UPSC Mains 2026 GS4 Q3b: model answer

Gandhi's trusteeship held that those who hold wealth or power hold it in trust for society, keeping only what they need. For an officer, public power and public money are a trust, not a possession.

Applying it

• Public funds: treat every rupee as belonging to the poorest citizen; avoid waste, insist on social audits as in MGNREGA.
• Discretion: use it for the most deprived, applying Gandhi's talisman when choosing beneficiaries.
• Natural resources: act as custodian of forests, water and land for future generations, a view the Supreme Court calls the public trust doctrine (M.C. Mehta v Kamal Nath, 1997).
• CSR and local business: persuade industry to invest in local needs, the modern form of trusteeship.
• Personal conduct: simple living, no misuse of perks, declaring assets.
• Transparency: as a trustee, account openly to citizens through RTI and proactive disclosure.

Trusteeship turns fairness from a rule into an attitude: the officer serves those to whom the power really belongs.