UPSC Mains 2015 GS Paper 4 Q6: model answer
Today we find that in spite of various measures like prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilence cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanisms, corrupt practices are not coming under control. (a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications. (b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace.
What the question wants
Evaluate the effectiveness of codes of conduct, vigilance bodies, RTI, media and legal mechanisms against corruption, and suggest more effective strategies.
How to structure it
(a) evaluate each, (b) strategies.
- Codes
- Vigilance
- RTI
- Media
- Law
- New strategies
How to think it through
Codes: exist but vague, weak enforcement. Vigilance: CVC advisory, dependent on sanction, understaffed; Lokpal operational 2019, few prosecutions. RTI: effective but pendency in information commissions (vacancies), dilution 2019 amendment (tenure, salaries set by Centre). Media: exposes but sensational, paid news. Law: PCA amended 2018; low conviction, slow trials. Strategies: reduce discretion via technology (DBT savings, JAM), e-procurement, simplify rules, fixed tenure, asset disclosure online, fast-track courts, whistleblower protection operationalised, social audit, electoral funding reform, values education, reward honesty.
Model answer
India has the laws, the commissions and the codes. Yet the Corruption Perceptions Index has kept India in the middle ranks for years. The tools are not wrong; they are incomplete.
(a) How effective are the measures?
- Codes of conduct: they exist, but are broad and rarely enforced quickly.
- Vigilance bodies: the CVC is largely advisory; the Lokpal, functional since
2019, has delivered few prosecutions so far.
- RTI: a powerful tool, but information commissions face vacancies and long backlogs.
- Media: exposes scandals but can be sensational or compromised by 'paid news'.
- Legal mechanisms: the Prevention of Corruption Act was strengthened in 2018, but trials are slow and convictions low.
(b) More effective strategies
- Cut discretion with technology: DBT through the JAM trinity has removed fake beneficiaries; e-procurement and online approvals reduce face-to-face deals.
- Simplify rules so bribes are not the quickest route.
- Fast-track anti-corruption courts with time limits.
- Online asset declarations, checked against tax and property data.
- Operationalise whistleblower protection.
- Social audits in all welfare schemes.
- Reward honesty in postings and promotion.
Laws punish corruption after it happens; systems prevent it from happening at all.
Draw: Two layers: 'punishment after' (CVC, courts, media) and 'prevention before' (technology, simplification, audit).
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Corruption Perceptions Index, codes of conduct, CVC advisory, Lokpal 2019, RTI commissions vacancies, paid news, PCA 2018, slow trials, DBT, JAM, e-procurement, simplification, fast-track courts, asset declarations, whistleblower protection, social audit, political funding.
Where most answers lose marks
- Evaluating the measures without suggesting new strategies, or vice versa.
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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 Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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