Of late, the Indian economy has been plagued by widespread corruption in public services. Corruption has far-reaching consequences on the society as mentioned by the Supreme Court of India: "Corruption in a civilized society was a disease like cancer. If not detected in time, it was sure to turn the polity malignant leading to disastrous consequences". The rule of law has been very much in place to ensure compliance with the maxim, "Be you ever so high, the law is above you". Nonetheless, the law has been found ineffective to mandate honesty. The reason is the rule of law can only defeat the perverse mind, but cannot defeat the perversity of the heart. The line separating good and evil passes through the middle of every human heart. This is comparable with what Gandhiji also said, "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves". It is against this background, the present book on Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude exemplifies how to remake the inner world of public servants to discharge their duties in an ethical and transparent manner.
As compared with other books in the subject, the present book is characterized by the following distinguishing features :
- The book is written in an easy to understand language and self-learning style.
- The real incidences of Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude in public service have been discussed either in bold or italic or boxes.
- Incorporation of previous years' questions and case studies have been the distinctive feature of the books.
- Each chapter ending with a case study helps the learners combine their theoretical knowledge with real-life practices in public governance.
Contents -
1. Ethics and Human Interface
2. Lessons from the Lives and Teachings of Great Leaders, Reformers and Administrators
3. Attitude
4. Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service
5. Emotional Intelligence (EI)
6. Contributions of Moral Thinkers and Philosophers from India and World
7. Ethical Dilemma
8. Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
9. Probity in Governance