UPSC Mains 2018 GS Paper 4 Q1a: model answer
State the three basic values, universal in nature, in the context of civil services and bring out their importance.
What the question wants
Name three universal values for civil services and explain why each matters.
How to structure it
Three values, each with importance and example.
- Integrity
- Impartiality/objectivity
- Empathy/compassion or accountability
How to think it through
Choose integrity, impartiality, accountability? 'universal' = across countries; Nolan principles (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership). Pick integrity, impartiality, empathy. Importance: trust, legitimacy, fairness, inclusion. Examples.
Model answer
Whether in Lucknow, London or Lagos, citizens want the same three things from a government officer: that he is honest, that he is fair, and that he cares. The UK's Nolan Principles (1995) and India's 2nd ARC report on Ethics in Governance (2007) both rest on these.
1. Integrity
- Honesty in money, words and decisions.
- Why it matters: without it, every scheme leaks. Integrity is what makes a file trustworthy.
2. Impartiality
- Treating every citizen equally, without bias of caste, religion, party or wealth.
- Why it matters: it gives the state legitimacy. People accept a decision that goes against them if they believe it was fair.
- Election officers on poll duty are judged by this alone.
3. Empathy and compassion
- Understanding the citizen's situation and acting to relieve it.
- Why it matters: rules are written for averages; real people are not averages. Empathy helps an officer find the humane option within the law.
- Officers who opened community kitchens for migrant workers in 2020 showed it.
Integrity makes the officer trusted, impartiality makes the state fair, and empathy makes it humane.
Draw: A triangle with integrity, impartiality and empathy at the corners and 'public trust' at the centre.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
universal values, Nolan Principles 1995, 2nd ARC 4th Report 2007, integrity, impartiality, legitimacy, empathy, compassion, E. Sreedharan, migrant crisis 2020.
Where most answers lose marks
- Listing more than three values or listing them without explaining their importance.
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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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