UPSC Mains 2024 GS4 Q5a: model answer
The ‘Code of Conduct’ and ‘Code of Ethics’ are the sources of guidance in public administration. There is code of conduct already in operation, whereas code of ethics is not yet put in place. Suggest a suitable model for code of ethics to maintain integrity, probity and transparency in governance.
What the question wants
Difference between the two codes and a model code of ethics.
How to structure it
Intro: Conduct Rules exist; ethics code pending. Body: (1) conduct vs ethics difference; (2) past attempts (ARC-II, draft Public Service Bill); (3) model code values; (4) enforcement mechanism. Conclusion.
- 1(1) conduct vs ethics difference
- 2(2) past attempts (ARC-II, draft Public Service Bill)
- 3(3) model code values
- 4(4) enforcement mechanism
Model answer
The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 list do's and don'ts. A code of ethics would set the values behind them.
Difference: conduct code is rule-based and enforceable; ethics code is value-based and guides judgement where rules are silent.
Past efforts: the draft Public Service Bill (2007) and the Second ARC's 4th report (Ethics in Governance) proposed public service values.
Suggested model
- Core values: integrity, impartiality, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership (Nolan principles adapted).
- Commitment to constitutional values and service of the weakest.
- Duties: declare conflicts of interest, give reasoned decisions, protect public resources.
- Guidance through examples and an ethics helpline.
Enforcement: ethics officers in departments, training through Mission Karmayogi, value-based appraisal, and whistle-blower protection.
A short, clear code, lived daily, would turn compliance into conviction.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Conduct Rules 1964 ARC-II Nolan principles conflict of interest ethics officer
Where most answers lose marks
- Confusing the two codes.
Fresh examples from current affairs
Supreme Court: no prior approval under Section 17A needed to probe a bribe demand
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Sections 7, 7A, 17A and 19 of the PC Act. · Mains GS-II/GS-IV: honest officers versus accountability.
19 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP_CSM_2024_GenStud_IV_03102024.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.