Mentors Comment:
Question giving a normative statement about the important role of integrity and character for civil administrator in order to job responsibly. Then asking to examine the ethical relationship between two domains of life private and professional, in order to explain its importance in life of civil servants with examples.
Accordingly answer can be framed in the following manners:
Explain the meaning of the normative statement.
Examine the theoretical argument of close relationship between professional and personal ethics.
Take affirmative stand of the question while giving examples.

Answer:

The statement highlights the intimate relationship between personal and professional life for civil
administrator. This relationship stems from requirement of strong character based on integrity for a
person to perform his/her duty justifiably. If person is lacking in his personal conduct it will question his
public acts as well. Further, lack of integrity in personal life sets the demand for close relationship
between personal and professional ethics as well e.g. a honest and upright administrator will always
inspire people to maintain harmony between both the spheres of life.

Individual’s personal and professional life are two sides of the same coin. Even Gandhi observed that we
cannot do right in one aspect of life whilst indulging in wrong acts in other. According to him life is an
indivisible whole. Any distinction between public and private conduct is considered artificial. The close
relationship between two spheres of life stems from following reasons:
 Certain values like honesty, respect, empathy, trust, equality and efficiency etc which are considered
to equally guide our actions in both professional and private sphere e.g. if want interpersonal trust of
friendship to be reflected in our relationship with government.
 Civil administrators are increasingly became public figures in age of media
 Our world is moving toward integration of work and life due to availability of technical know­how.

Since the boundaries between professional and personal life is shrinking in contemporary lives, it is
imperative for civil administrator to cherish same values which forms the ethical basis of civil
administration job. e.g.

 If a person value honesty and commitment in personal relationship, he/she is more likely to value
them in professional life also.
 If a person is hard working and punctual in his personal life, he/she will reflect diligence and
punctuality in his work as well.