1
Summary
Ethics Class 06

THE CLASS STARTED WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS TOPICS (01:05 PM)

EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION (01:08 PM)

  • Effects on Politics:
  • It leads to the 'erosion of faith' in institutions of democracy.
  • It undermines the legacy of the elected government and reduces the importance of values such as public trust.
  • It will increase the 'criminalization of politics' as well as increase the role of 'money' and 'muscle power' in the elections.
  • Effects on Administration:
  • It reduces the accountability of government officials to the citizens, therefore further encouraging corrupt behaviour.
  • Vicious cycle of Secrecy and corruption:

  • Secrecy leads to -> Lack of Accountability ---> Lack of Accountability leads to corruption.----> leads to further secrecy
  • It results in misconduct by agencies such as the police, who work with the sole intention of obtaining financial benefits at times. Therefore, Affecting investigation and prosecution and rendering the criminal justice system ineffective.
  • Public administration becomes ineffective resulting in the diversion of funds, meant for the poor and marginalized.
  • Effects on Environment:
  • It can have detrimental effects on the environment since the officials who are given the responsibility of enforcing the environmental regulation may often overlook the same due to bribery or similar other reasons.

VARIOUS FORMS OF THE CORRUPTION (01:28 PM)

  • Bribery:
  • It is payment offered by a citizen or business either voluntarily or on demand of a public servant to exercise his powers while performing official duties in the favour of the bribe giver.
  • Patronage:
  • It refers to the favouring of the supporters of the government or a political party, the government appointments and positions.
  • Nepotism:
  • The relatives of the appointing authority to the government positions are favoured over other capable candidates.
  • Cronyism:
  • Benefits are extended to individuals or groups that provide economic and material resources to specific politicians and political groups.
  • Misappropriation of Funds:
  • Funds meant for public purposes are 'siphoned off' to private accounts.
  • Kickbacks:
  • Officials share misappropriated funds from their organization, allocated to an entity involved in corrupt bidding processes and where the portion of these funds is channelled back into the accounts of concerned officials.

WAYS TO TACKLE THE CORRUPTION (01:40 PM)

  • A) Legal measures:
  • Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act must be amended to include the offence of 'collusive bribery', It may be defined as a transaction in which the outcome of the transaction leads to a loss for the state or the public.
  • The definition of Bribery must be expanded to include acts such as 'wasting public money, obstruction of justice, gross violation of constitutional provisions, etc'
  • 'Prior sanction' should not be necessary in those cases of bribery where the accused has been caught red-handed or in those cases where an official possesses assets disproportionate to known sources of income.
  • Corruption must be made a 'high-risk' and 'no-gain activity'
  • All the ill-gotten money must be confiscated and should be put up for public use.
  • To ensure a speedy trial of corruption cases, hearings should be held on a day-to-day basis and specific courts must be designated to build expertise in such areas.
  • We may also consider amending criminal law to limit the time of trial in corruption cases.
  • An amendment should be made to the Whistle Blowers Protection Act to protect the anonymity of whistleblowers.
  • B) Institutional measures:
  • At present the Lokpal is dysfunctional and there is a need to revive the provisions related to it to ensure consistency with the commitment made at UN Convention Against Corruption.
  • We may also constitute 'Local body ombudsman' for a group of districts to investigate the corruption charges against the local body functionaries.
  • The Provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act,1946 must be amended to free the CBI from government control.
  • The prosecution in corruption cases should be carried out by panelled lawyers to be chosen by the Attorney General after consulting the Lokpal.
  • C) Administrative Measures:
  • An embargo must be put on post-retirement benefits/assignments for the top position holders in all the national and sensitive institutions.
  • All appointments at public offices, particularly at high positions should be ensured that no person with doubtful integrity gets appointed.
  • 'Risk profiling' should be carried out for all government jobs to determine the offices are vulnerable to high risk of corruption.
  • Government organization should 'streamline their processes' and should be suitably rewarded for this.
  • 'Department manuals' should be revised to reduce the discretionary powers vested in the hands of the civil servants.
  • Complete adoption of IT and e-governance to implement the concept of 'Paperless Governance'
  • The government should make it mandatory to sign an 'Integrity Pact'
  • For Example, ONGC has signed an MoU with CVC and Transparency International to act as an 'Independent External Monitor (IEM) for Integrity Pacts.
  • D) Political Measures:
  • There is a need to increase the 'transparency in the funding of political parties' by bringing them under the ambit of the RBI.
  • Suitable amendment should be introduced in the electoral bond schemes to curb instances of 'Crony Capitalism'
  • We may also consider introducing state funding of elections, a measure that has been successful in several other countries.
  • E) Societal Measures:
  • Fundamental duties must be brought to life by imparting value education.
  • Active involvement of Civil Society organizations to highlight the cases of corruption.
  • To keep a vigil on the government functionaries.
  • A mechanism should be developed to tackle the objections raised with respect to corruption in the media.
  • Since social sanctions are far better at tackling corruption, society should create a deterrent effect.

WORK CULTURE (03:14 PM)

  • Definition:
  • 'Work Culture' refers to a 'Collective set of values and beliefs of an organization and its employees'
  • It determines the manner in which the employees of the organization interact with each other as well as their attitude towards the clients and other partner agencies.
  • Strong Work Culture:
  • An organization is considered to have a 'Strong Work Culture' if the employees adhere to the 'values' and 'rules' of the organization.
  • The work culture of an organization determines which achievements are given importance by the leadership of the organization.
  • Work Culture also determines how the external individual perceives an organization.
  • The work culture reflects the 'philosophy of an organization that it usually formed over a long period of time and is often deeply influenced by the founders of the organization'
  • For Example,
    • Google promotes a work culture of innovation and creativity where the employees are encouraged to think out of the box and to take risks to come up with new ideas even after failure.
    • Intel focuses on employee development and capacity building through various training programmes that are conducted on a regular basis.
    • Amazon on the other hand is known for a work culture that emphasizes a lot on achieving stiff targets, It has been often criticized for not paying enough attention to the work-life balance of its employees.
    • 'TATA Group of Companies' is known for its 'Employee Centricity'
  • Characteristics/Traits of 'Healthy Work-Culture':
  • There will be 'Work-life Balance' is in contrast to the 'Hustle work culture'
  • The organization prioritizes dignity, respect for each other and integrity in the workplace.
  • It focuses on the well-being of its employees and the policies are 'Employee-Centric' to a large extent.
  • The 'Spirit of teamwork' is given a lot of importance and it is expected that the organization will work in unison to achieve the common objectives.
  • It focuses on promoting healthy competition among its peers.
  • It promotes a 'Culture of Inclusivity' where the employees are treated with utmost respect irrespective of their social background, religious belief, ideology, etc.
  • It promotes 'Democratic Decision Making' and a flat hierarchical structure.
  • Characteristics/Traits of 'Toxic Work Culture':
  • The organization has a 'culture of negativity' and employees have low moral and motivation.
  • There is a 'lack of clarity regarding their roles' especially due to poor communication from the top.
  • 'Office Politics' is a common phenomenon, where employees are often logged into a power struggle with each other.
  • The organization witnesses a 'High attrition rate' and is not able to retain employees for a long period.
  • Such organizations promote the fear of failure, 'Failure is Discouraged' and employees are put under excessive pressure to achieve positive outcomes at all times.
  • Traits/Characteristics in Indian Civil Services:
  • Civil services over-emphasised the 'Culture of secrecy' where transparency is usually an exception, Even the Second ARC Report has mentioned it has one of the biggest problems in the functioning of the civil services.
  • Civil servants often try to hide the 'reasoning behind their policy decisions' and the 'outcomes of those decisions'
  • It not only results in a 'trust deficit with citizens' but also leads to nepotism, corruption, and loss of accountability.
  • 'Undue emphasis on rules and regulations' and complicated procedures, Civil servants often overemphasise rules and regulations rather than adopting 'problem problem-solving approach' resulting in undue delays and a lack of empathy and compassion.
  • Civil Servants are often 'status quoist' in nature and therefore resist any reform or changes.
  • They 'Lack the initiative to take innovative steps' and as a result is difficult to introduce new changes such as the adoption of technology.
  • They suffer from an 'Attitude of Complacency', which may be attributed to time-bound promotions and the concept of career civil services not only that civil services are often 'reactive' in nature rather than being 'proactive', Therefore, policy-making is often 'myopic' in nature.
  • 'Insensitivity': Civil servants are often criticised for their insensitivity towards the problems and issues, It often originates from the hierarchical nature of the services that insulates them from the 'ground reality'.

TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: POSITIVE TRAITS OF THE CIVIL SERVICES IN INDIA.