y

Adit a Srivastava

GS- 4 SYLLABUS WISE EXTRACTIONS

Ethics and Human Interface

Essence , determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions

Crisp Definition : "The basic human instinct are programmed with individualistic approach of ensuring
survival of self. However, in the modern age, these present as desire for limitless wealth." (Page 6)

Thinker/Philosoph y:

Nishkam Karma (Gita): "Act with the spirit of Nishkam Karma ." (Page 9, Page 29) - As a way to act
without attachment to outcomes , fulfilling one's duty.
Aristotle's Golden Mean : "Need of the hour is to have a balanced approach in line with Aristotle's Golden
Mean to allow Euthanasia with strict safeguards ." (Page 15)
y
Buddha's Madh am Marg (Middle : "This calls for Madhyam Marg approach balancing profit
Path)

motive with large goal of sustainability." (Page 50)

Dimensions of ethics

Thinker/Philosoph y:

: "Against utilitarianism if [limitless wealth] does not ensure maximum happiness of all."
Utilitarianism

(Page 6); Used in context of public interest vs individual in VIP movement case (Page 36).

Ethics in private and public relationships

x
Real-life E ample/Initiative :
Conservation of environment for sustainabilit y: Mentioned as a part of ethical capitalism. (Page 7)

Concept :
:
Ethical Capitalism Pursuing capitalism while upholding ethical values . (Page 6-7)
Universal Humanism (Tagore):

Quote : "Earth is but one Country and mankind its citizens" (attributed by student, also Baha'i faith).
(Page 18)
Concept : "Focus on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as a value...tries to break the barriers of individualism and
open the gates for a broad view of collectivism." (Page 18)

:
Relevance Countering dumping of waste b y developed nations, dysfunctional financing for "Loss &
Damage" , narrow views in communal conflicts, discrimination against girl child. (Page 18-19)
Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders , reformers and administrators
Thinker/Philosoph y/Leader:
Gandhian Values :
: "Compromise on value of Gandhian Trusteeship" (if limitless wealth is pursued). (Page 6);
Trusteeship

"Uphold Gandhian Trusteeship by using profits to give back to society." (Page 48)

Sarvoda a y : "Ensure Gandhi's Sarvodaya while upholding corporate value of profitability." (Page 7)

y
Ant oda a y : "Upholding Gandhian Antyodaya" (Page 13); "Gandhian aim of Antyodaya" (Page 27).

Salt Ta x Disobedience: "Salt tax was called unjust by Gandhi." (Page 8)

Sin of wealth without moralit y/work: "Gandhian sin of wealth without morality or work." (Page 25)

Response to Chauri Chaura : "EI shown by Gandhiji after Chauri Chaura." (Page 20)
:
Gandhi's Nai Talim As a measure for education reform . (Page 60)
Swami Vivekananda :
Quote : "Service to jiva is service to Shiva." (Page 26)
Nelson Mandela :
Quote : "Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice." (Page 26)
Martin Luther King Jr .:
Quote: "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle."
(Page 30)

Kautil a y :

Yogakshema (Welfare): "Ensure Kautilya's Yogakshema in public service delivery." (Page 11);

"Substantive role of bureaucrac y towards Yogakshema." (Page 25)

y
Mats a N a a y y (Law :
of the Fish) To be prevented b y upholding justice. (Student wrote "Makya Nyaya"
x
but conte t suggests Mats a N a a) y y y . (Page 29)

Plato :
: "Plato's cardinal virtue of Fortitude in real life. This involves speaking up
Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude

against the wrong." (Page 28)

Kant :
Categorical Imperative: "Treat man as an end in himself (Kant's categorical imperative)." (Page 19);
"Upholding Kantian categorical imperative of man as an end in itself" (in business context). (Page 50)

Dut y Boundedness: "Help in upholding Kantian dictum of duty boundedness." (Page 13)

Rawls :
Rawlsian Justice : "Welfare of all and Rawlsian Justice." (Page 9); "Justice in Rawlsian sense." (Page 26)
Hobbes :
:
Social Contract State interference in euthanasia argued as "against Hobbesian Social Contract ." (Page
14)
 x
Real-life E amples (Values in Action) :
Mother Teresa , Malala Yousafzai: Examples of empathy/EI. (Page 21)
IAS Topper CSE 2017 (Rank 1 in 5th attempt): Example of perseverance. (Page 31)
: x
India's Independence Struggle E ample of continuous effort and sacrifice . (Page 31)
Role of famil y, society and educational institutions in inculcating values

Famil y: "Gandhi's mother singing 'Vaishnav Jana To' hymn to him." (Inculcating empathy). (Page 21)

Societ y/Culture: "Theory of Carl Jung (Cultural Father)" influencing values (student's interpretation).
(Page 21)
: (Discussed extensively in Q12, e.g., promoting rationality, scientific temper
Educational Institutions

through education system, page 57-60)

Attitude

Content , structure, function; Influence and relation with thought and behaviour
x
E ample of Attitude influencing Behaviour: "Acceptance [of corruption] due to attitude of Society that
'small payments are the oil of bureaucracy'." (Page 24)

Moral and political attitudes

Changing moral attitude of societ y: "Moral attitude of Society needs to be changed via classical
conditioning ." (Page 25)
Social influence and persuasion

:
Classical Conditioning As a tool for changing moral attitudes in societ y. (Page 25)

Operant Conditioning (Pavlovian mentioned b y student): "Use of operant conditioning for attitudinal
change" (for transgender issues) . (Page 39)
x
Real-life E ample (Negative Social Influence) :
Prophet Blasphem y Case / Udaipur Murder: "Recent incidents of the Prophet Blasphemy case which
spilled over into the Udaipur murder case. It also shows how mischievous elements use such
opportunities to fan communal conflicts." (Page 52)

Haridwar Hate Speech Case : "Election Commission called toothless in Haridwar case" (regarding hate
speech by politicians). (Page 56)

Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service

Integrit y, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance
and compassion towards the weaker sections

Objectivit y vs. Compassion: "Objectivity vs compassion seen in beneficiary identification when

x
vulnerable people get e cluded ." (Page 22)
x
Real-life E amples (Civil Servants) :
Ashok Khemka : "Upholding temperance as a value to avoid corruption. Eg: Ashok Khemka." (Page 12);
"DLF Scam exposed by Ashok Khemka." (Page 22)
Armstrong Pame : "Upholding devotion to duty... Eg: Armstrong Pame building people's road via
crowdfunding ." (Page 12); Example of facing "Weberian model of archaic rules" for funding. (Page 23)
Prashant Nair (IAS): "Upholding value of compassion for weaker sections . Eg: Prashant Nair's
z
Compassionate Ko hikode campaign to feed the poor ." (Page 13)
y
Sat endra Dube y: "Virtue upheld by Mr. Satyendra Dubey whereby he fought the mafia... with courage
and did not give in to hush money." (Page 28)

. . Rathore (IPS): "Singing national anthem to calm crowd" (example of EI). (Page 21, Page 55)
C S

:
SMILE Scheme Initiative for transgender communit y. (Page 37)

Swabhiman Greh (Gujarat :

Model) For skilling transgenders . (Page 40)
Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Concepts , and their utilities and application in administration and governance

Crisp Definition : "Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to use and understand emotions of self as
well as others for larger good ." (Page 20)
:
Diagram Components of EI b y Daniel Goleman (Self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation,
social skills) . (Page 20)
Application : "Better performance via emotional intelligence & motivation." (Page 13); "Use emotional
intelligence to calm crowd ." (Page 55)
x
Real-life E amples of EI in Action :
Gandhiji after Chauri Chaura . (Page 20)
. . Rathore (IPS) calming crowd. (Page 21, Page 55)
C S

Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration

Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

Dilemmas :
Objectivit y vs. Compassion (Page 22)

Secrec y vs. Transparency (Page 22)

Bureaucratic vs . Democratic attitude (Page 22)

Discipline vs . Voice of Conscience (Page 23)
Upholding rules vs . Right to life (VIP movement vs. patient case) (Page 32)
Individual officer's career vs . Institutional integrity (Custodial death case) (Page 42-43)
Shareholder profit vs . Socio-environmental concerns (Corporate case) (Page 47-48)
Laws , rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance
Unjust Law : "If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so." (Page 8)
 x :
Real-life E ample Gandhi on Salt Ta x; Naaz Foundation on Section 377. (Page 8)

Conscience : "Discipline vs Voice of conscience" as an ethical dilemma. (Page 23)

:
Laws Article21 (Right to Life) (Page 15, Page 32); Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Page 24); Official
Secrets Act 22); Whistleblower Act, 2013 (Sec 4) (Page 29); IPC Sections 295A, 153A (for hate
(Page
speech) (Page 56).

Accountabilit y and ethical governance

Social Audit : "Efficient execution by ensuring Social audit and participative overhaul." (Page 11)
Strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance

II ARC Recommendation : "Moral overhauling of bureaucracy via soft skill training (II ARC)." (Page 25)
Ethical issues in international relations and funding

Neo-colonialism through Aid : "Foreign aid as a form of neo-colonialism." (Page 16)

x :
Real-life E amples Opaque funding in Nigeria ; BRI & debt diplomacy (Sri Lanka, Montenegro). (Page
16)
IMF Conditionalit y: Impinging on sovereignty. (Page 17)

x
Positive E amples of Funding/Aid Global Climate Fund : ; USA aid for WFP; India's Vaccine Diplomacy.
(Page 17)
:
Environmental Ethics Dumping of waste b y developed countries; SDG 14. (Page 18-19)

:
Global Cooperation Financing for Paris Agreement goals . (Page 19)
Corporate governance

Concept : "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR) (Page 7); Idea of "Ethical Capitalism" (Page 6).
x :
Real-life E ample Warren Buffet's opinions on inclusivit y for innovation. (Page 7)

:
Dilemma Shareholder profit ma imi ation vs x z . ethical/social/environmental concerns (Page 47-51).
Student argues for balancing profit with sustainabilit y (Madhyam Marg), CSR beyond 2% (Tata, Infosys),
using Kantian ethics against harmful marketing , aligning with SDGs (SDG10, SDG13).
Probit y in Governance

Concept of public service

:
Philosophical basis Kautil a's Yogakshema y . (Page 11)
Philosophical basis of governance and probit y

y
Kautil a's Yogakshema (Welfare)

Gandhian Sarvoda a/Ant oda a y y y

Rights-based approach (Page 11)

Constitutional Moralit y (Page 12)
Information sharing and transparenc y in government; Right to Information (RTI)

RTI as a tool to counter unjust laws/actions . (Page 29)

Conflict between RTI and Official Secrets Act . (Page 22)
Codes of Ethics , Codes of Conduct (Implied in discussions of bureaucratic rules vs. discretion)
z
Citi en’s Charters , Work culture, Quality of service delivery
z
Citi en's Charter :
Origin : "Citizen's charter movement began in UK." (Page 10)
ARC Recommendation : "2nd ARC as a bulwark of good governance." (Page 10)
:
Problems Not inclusive (vernacular), not participator y, not transparent, bureaucratic reluctance, not
responsive to feedback . (Page 10)
Solution : "Sevottam model (2nd ARC)" for quality service delivery. (Page 11)
Work Culture : "Small payments are the oil of bureaucracy" (negative attitude). (Page 24)
z
Utili ation of public funds (Implicit in corruption discussions)

Challenges of corruption

Definition: "Misuse of authority for personal monetary or other gains (Prevention of Corruption Act,
1988)." (Page 24)
As Social Phenomenon Acceptance b : y society, collusion. (Page 24)

x
Real-life E amples DLF Scam : (Ashok Khemka) , ICICI-Videocon Scam. (Page 22, Page 24)
:
Tackling Corruption Enforcement of POCA (Dillard's fear theory), moral overhauling (II ARC), changing
societal attitudes . (Page 25)
Case Studies on above issues

(Real-life x
e amples used to illustrate points within case stud y discussions are listed above. The case
y
scenarios themselves are h pothetical but draw from real-world ethical challenges .)
Case 7 (VIP Movement vs. Patient): Rule of Law vs. Right to Life, Discretion.
Case 8 (Transgender Community): Social Justice, Discrimination, Role of State.
:
Data Used NHRC data on transgender rejection (99%) y
and unemplo ment (89%). (Page 38)
:
Judgement NALSA judgment (not implemented effectivel y). (Page 39)

Case 9 (Custodial Death): Accountability, Integrity, Whistleblowing (internal), Systemic Reforms.

:
Real-life Parallel Custodial death in Tamil Nadu (2021). (Page 43)
:
Report/Committee Rebiero Committee (SMART police) . (Page 45)
:
Data Used Police-population ratio (<145/lakh vs UN 222). (Page 44)
Case 10 (Corporate Ethics - Profit vs. Climate/D&I): Corporate Governance, CSR, Stakeholder vs.
Shareholder.
SDGs Mentioned SDG : 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG13 (Climate Action). (Page 51)
Case 11 (Communal Tension): Law and Order, Hate Speech, Social Harmony, Leadership.
:
Real-life Parallel Udaipur murder case . (Page 52)
:
Report Law Commission's hate speech definition . (Page 56)
Case 12 (Rote Learning): Education System Reform, Human Capital Development.
Data Used : 14% Indian graduates employable; Unemployment @ 7.8% (CMIE June 2022). (Page 57-58)
:
Initiatives Kerala's Aksharaviksham , Atal Innovation Mission, Jharkhand's DigiSath. (Page 59-60)
Polic y: National Education Policy. (Page 59)

SDG Mentioned SDG : 4 (Quality Education). (Page 60)

Answer Writing Techniques Observed

: , body (often using numbered points or distinct paragraphs for different

Structure Clear introduction

aspects), and a forward-looking/solution-oriented conclusion.

y :
Ke words Liberal use of GS- 4 syllabus keywords (e.g., "objectivity," "compassion," "trusteeship,"
"utilitarianism," "constitutional morality").

:
Definitions First Often starts b y defining the core concept in the question.

x :
E amples Consistent use of e amples x (real-life, , thinkers, ARC reports, schemes) to
leaders

substantiate points .
:
Quotes Smart use of relevant quotes to begin or strengthen arguments (Gandhi, Mandela, MLK Jr.,
Vivekananda) .
: x
Diagrams/Flowcharts Used to e plain concepts like EI components or interrelation of values .
:
Connecting to Current Affairs/Real Events Linking ethical dilemmas or concepts to recent events or

well-known cases (e.g., Udaipur incident , Tamil Nadu custodial death).

ARC/Committee Reports Referencing : 2nd ARC, Rebiero Committee, Law Commission.
:
Balanced View in Dilemmas Presenting arguments for different sides of an ethical dilemma before

suggesting a course of action or reconciliation .

:
Value Orientation Answers generall y show a strong orientation towards constitutional values, public
service ethics , and compassion.
:
Conciseness While detailed , points are often made crisply.
Solution-Oriented Especiall : y in case studies and problem-focused questions, provides a "Way Ahead"
or specific measures .