2025 GS-IV Ethics Case StudiesVerbatim · UPSC

Subash is Secretary, PWD in the State Government. He is a senior officer, known for his competence, integrity and dedication to work. He enjoys the trust and confidence of Minister Incharge of PWD and Programme Implementation. As a part of his job profile, he is responsible for policy formulation, execution of projects relating to infrastructure initiatives in the State. Besides, he oversees the technical and administrative aspects relating to planning, designing and construction etc. Subash's Minister is an important Minister in the state and significant growth in urban infrastructure development and road network has been registered during his tenure. He is very keen for launching of ambitious road construction project in the near future. Subash is in regular touch with the Minister and is working various modalities of road construction project. Regular meetings, interactions and presentations are made by him to the Minister before a formal public announcement of the project is made by the Minister. Subash's only son Vikas is in real estate business. His son from his own sources is aware that a mega road project is on the anvil and announcement in this regard is expected anytime. He is very keen to know from his father the exact location of the upcoming project. He knows that there would be quantum jump in the prices of land in the vicinity. Buying land at this stage at cheaper prices would pay him rich dividends. He is pleading with him (his father) day in and day out to share him location of the proposed project. He assured him that he would handle the matter discretely as it would not attract any adverse notice as he in the normal course, keeps on buying land as a part of his business. He feels pressurised because of constant pleadings by his son. Another significant aspect of the matter pertained to the extra/undue interest in the above project by the Minister PWD. His nephew was also having big infrastructure project company. In fact, the Minister has also introduced his nephew to him and indicated to him to take care of his nephew's business interest in the forthcoming project. The Minister encouraged him to act fast in the matter as early announcement and execution of mega road project would enhance his status in the party and public life. In the above backdrop, Subash is in a fix as to the future course of action. (a) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the case. (b) Critically examine the options available to Subash in the above situation. (c) Which of the above would be most appropriate and why ?

Paper

GS-IV

Question

Marks

20M

Word Limit

250W

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Practice Answer Writing

Word limit: 250 wordsMarks: 20MSuggested time: 12 min

How to approach this question

Directive: Critically examine

Examine the issue closely, then judge its merits and limitations and give a reasoned verdict.

Structure (20 marks · about 250 words)

Introduction: define the core term or set the context in two or three lines.
Body: three to four dimensions, each backed by an example, data point or case.
Conclusion: a balanced, forward-looking way ahead.

This sub-point (Case Studies on above issues) has been asked 76 times since 2013

20132025

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Real evaluated answer copies where a topper tackled this question (or a very close one). The learnings below are drawn straight from their actual answer, not a model answer.

Jagrati Awasthi handwritten UPSC Mains answer to "Case study — IAS officer facing CM pressure to favour Company X in a PWD tender, with own " (GS, AIR 2, CSE 2020)

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Jagrati AwasthiAIR 2CSE 2020

Answered a very similar question

Their question: “Case study — IAS officer facing CM pressure to favour Company X in a PWD tender, with own promotion at stake (conflict of interest, fair tendering)”

The 2025 Subash/PWD PYQ has the same core (a senior officer pressured by a powerful minister to favour a chosen company in a road/PWD project, with career stakes); the topper's choice to stand up and uphold fair tendering while naming the personal cost is a direct model.

Key learnings from their answer

›Across all six case studies (Q9-Q13) she runs one disciplined template: identify stakeholders -> list the ethical issues/dilemmas -> enumerate options with pros AND cons for each -> state the chosen option -> spell out the course of action -> close with a value-based conclusion. -> For any ethics case study, fix this exact skeleton in advance so under time pressure you never skip the options-with-pros/cons step, which is where most marks are won.
›On the conflict-of-interest tender case (Q12) she explicitly chooses to stand up to the Chief Minister and uphold fair tendering despite her own promotion being at stake. -> In pressure-versus-promotion case studies, take a clear principled stand and name the personal cost you accept, fence-sitting reads as evasion; owning the trade-off reads as integrity.

See Jagrati Awasthi's answer copies View the full evaluated copy →

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About This Question

Paper

GS Paper IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Subject

Ethics Case Studies

Subtopic

Case Studies on above issues

Section

B (Case Studies)

Source

Official UPSC 2025 paper, Q9 (verbatim)

Official UPSC syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.

Related Questions

2024GS-IV Q12

With the summer heat being exceptionally severe this year, the district has been facing severe water shortage. The District Collector has been mobilizing his subordinate officials to conserve the remaining water reserves for preventing the district from plunging into acute drinking water crisis. Along with an awareness campaign for conserving water, strict measures have been taken for stopping the over-exploitation of ground-water. Vigilance teams have been deployed to tour the villages and find the farmers who are drawing water from deep borewells or from the river reservoir for irrigation. The farmers are agitated by such action. A delegation of farmers meets the District Collector with their issues and complains that while they are not being allowed to irrigate their crops, big industries located near the river are drawing huge amounts of water through deep borewells for their industrial processes. The farmers allege that their administration is anti-farmer and corrupt, being bribed by the industry. The district needs to placate the farmers as they are threatening to go on a prolonged protest. At the same time, the District Collector has to deal with the water crisis. The industry cannot be closed as this would result in a large number of workers being unemployed. (a) Discuss all options available to the District Collector as a District Magistrate. (b) What suitable actions can be taken in view of mutually compatible interests of the stakeholders? (c) What are the potential administrative and ethical dilemmas for the District Collector?

2024GS-IV Q13

Sneha is a Senior Manager working for a big reputed hospital chain in a mid-sized city. She has been made in-charge of the new super speciality center that the hospital is building with state-of-the art equipment and world class medical facilities. The building has been reconstructed and she is starting the process of procurement for various equipment and machines. As the head of the committee responsible for procurement, she has invited bids from all the interested reputed vendors dealing in medical equipment. She notices that her brother, who is a well-known supplier in this domain, has also sent his expression of interest. Since the hospital is privately owned, it is not mandatory for her to select only the lower bidder. Also, she is aware that her brother's company has been facing some financial difficulties and a big supply order will help him recover. At the same time, allocating the contract to her brother might bring charges of favouritism against her and tarnish her image. The hospital management trusts her fully and would support any decision of hers. (a) What should be Sneha's course of action? (b) How would she justify what she chooses to do? (c) In this case, how is medical ethics compromised with vested personal interest?

2024GS-IV Q3

Dr. Srinivasan is a senior scientist working for a reputed biotechnology company known for its cutting-edge research in pharmaceuticals. Dr. Srinivasan is heading a research team working on a new drug aimed at treating a rapidly spreading variant of a new viral infectious disease. The disease has been rapidly spreading across the world and the cases reported in the country are increasing. There is huge pressure on Dr. Srinivasan's team to expedite the trials for the drug as there is significant market for it, and the company wants to get the first-mover advantage in the market. During a team meeting, some senior team members suggest some shortcut for expediting the clinical trials for the drug and for getting the requisite approvals. These include manipulating data to exclude some negative outcomes and selectively reporting positive results, foregoing the process of informed consent and using compounds already patented by a rival company, rather than developing one's own component. Dr. Srinivasan is not comfortable taking such shortcuts, at the same time he realises meeting the targets is impossible without using these means. (a) What would you do in such a situation? (b) Examine your options and consequences in the light of the ethical questions involved. (c) How can data ethics and drug ethics save humanity at large in such a scenario?

2024GS-IV Q4

There is a technological company named ABC Incorporated which is the second largest worldwide, situated in the Third World. You are the Chief Executive Officer and the majority shareholder of this company. The fast technological improvements have raised worries among environmental activists, regulatory authorities, and the general public over the sustainability of this scenario. You confront substantial issues about the business's environmental footprint. In 2023, your organization had a significant increase of 48% in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the levels recorded in 2019. The significant rise in energy consumption is mainly due to the surging energy requirements of your data centers, fuelled by the exponential expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI-powered services need much more computational resources and electrical energy compared to conventional online activities, notwithstanding their notable gains. The technology's proliferation has led to a growing concern over the environmental repercussions, resulting in an increase in warnings. AI models, especially those used in extensive machine learning and data processing, exhibit much greater energy consumption than conventional computer tasks, with an exponential increase. Although there is already a commitment and goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, the challenge of lowering emissions seems overwhelming as the integration of AI continues to increase. To achieve this goal, substantial investments in renewable energy use would be necessary. The difficulty is exacerbated by the competitive environment of the technology sector, where rapid innovation is essential for preserving market standing and shareholders' worth. To achieve a balance between innovation, profitability and sustainability, a strategic move is necessary that is in line with both, business objectives and ethical obligations. (a) What is your immediate response to the challenges posed in the above case? (b) Discuss the ethical issues involved in the above case. (c) Your company has been identified to be penalized by technological giants. What logical and ethical arguments will you put forth to convince about its necessity? (d) Being a conscience being, what measures would you adopt to maintain balance between AI innovation and environmental footprint?

2024GS-IV Q5

Raman is a senior IPS officer and has recently been posted as D.G. of a state. Among the various issues and problems/challenges which needed his immediate attention, the issue relating to recruitment of unemployed youth by an unknown terrorist group, was a matter of grave concern. It was noted that unemployment was relatively high in the state. The problem of unemployment amongst graduates and those with higher education was much more grave. Thus they were vulnerable and soft targets. In the review meeting taken by him with senior officers of DIG Range and above, it came to light that a new terrorist group has emerged at the global level. It has launched a massive drive to recruit young unemployed people. Special focus was to pick young people from a particular community. The said organisation seemed to have the clear objective of utilising/using them for carrying out militant activities. It was also gathered that the said (new) group is desperately trying to spread its tentacles in his state. A definite/reliable intelligence tip was received by the State CID and Cyber Cell that a large number of such unemployed youth have already been contacted by the terrorist outfit/group through social media and local communal organisations and other contacts. The need of the hour was to act swiftly and to check these elements/designs before they assume serious proportions. Discrete inquiries made by the police, through the Cyber Cell, revealed that good numbers of unemployed youth are very active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. On an average, many of them were spending 6 – 8 hours each day, using electronic devices/internet, etc. It also came to light that such unemployed youth were showing sympathy and endorsing the messages received from certain persons, allegedly the contact persons of that global terrorist group. Their social media accounts revealed their strong affinity to such groups inasmuch as many of them started forwarding anti-national tweets on their WhatsApp and Facebook, etc. It seemed that they succumbed to their ploy and started propagating secessionist ideology. Their posts were hyper-critical of the government's initiatives, policies and subscribing to extreme beliefs and promoting extremism. (a) What are the options available to Raman to tackle the above situation? (b) What measures would you suggest for strengthening the existing set-up to ensure that such groups do not succeed in penetrating and vitiating the atmosphere in the state? (c) In the above scenario, what action plan would you advise for enhancing the intelligence gathering mechanism of the police force?

Students Also Practiced

Questions frequently practiced alongside this one by UPSC aspirants

2013GS-IV Q1

What do you understand by 'values' and 'ethics'? In what way is it important to be ethical along with being professionally competent?

2013GS-IV Q2

(a) What do you understand by the following terms in the context of public service? (i) Integrity (ii) Perseverance (iii) Spirit of service (iv) Commitment (v) Courage of conviction (3×5=15 marks, 250 words) (b) Indicate two more attributes which you consider important for public service. Justify your answer. (100 words, 10 marks)

2013GS-IV Q3

Some people feel that values keep changing with time and situation, while others strongly believe that there are certain universal and eternal human values. Give your perception in this regard with due justification.

2013GS-IV Q4

What is 'emotional intelligence' and how can it be developed in people? How does it help an individual in taking ethical decisions?

2013GS-IV Q5

(a) What do you understand by the term 'voice of conscience'? How do you prepare yourself to heed to the voice of conscience? (150 words, 10 marks) (b) What is meant by 'crisis of conscience'? Narrate one incident in your life when you were faced with such a crisis and how you resolved the same. (150 words, 10 marks)

All Ethics Case Studies Questions All GS-IV Questions All 2025 Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is UPSC Mains 2025 GS-IV Question 2 about?▼

This is a verbatim UPSC Mains 2025 GS-IV question from the "Ethics Case Studies" area of the official syllabus. It carries 20 marks with a 250-word limit.

How should I approach this UPSC Mains question?▼

For a 20-mark question with a 250-word limit, decode the directive verb first, then structure your answer with a crisp introduction, 2–3 substantiated body points, and a forward-looking conclusion within the limit.