As a senior officer in the Ministry, you have access to important policy decisions and upcoming big announcements such as road construction projects before they are notified in the public domain. The Ministry is about to announce a mega road project for which the drawings are already in place. Sufficient care was taken by the planners to make use of the government land with the minimum land acquisition from private parties. Compensation rate for private parties was also finalized as per government rules. Care was also taken to minimize deforestation. Once the project is announced, it is expected that there will be a huge spurt in real estate prices in and around that area. Meanwhile, the Minister concerned insists that you realign the road in such a way that it comes closer to his 20 acres farmhouse. He also suggests that he would facilitate the purchase of a big plot of land in your wife name at the prevailing rate which is very nominal, in and around the proposed mega road project. He also tries to convince you by saying that there is no harm in it as he is buying the land legally. He even promises to supplement your savings in case you do not have sufficient funds to buy the land. However, by the act of realignment, a lot of agricultural lands has to be acquired, thereby causing a considerable financial burden on the government, and also the displacement of the farmers. As if this is not enough, it will involve cutting down of a large number of trees denuding the area of its green cover. Faced with this situation, what will you do? Critically examine various conflicts of interest and explain what your responsibilities are as a public servant. (UPSC IAS Mains 2018 General Studies Paper – 4)
Disclosure of information that may lead to undue advantage to a perticular group is against the professional code of conduct of executives. This situation involves conflict of intrest that are:
(a) Public intrest vs private gains: Bureaucrats are trustees of public intrest. They have access to secret information based on the trust that they will not leak it selectively. Disclosing those informations to my son would betray public trust for private gains.
(b) Professinal secrecy vs cronyism: Breach of secrecy is a fraud on professional ethics. It will amount to disciplinary action that will have disastrous consequences on both my job and career of my son.
(c) Professional commitment vs hobnobism: Partnering minister in his unethical and corrupt conduct tantamounts to being equally culpable in crime. Even if i dont disclose the information to my son, silence makes me a partner in crime.
As a public servant my outmost responsibility is to uphold public trust. My appointments comes with a legal code of conduct and conventional code of ethics. These codes forbid me to disclose these information even if i am assured of safety. Also, it demands me to blow whistle in case of frauds. By acquiescing to minister and my son''s argument that the land would be puchased legally, i will act as a fool. In the era of vigilant media and civil society it would be just a matter of time to establish conclusively that informations were leaked to the advantage of minister''s children and my son.
In the situation my first action would be secure my self from such postings that involve conflict of intrest and also advice same for the minister. Citing my son''s business i will immediately seek transfer. I will also mention the conflict of intrest of minister in my application. Without directly citing leakage of information by minister i would be able to create enough detterent for minister''s sibling to refrain them from purchasing those lands.
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