Hello friends .I am going to post one case study everyday from insights(2013-2014 challenges).
Pleas follow the rules as mentioned below.
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2. Your answer should be within word limits as expected by UPSC
3. If you want to post a case study question then masage it to me. I will post it. The reason for this is to mentain the Case study sequence.
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5.
@mods,
@etat : please add any other rules which you feel are needful.
At the end we weill have 75 case studies with multiple awesome answers. We will compile it and create a pdf of it.
Comments
http://www.insightsonindia.com/2013/11/06/how-to-think-ethically-a-framework/
http://www.insightsonindia.com/2014/09/03/general-studies-paper-4-ethics-important-terms-jargon-and-their-meaning/
All the Best.
Date 2 nd oct 2015
All the best.
Case.
As a Block Development Officer, you were invited to preside over a Gram Sabha meeting in one of Gram Panchayats falling under your jurisdiction. The Gram Sabha was called to take a decision on two crucial things: to identify and confiscate fake job cards used under MGNREGA scheme and to choose the beneficiaries to allot houses under Indira Awas Yojana. You had ordered a month ago to all Gram Panchayat secretaries to conduct programs to create awareness and advertise about coming Gram Sabha so that people would participate in large numbers.
Unfortunately, on the day of Gram Sabha to which you were invited, very few villagers turned up. It is mandatory that at least one tenth of members of Gram Sabha (those whose names are in electoral rolls) attend the Gram Sabha. But on that day less than one tenth were in attendance. At the same time, all the Panchayat members were present. They all insisted that the Gram Sabha should continue as people would slowly come and attend as the meeting progressed. Somehow you were convinced and the meeting started. Those few who attended were chosen by vote to get homes allotted after verification that they met the criteria under the Indira Awas Scheme. Job card verification was not possible as there were no people at the meeting.
Next day you received a complaint by a villager accusing Panchayat members of coercing Panchayat Secretary to conduct Gram Sabha on a date when villagers had gone out to neighbouring village to attend a festival. According to the complaint this was done to stop the identification of fake job cards, which some elected Panchayat members had themselves created to siphon off money. The complaint also alleged that you and Panchayat ecretary had taken bribe from Panchayat members to conduct a fake Gram Sabha meeting. There was also allegation that beneficiaries who got allotted IAY houses were actually all relatives of Panchayat members present on the day of Gram Sabha.
1) Identify the major issues and your options in the case study. (150 Words)
2) As a responsible officer what were your duties prior to conducting Gram Sabha and what course of action you should follow after receiving the complaint. (200 Words)
ANS:THE situation will test my ethics, intigrity,accountability,attitude etc.
1:the major issues are
Suspecting credibility of People came complaining as how come simultaneously all the members of most families went for festivity.or was it a conspirational boycott to panchyat .
•The ethics /vested interest ,lawfullness of panchyat authority senior officials including me can be questione as why this very date was chosen.
●as per me I would ask the people to lodge complain in grievance redressal shell ,mandate shell to furnish report on reason for low attendence of people,assessing intigrity and probity of panchyat authorities.As per their recommandations i may call for fresh meeting and to ensure transparency i will call press,every decision on allocating houses,scrutinising Mgnrega job card will be computerised and if required will be published.
2).prior to meetings I should have worked on
●information disemination either through newspaper or through community radio.
●connecting to panchyat authorities directly either through meeting in my office or through cloud computing/vsat directing them to ensure maximum public attendence in gram sabha meetings.
●even if I some how reached in meeting,should have cancelled it altogather or should have ensured that information can be sent to people some how so that some could return.even though minimum attendence remains and compelled by my own workload or request of stalkhalders present i will ask the villeges to sign on memorandum/circular as prior information about meeting was provided well before time.
I should have ensured media coverage of ongoing operations.
@jhingalala
p.s.like ny othr student my mind is also worried for result but there is no harm in attending questions.
Answer 1
1) Major issues are
A)Duty of BDO : As a BDO , I am obliged to follow guidelines for conducting a Gram Sabha meeting. It was mandatory that one tenth of memebers of Gram Sabha attend the meeting. Therefore until that number of people were present , the meeting shouldn't have started.Moreover, looking at it from a practical view, even if meeting did start with less number of people, no major decision (like allotment of houses) should have been taken.This accounts to pure negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of BDO.Best solution now should be to cancel the allotment and reschedule the meeting
B)Accusation against Panchayat members and allottees of houses under IAY:Panchayat members are accused of using offical position of private gains.This is a serious allegation of corruption and it should be investigated by an independent team.
C)Accusation against BDO : There are charges of taking bribe against the BDO.As a BDO, I should hold another gram sabha meeting, cancel all allotments and try to convince people about my integrity and honesty and apologise for my negligence.
2) Prior to conducting Gram Sabha meeting : I should make sure that people are aware of the upcoming meeting by sending some officials from my side. Moreover while conducting the meeting I should follow all procedure and guidelines.
On receiving the complaint: I should cancel all allotments and reschedule a meeting. I should order an inquiry against the panchayat members who are accused of misusing official position.I should try to convince people about my honesty and apologise for my negligence.If still people demand an inquiry against me, I should step down from the office and let the inquiry proceed in an independent manner.
Answer 2
a. Major issues:
• Dishonesty shown by gram panchayat members as they deliberately timed the gram sabha on a day when the attendance of people would be less
• Corruption: Prima facie it appears that as alleged in the complaint, the panchayat members did indulge in corrupt practices by create fake job card holders to siphon of money
• Nepotim: The gram panchayat members kept the interests of their relatives above the general public which elected them
• Accusation: The villages accusing me of collusion with panchayat memebers by taking bribe is a serious allegation. I need to prove my honesty so that people do not lose confidence in my conduct, which will effect my administrative duties in the future
b. My options:
• Cancel the whole gram sabha and all the allocations done on that day, and reconvene another one taking in to consideration when the maximum attendance would be there
• Ignore the complaint and blame the people for not attending it
a. My duties prior to conducting Gram Sabha
• Should have made sure that the panchayat chose a right day for the sabha
• The rules clearly stated that a sabha should not be conducted when the quorum of 1/10th members are not present. So I should not have started without it. As the secretary said that the people would come after it gets started, I would insist on waiting till people came
• I should have smelt that some thing is fishy because, there is no reason why people would not attend the sabha if they are being allotted a house. I would enquire other people the reason for the absence
• I would then cancel the sabha then and there and complain the conduct of secretary to higher ups
b. course of action I should follow after receiving the complaint
• I would call the panchayat secretary and ask for an explanation and take it in writing
• The secretary is clearly guilty as he should have known about the festival in the neighbouring village
• I would then join the complaint and the secretary’s explanation and my recommendation which is cancellation of the sabha and allocations on that day and send it to the higher ups
• I would apologise for my mistake to the people in the next sabha for not following the quorum rules
• I would also ask an enquiry in the alleged corruption and nepotism shown by panchayat and order cancellation of fake job cards
Answer 3
Major issues involved:
1.Collusive and coercive corruption-It is alleged that fake job cards under MGNREGA are created by panchayat members to siphon off money.Also the role of Gram panchayat secretary is under the lens.
2.Nepotism-It is alleged that panchayat members have favoured their relatives for IAY scheme.
3.Integrity-The BDO himself has been accused alongside Gram panchayat secretary and the panchayat members for collusive corruption
4.Empathy-The real beneficiaries might be suffering.
5.Dishonesty-The gram panchayat secretary and the panchayat members are accused of deliberately timing the meeting to their benefit.
Options the BDO has:
1. Ignore the complaint
2.Consider the complaint.Consult the Panchayat members , beneficiaries and gram sabha members.Reach a decision through consensus
3.Consider the complaint.Declare the Gram sabha null and void.Probe into allegations.After the inquiry report reschedule the gram sabha and take necessary action.
4.Consider the complaint.Probe into the allegations.Act accordingly after inquiry.But till then not to cancel the gram sabha.
(b):Prior to the gram sabha meeting the BDO should have waited for at least half an hour so that as argued the villagers could show up in great number.If this wasn't happening then the gram sabha should have been postponed to another convenient day with the panchayat members and secretary given strict orders to make up for the loss.
As stated earlier the BDO has 4 options.
1.The complaint can't be ignored as the allegations are serious and as a responsible officer it is the duty of BDO to make sure everything is fine.
2.This option is not a good one since it could lead to fresh election demand and other disruption which would take a few months to settle.
3.This option isn't good too since the accused can try to influence and delay the matter.Moreover those who got houses alloted under IAY have been verified to be eligible even though it might turn out to be a case of nepotism has to be verified.
4.This is the best option.The gram sabha need not be declared void for the time being for reasons already stated.But the allegations have to be probed in a way that the accused are caught unaware of it.
-The panchayat secretary of the village where the festival is alleged to be held could be asked to send a report within 2 days to the BDO on the social activities conducted in his village during that month.
-the accused panchayat secretary could be asked to report within 2 days to the BDO the reasons for low turnout at the gram sabha.
-the details of the beneficiaries and the panchayat members need to be verified within 2 days to find out if there was a Nepotism scene.
-The complainant should also be found out.
Appropriate action must be taken after the enquiry.
Answrr 4
1) Identify the major issues and your options in the case study. (150 Words)
Answer:- The major issues ,in my opinion , & their solution can be understood under the following heads :
1)It was the lack of communication on the part of gram panchayat secretaries in raising awareness about the meeting . So , the BDO should personally intervene in the matter & a new date should be agreed upon where the majority of the villagers are in attendance.
2)The crisis can also be credited to the failure/inability of the programs to mobilize the villagers. Hence, I suggest that the officer must personally look after the awareness raising programs about the agenda of the gram sabha & if unable to do so he must contemplate with the idea of roping in some volunteers to achieve so(if possible).
3) If the law doesn't permit the sabha in low attendance then it should be avoided and a new date should be finalized upon for the larger good.
4)It is evident that the proceedings resulted in voting & based on that the final allocations were made.It should rather be done when their is requisite attendance & without giving it to the cacophony of the panchayat members/secretaries.
2) As a responsible officer what were your duties prior to conducting Gram Sabha and what course of action you should follow after receiving the complaint. (200 Words)
Answer:- A responsible officer is expected to show non-partisanship & impartiality while dealing with issues in society. This situation is no more different & demands the same. Hence before the gram sabha , I would have ensured that the whole village is taken into confidence through the measures of awareness programs related to the agenda of gram sabha.
If I were aware of any festival happening on the day of the sabha then I would have preponed/postponed it as agreed upon by the stakeholders.
Prior to the meeting I would have asked for the list of probable allotments from the gram secretary & would have compared it to the prior database available with me . If any anomalies were noted then would have acted judiciously with the concensus developed from the villagers. Instead of believing the members , I would have gone for surprise field visit to enquire & assess their understanding of the sabha & it's agenda. If need be then would have opted for the idea of hoarding/banners ,if resources are at disposal.
It is a matter of grave concern if complaints such as above drops in because it shows the huge trust deficit between the two of us.Hence, I would personally look into the conduct of panchayat members/secretaries on priority basis . And if their is any departure in their conduct against as mandated then would suggest a re-election for all such posts and would encourage the villagers to choose the most suitable person. Would closely monitor the claim of fake cards especially to the relatives of the members.
Finally, if their is any doubt regarding my conduct then I would encourage the villagers to file RTI & seek answers related to the utilization of funds without any fear .And in order to bridge the divide between us I would disclose my assets/transactions for the public to see.
Answer 5
In this case, its important for me to ascertain the veracity of complaint and look into the issues raised in it:
The issues are:
1)to check the relationship of those present there with the members of panchayat.
2)to let the panchayat secretary explain his position and ask him about any pressure placed on it.
3)to ensure the verification of identity cards and see if there is deliberate involvment of panchayat members to sabotage the activity of finding out fake identity cards.
4)The step of conducting Gram Sabha amounts to pure negligence on my part and it needs to be rectified.
For me options are:
1) To ignore the complaint and let the things go on as usual.This option is not feasible as its my duty to see whether the things were planned to favour a few and to check the irregularities done in issuing fake id cards.
2) To just go by stand of panchayat members without verifying myself .This option is shallow and non objective.It would be one-sided investigation without holistically looking into the matter.
3)To hold the allotments and go into the depth of the case.This may look feasible but its not as the rules have not been followed while conducting the allotments .Thus, this is not the right option and must not be pursued.
4)To cancel the allotments under IAY and to go into the depth of complaint.This is the right way to go . I would go deep into the matter and ensure a free and fair investigation.I the members are suspected guilty i would lodge a complaint against them.The allotments would be cancelled and would be done again at a re convened gram sabha.
On the contrary , if the charges are proved to be frivolous.Then i would dismiss the complaint and re-schedule the meeting.Also, i would try to ensure maximum participation of the members by making them aware of the event.
Case 2
Date October 3rd 2015
You are visiting a famous animal zoo with your husband and two children. Your family is near a lion’s enclosure enjoying the view of Asiatic lion pride. Your husband is explaining to your children some interesting facts about these lions. While doing so, an 18 year old boy, standing next to your husband, starts climbing the barricade to get a full view of the pride. Unfortunately, he slips and falls into lion enclosure. Around 2-3 lions approach him and start mauling him while the public is watching with shock. Around you there are no security guards or any authorities from zoo. Few minutes later, the body of the boy is torn apart by the lions.
1) In situation like this, what will you do? Explain. (100 Words)
2) Recently an incident similar to above case study was reported in news. On whom will you put blame for the death of the boy in the above case study? Explain why. (150 Words)
3) At home, your husband is arguing that security guards (assuming they were around the enclosure) should have shot dead lions to save the boy. But you are putting blame on the boy himself. To support his argument, your husband is asking you what would you have done if one of your children had fallen into the enclosure – shoot lions (assuming you had fully loaded gun) or stand there watching helplessly?
In the light of above arguments, critically comment if it is ethical to kill animals to save humans? (200 Words)
Case 2
Date October 3rd 2015
You are visiting a famous animal zoo with your husband and two children. Your family is near a lion’s enclosure enjoying the view of Asiatic lion pride. Your husband is explaining to your children some interesting facts about these lions. While doing so, an 18 year old boy, standing next to your husband, starts climbing the barricade to get a full view of the pride. Unfortunately, he slips and falls into lion enclosure. Around 2-3 lions approach him and start mauling him while the public is watching with shock. Around you there are no security guards or any authorities from zoo. Few minutes later, the body of the boy is torn apart by the lions.
1) In situation like this, what will you do? Explain. (100 Words)
2) Recently an incident similar to above case study was reported in news. On whom will you put blame for the death of the boy in the above case study? Explain why. (150 Words)
3) At home, your husband is arguing that security guards (assuming they were around the enclosure) should have shot dead lions to save the boy. But you are putting blame on the boy himself. To support his argument, your husband is asking you what would you have done if one of your children had fallen into the enclosure – shoot lions (assuming you had fully loaded gun) or stand there watching helplessly?
In the light of above arguments, critically comment if it is ethical to kill animals to save humans? (200 Words)
ANS: 1).as a spectator I would have applied my aptitude and would have prevented the boy from climbing.even he falled though i would have immediately called the competent authority either to tranquilize the lions or to freightened them.
as a security guard my priority is both life of boy and survival of lions, however if i am well trained i can go for tranquilising or air firing to freighten them and if needed i would fire on one lions limbs or surrounding places.
2).in the recent incident Blame can be on:
Victim: an 18 year old guy if given right to vote,is expected to behave sensibly and ibjectively keeping his conscience open.
Spectators: sheer negligence,as neither the age nor cognitive intelligence of victim was known,no compassion,empathy,sympathy was shown to prevent him from climbing.panicing shows absolute loss of emotional intelligence ,need was to inform the competent authorities.
Zoo authorities:lack of dedication lax attitude if cctv camaras,sos alarm, were not placed atleast around such carnivores.if guards were not equiped with tranquilizer guns,don't know technique to frieghten the animal.
no compassion and intigrity if no effective measures were taken.
3).its not ethical to kill a animal but absolute non-violence in this situation of conflict of conscience is not practiceable.need was to distract the lions firstly,and if not possible go for killing it.however is it ethical ,no not absolutely as lions are flesh eaters,cant
Case 2
Date October 3rd 2015
Answer 1
1) The situation is quite intense and nothing much can be done unless I have some weapon
with me which maybe highly unlikely considering the checking while entering the zoo.But
still,since I have some time(few minutes), I can gather the public and try to pull him out by
lowering some kind of a rope. Even if a rope is not present , clothes like dupatta or shirts can
be tied together.Also some people could be asked to distract the lions by throwing in some
food .
2) In the above case study the blame for the death of the boy lies mostly on the boy
himself.This is because the barricades were put up there for some purpose and the purpose
was to prevent people from accidently falling into the confinement and injuring
themselves.The boy intentionally climbed the barricade putting himself on risk.Nevertheless
a part of the blame lies with the zoo authorities as no security guards were present at the spot
and this shows that they were ill-prepared for any accident that might occur.
3) From the above argument, I believe both husband and wife have a correct opinion.Even
though the blame lies with the boy for his negligence , the security guards should have
performed their duty i.e. to save human life. Talking away any one's life without a
substantive reason is unethical. Here we should take into account that we are dealing with a
predator (the lions) who has no sympathy or compassion towards human life.Drawing an
analogy, even our courts award death sentence in rarest of rare cases where criminals
disregard humanism and behave like animals.Although I believe tranquilizing would be a better option , but if that option is not available it would be right to kill animal to safe a
human life.
Answer2
“Discipline without freedom is tyranny , freedom without discipline is chaos.”
The young boy mauled to death by lions is a very unfortunate incident and stirs the debate of an ethical stand on such situations. Following steps need to be followed in such a situation:
• Immediately inform the zoo authorities about the incident.
• Ask them to get their tranqilisers and fire them as soon as possible.
• Immediately ask the zoo authorities to arrange for an ambulance.
• Try to distract the lions and at the same time ask the boy to look for a cover if possible.
Recently a similar case happened. The blame game can have the following aspects:
• The boy acted irresponsibly by climbing the barricade. Such kind of daredevil acts are bound to have negative consequences.
• The zoo authorities are also equally responsible for the lack of security along the enclosure
• The zoo authorities should have had adequate security arrangements with requisite tranqilisers
• The authorities should have ensured that a water blanket exists as the boundary between the enclosure area and the animals.
• The lions perhaps were not properly fed that led to such an aggression.
• The authorities should have ensured that atleast 10 foot high cages with barbed wires are installed around the enclosures.
• Emergency response mechanism was lacking. No immediate medical facilities were available.
• No CCTV monitoring was being done around the enclosure.
• Public around was also partly responsible because of their lackasdaical attitude as they didn’t act timely to catch the boy when he started climbing.
“Treat others the way you want others to treat you. Make sure others includes animals.”
Though the mauling was extremely unfortunate, it doesn’t give humans the right to kill a hapless animal. Humans have evolved over a period of time and are the most intelligent and sociable lot of the animals. It makes us morally responsible to act more sensibly towards those who are still primitive. Rather than killing the animals, its always advisable to ensure that you have tranquilisers if you are in a situation of man-animal conflict. Here, the boy was in the area specially meant for the animal. He was the one who jumped. He was the one who made the mistake, then why should the lion be killed for it? In cases of emergencies where humans are endangered by a man eater who has transgressed into human habitations and where getting access to tranquilisers isn’t possible, shooting the tiger can still be the
last option as a form of self defence. Right to life and personal liberty under article 21 extends not only to humans but also animals. Thus we should ensure its not violated.
“Just because you can kill, doesn’t give you the right to do so. Today you have shot an animal, tomorrow someone can shoot you.”
Answer 3
r witnessing the incident, there would be several emotions such as grief, anger, empathy, helplessness, fear, frustration going through my mind. So, firstly, I need to control my emotions to prevent any hasty and reckless behaviour. Secondly, I would try to make contact with any security personnel to inform about the incident. Thirdly, I have to make sure the security personnel react promptly and quickly in removing the body from the cage and would try and assist them in whatever way I can. All my actions at that time would be in the direction of making sure the body is retrieved before any further damage happens.
The blame for the incident cannot be put on one person. It's a collective failure. The person should have been more cautious and responsible. The security guards were irresponsible and didn't do their duty. If done, they could have prevented the incident. The higher authority failed to imbibe the sense of duty in their subordinates. Poor supervision may be the reason for such lacklustre behaviour. The zoo authorities should have provided much more sophisticated fencing keeping in view such incidents. On the whole, it's a collective failure but for future sake putting blame on the authorities would put pressure on them to make sure such incidents do not repeat.
P.S all questions and answers posted by me are from Insights 2014 challenge.