GS Paper 4
Syllabus: Ethics in Public Service
Context: Recently, an IPS officer and an IAS officer from Karnataka were involved in a verbal debate on Social media this has put the focus on a larger issue of how civil service ethos is undergoing through participation in social media.
The issue of lowering the efficiency of Civil Servants:
- Less manpower: The parliamentary standing committee said that there are 22% fewer IAS officers in the country than the sanctioned strength.
- Not enough reforms and incentives: The government’s lack of reforms in incentives and penalties have helped incapacity, indifference, and corruption creep in.
- Lack of functional independence
- Social media addictions: The self-aggrandizement stimulated by social media addictions is a new challenge to the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.
- Unattractive private sector: The private sector still isn’t attractive and big enough for breaking the charm of government services such as prestige, power, and job security.
Ethical issues in Civil Servants using Social Media:
- Breach of neutrality
- Conflict of interest
- Misuse of official position
- Breach of confidentiality
- Inappropriate behaviour
- Risk to reputation
- Lack of accountability
How to tackle this issue:
- Training: Civil servants should be provided with training on the appropriate use of social media.
- Code of conduct: A code of conduct should be established for civil servants’ use of social media.
- Separation of personal and professional accounts
- Monitoring and enforcement: Government departments should monitor civil servants’ social media use and enforce the code of conduct
- Transparency and accountability
- Time management: Civil servants should be provided with clear guidelines on the appropriate amount of time that should be spent on social media and encouraged to prioritize their official duties.
Mains Link: UPSC 2018
What is meant by public interest? What are the principles and procedures to be followed by civil servants in the public interest?
