning (conferred with National Teachers Award-2020) teacher’s dedication, resourcefulness and diligence have helped transform a once dilapidated government middle school with just 4 students in his native Sakti village, to a model centre for learning with 104 students (ranging from Nursery to Class 8) in the span of just three years.
Driven by Gyaltsan’s passion, sacrifice and drive, an entire village has come together to participate in this school’s success.
As Headmaster, Gyaltsan set up specific classrooms for English, Maths, Science, Hindi and Bothi languages, called ‘laboratories’.
13. Dedication to Public Service / Civil Service Values / Aptitude & Foundational Values for Civil Service
A Sridevasena, IAS: Turned a high-risk dengue area into India’s cleanest district
When A Sridevasena took charge of the district of Peddapalli, it was on the verge of being declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Over the last year, the IAS officer’s initiatives have not only been able to help the district attain an ODF+ category but also turn it into India’s cleanest district.
Due to Sridevasena’s efforts, Peddapalli has achieved five distinctions. It is the only district in the country to be awarded Swachh Bharat awards thrice in a row. The only district to have won three national awards for the best Panchayats
14. Dedication to Public Service / Civil Service Values / Aptitude & Foundational Values for Civil Service /Work Culture
Umakant Umrao, IAS: Helped Dewas Dist-MP Farmers Battle Drought With Over 16,000 Ponds
Jal Bachao Labh Kamao
In his model, large-scale farmers invest in building a pond in only 10th or 20th part of their farmland. The water collected in these ponds for irrigation purposes not only benefits them, but also the small farmers around.
15. Empathy and Compassion toward Weaker Sections
Awanish Sharan, IAS: Sent Bike Ambulances to Tribal Doorsteps, Reducing Medical Costs by 90 per cent
For the longest time, rushing to the nearest healthcare centre in times of emergency was an Difficult task for the vulnerable Baiga and Gond tribal communities in Kabirdham, Chattisgarh.
Geographical constraints made it difficult and, at times, impossible for government ambulances to reach the villages during the golden hour.
Known as the Sangi express (Friend Express), he launched a series of bike ambulances which have cut down the expenses of the people by 90 per cent and impacted more than 4,868 lives in the district.
16. Compassion Towards Weaker Sections
Rockefeller Foundation has selected Naandi Foundation, Hyderabad-based non-profit, as one of the ‘Top 10 Visionaries’ in the world for the Food Vision 2050 Prize.
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✔️The award recognised the application of Arakunomics model in regions of Araku, Wardha and New Delhi, leading to the Food Vision 2050 that follows an “ABCDEFGH” framework centring on: Agriculture, Biology, Compost, Decentralised decision-making, Entrepreneurs, Families, Global Markets, and ‘Headstands’.
✔️Naandi’s vision titled “Arakunomics” was based on work with tribal farmers in Araku for nearly 20 years. It is a new integrated economic model that ensures profits for farmers, quality for consumers through regenerative agriculture. The economic model is a tribute to the tribal farmers of Araku region for the world class coffee produced and launched in Paris in 2017, as well as for the high carbon landscape transformation they did in over 955 villages, thereby planting 25 million trees.
✔️Replicating the model to support the livelihoods of farming communities in the villages of Wardha – infamous for agrarian distress, as well as later in New Delhi, as part of an Urban Farms Co programme.
✔️It hopes to expand its “food-print” by creating thousands of farm livelihoods by transforming their agriculture over one million acres spread across India
✔️Works in 19 States in India and has impacted seven million lives so far
17. Environment
Urban Forest Best Practices:
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1. Warje urban forest in Pune. Maharashtra’s first ever urban forestry project
2. Shimla hosts a sanctuary of around 1,000 hectares that started off as the Shimla drinking water catchment forest managed by the municipal body in the 1890s.
3. In Southeast Delhi, the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary was remoulded from degraded village common land to reserve forest and then was ratified as a sanctuary.
4. Delhi’s Aravalli and Yamuna biodiversity parks have also successfully recreated the natural habitats and ecosystems of these regions in the city.
5. Gurgaon’s Aravalli Biodiversity Park was created as a haven for native species in a degraded and mined landscape by a unique partnership between the municipal corporation, civil society, corporations and residents.
6. Miyawaki method. Pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, it can be adapted with indigenous species for local conditions.
18. Dedication to Public Service / Transparency / Governance
Launched in 2019, Police Uncle Tutorial is a one of a kind initiative by the Police Department in the Aspirational District of Simdega in Jharkhand. This unique concept targets dropouts and academically weak students of Grade X, in the left-wing extremism affected areas of the district, where children are more susceptible to crime.
19. Compassion towards Weaker Sections
Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving wholesome food every school day to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 states & 2 Union territories of India.
20. Dedication to Public Service / Quality of Service Delivery
‘Roshni’, one of the oldest newspapers in Kashmir, encouraged readers to wear a mask due to the Covid-19 pandemic but also attached a disposable mask on its front page. The text on the page said: “Mask ka istemal zaroori hai (using a mask is necessary)”, with an arrow pointing to the attached mask.
21. Application in Administration and Governance
The Jajpur district administration in Odisha has made plantation a mandatory precondition for granting licenses for eight services including society registration, license for minor minerals, setting up crusher units, purchase of new vehicles, issuance of solvency certificate, etc.
22. Environment / International Relations / Compassion / Weaker Sections
Seoul, Singapore and Bangkok have built green corridors that provide space for nature and wildlife while improving the lives of city dwellers.
Such initiatives are imperative, given cities will host 68% of the world’s population by 2050, according to the United Nations.
23. Weaker Sections
They live right in the womb of nature at its best, yet they are deprived of basic needs such as safe drinking water even in the middle of monsoon season. It’s not the problem that has cropped up overnight but one that recurs every year.
What’s needed is not huge funding since taking up regular drinking water schemes, including the ongoing Mission Bhagiratha scheme, are not feasible due to the high-altitude and hilly terrain of the sparse habitations in the forest but a little bit of humane approach among the officials concerned.
Yes, they are none other than the primitive tribal group, Chenchus, in the Nallamala forest areas in Nagarkurnool district. The primitive tribe is either on the verge of extinction or in for complete transformation with the influence of the life in the plains.
24. Weaker Sections / Compassion
KHUDOL (GIFT) Initiative of Manipur
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A crowdfunded initiative of Ya_All,
An Imphal based NGO that had created India’s first transgender football team.
It entails ensuring food, health and hygiene of LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, dailywage earners, children and adolescents.
United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth has listed Khudol among top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID- 19 pandemic.
25. Women Empowerment / Leadership
Gagandeep Kang the first Indian woman to be elected as Fellow, Royal Society, London, and was instrumental in the development of Rotavac.
26. Probity in Governance / Weaker Section
Odisha Govt. had recently launched Mo Bidyut Portal and Mobile App to provide new electricity connection will be given within 48 hours.
➖People, now, need not run to various offices for new connections, bill payment or grievance redressal.
➖With the launching of user-friendly this Web Portal, henceforth, the consumers will be able to avail services pertaining to new power connection upto 5KW for domestic, General Purpose, Specified Public Purpose, like Irrigation, Pumping & Agriculture Purpose within 48 hours, Energy Bill Payment and Grievance Redressal relating to electricity service.
27.Probity in Governance / Transparency
Under the 5T framework, Odisha will launch “Sujal”- Drink from Tap Mission initiative to provide quality drinking water to more than 1.5 million people in urban areas.
28. Best Practices / Governance / Application in Administration
The Odisha State Government’s Millet Mission has not only augmented the income of farmers but also addressed the issue of malnutrition in Gajapati and Kandhamal districts.
29. Best Practices / Water Conservation / Essay
- 🔹 Maharashtra’s ‘Buldhana Pattern’ of water conservation’ has won national recognition and the NITI Aayog is in the process of formulating National Policy on water conversation based on it.
🔹Tamswada Pattern of water conservation project taken up in Nagpur and Wardha district in which rain water harvesting, conservation and groundwater recharge works were done in order to increase the water storage capacity of natural water bodies situated in these two districts of Eastern Vidarbha.
30. Best Practices / Health / COVID-19
5T for Fighting Corona
🔹 TEST, TRACK, TRACE, TREAT and TECHNOLOGY strategy of the Central government effectively followed by States/UTs.
➖India has crossed another milestone in its fight against COVID-19. The national cumulative Positivity Rate has fallen under 8%.
31. Environment / Plastic Waste Management / Best Practices
🔹In Kerala, the Eraviperoor Biodiversity Management Committee rejuvenated a tributary of the River Pampa, successfully recovering 13.5 acres of riverbank. It has also done exemplary work in plastic waste management.
🔹The BMC in Raipassa village in Tripura has signed an agreement with companies for harvesting broom grass and making sure that the funds are transferred back to the community.
32. Corruption / Probity / Governance / Transparency
“Corruption is a direct child of inadequate probity”
Government of India recently launched ‘Transparent Taxation – Honouring the Honest’ platform to provide faceless assessment, faceless appeal and taxpayers charter to promote transparency and to eliminate corrupt practices in income tax assessment.
33. Civil Services / Values /Compassion / Attitude
Country’s most famous engineer, technologist, administrator and civil servant, Sir M. Visvesvaraya (SMV)
His subsequent life was that of innovations, home bred solutions to difficult problems and a continuous quest for perfection. For example he found a solution to get drinking water in Sikkur (Sindh) using sand as a filter.
He built a dam in Khadakvasla, designing the sluice gates in such a way so as to increase capacity and reduce flooding.
When he was denied a promotion to Chief Engineer (because a Britisher was preferred) he resigned, and was immediately picked up by the Maharajah of Mysore. Impressed with his work, in three years the Maharajah
made him Dewan (like a Chief Minister). In his life he was involved in many great works like the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, Bhadravati Steel factory, Bank of Mysore, an automobile factory (Premier), an aircraft factory (which became Hindustan Aeronautics), etc. Nehru even took him to Patna.
When he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, he warned that he wasn’t going to stop criticising the government. One of his memorable, and “”Adarsh”” incident was the day of his retirement. He went in a company car, and returned home in his own car, since he had retired
20 villages in the tehsils of Satara, Jaoli, Koregaon and Khatao have set an ideal example of women empowerment and equal rights for men and women.
➖Ghar Doghanche (Home for Two) resolution passed by the Maharashtra rural development department in 2003, which advocated the right of women to their husband’s property. And that the marital home should be owned by both the husband and wife (intriguingly, this resolution is only in place for rural areas in Maharashtra, not urban or semi-urban areas).