GS4 (Ethics in public administration)
“Living up to the public trust is much more than just an act of compliance”. Explain with suitable examples.
Best answer
Kunal Aggarwal wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)
Public trust is built by perceptions and image of government offices. Living up to public trust is a challenging task and can not be achieved just by an act of compliance. For example: Creating an online system to receive complaints will not retain public trust if they don’t feel their problems are being resolved. People expect officers to be sensitive to their problems.
Public trust depends on multitude of factors:
– Behaviours of front offices with people
– Problem resolution
– Approachability of higher officers
Public expects officers to work for public interest and in that they are expected to do much more than what is just required by law or his duties. For example: New initiatives to improve the system, understanding the areas of work are considered important.
Officers need to be prudent about the administration and have to avoid or resolved accusations of illegal or unjust behaviour. If an honest officer is named in corruption cases, it will be important for her to prove those charges wrong to earn trust. Following the duties without countering those charges would erode public trust in the office.
