STRENGTHENING OF ETHICAL AND MORAL VALUES IN GOVERNANCE

Published on 25 Nov 2025

The advancement of ethics and moral values in good governance suggests legality of government action, rationality in policy and decision making, evolving a sense of responsibility and accountability, strengthening work commitment, facilitating spirit of individual and organizational goals, developing responsiveness, showing compassion, protecting the national interests, protecting the spirit of justice, bringing transparency and elevating integrity.

Framework for Ethical and Moral Values in Governance

• Principle of Selflessness: Public officials must base their decisions solely on the public’s interest, refraining from pursuing personal, financial or material gains.

• Example: Known as the “People’s President,” Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam dedicated his life to serving the nation without any personal, financial or material gain.

• High Integrity: Holders of public life should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organizations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.

• Example: K. V. Kamath, former Chairman of ICICI Bank maintained high integrity where he refused external influence on his decision-making, ensuring the integrity of both organizations.

• Objectivity: When conducting public affairs like appointments, contracts, or rewards, public officeholders must base their choices solely on merit.

• Example: A civil servant not dealing with protestors by keeping a prejudiced mindset.

• Accountability: Public officeholders should prioritize transparency by sharing their decisions and actions, providing reasons, and limiting information only when necessary for public interests.

• Example: Citizens can use the RTI Act to access government records and seek information about decisions and actions taken by public officials.

• Honesty: Holders of public offices have a duty to declare any private interest relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interests.

• Example: Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, declared his assets and liabilities openly, setting an example of honesty and transparency in public office. 

• Leadership: Holders of public offices should promote and support these principles by way of leadership and examples.

• Example: Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership during India’s struggle for independence is a testament to the power of leadership by example. 

• Friendly relation with people: When government and citizens have amicable relations, good governance emerges, enhancing public understanding of government actions and decisions.

• Example: The “Mann Ki Baat” program fosters friendly relations between the government and the people. It allows the Prime Minister to directly address and engage with the public on various issues.

Indian Initiatives to Strengthen Ethical Framework  

• Ethical

• Fairness and Equity: Promote fairness and equity in decision-making processes, ensuring that policies and actions are guided by principles of justice and equal treatment.

• Example: National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) give financial assistance to safai karamcharis and manual scavengers and their dependents.

• Integrity Awards: Recognizing and rewarding public servants who demonstrate exceptional integrity and accountability can incentivize ethical behavior.

• Example: The Central Vigilance Commission recognizes public servants through its Vigilance Excellence Awards for demonstrating exceptional integrity and accountability in their work.

• Ethics Committees: Setting up ethics committees within government agencies to provide guidance on ethical dilemmas and oversee ethical compliance.

• Example: Ethics Committee in Houses of Parliament deal with the members’ conduct and complaints.

• Accountability Courts: Establishing special courts or tribunals to expedite cases related to corruption and misconduct, ensuring swift legal action against erring public servants.

• Example: Special courts, like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, have been established to handle corruption cases. 

• Public Interest Litigation (PIL): Allowing citizens to file PILs in courts to seek judicial intervention in cases where public servants or institutions are not fulfilling their responsibilities.

• Example: The Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India case led to landmark judgments on environmental protection.

• Administrative

• Laws and Regulations: India has enacted various laws and regulations to combat corruption and unethical behavior. 

• Example: The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Whistleblower Protection Act, 2014, are aimed at promoting ethical behavior and protecting whistleblowers.

• E-Governance: The government has been promoting e-governance initiatives to reduce corruption and improve service delivery. 

• Example: Initiatives like Digital India and Aadhar have helped streamline government processes and reduce the scope for unethical practices.

• Right to Information Act (RTI): It enhances transparency and accountability by allowing citizens to request government records, making government functioning more open to scrutiny.

• Example: The RTI Act, enacted in 2005, empowers citizens to access information held by government authorities.

• Independent Oversight and Audits: Appoint independent oversight bodies or agencies to monitor and audit organizational or governmental activities. 

• Example: IMF conducts regular audits and assessments of member countries’ fiscal policies and economic governance to ensure accountability and transparency.

Measures to strengthen Ethical and Moral Values in Governance

• Training and Capacity Building: Government employees are to be provided with ethics training and capacity-building programs to raise awareness about ethical issues, corruption and best practices. 

• Example:  Mission Karmayogi aims at building a future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of New India.

• Accountability for Corruption: Ensure that those involved in corruption and unethical behavior face legal consequences, sending a strong message that such actions will not be tolerated.

• Example: India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigates high-level corruption cases, leading to convictions of corrupt officials and politicians.

• Ethical Audits: Conduct regular ethical audits of government departments and agencies to identify and address ethical lapses and issues.

• Example: Following line by line procedure code while implementing acts like MGNREGA might help accountability in the implementation. 

• Conflict of Interest Regulation: Develop and enforce strict regulations regarding conflicts of interest, requiring government officials to disclose and address potential conflicts in a transparent manner.

• Example: In the United States, the Office of Government Ethics provides guidance on handling conflicts of interest for federal employees, ensuring transparency in dealings.

• Citizen Charters: Citizen charters that outline the services provided, service standards, and the grievance redressal mechanism promotes transparency and accountability in service delivery.

• Example: The Ministry of Railways in India has a citizen charter that outlines the services offered, service quality standards, and the process for grievance redressal.

• Promotion of Open Data: Open data initiatives promote transparency and allow citizens to scrutinize government activities.

• Example: Jan Soochna portal of Rajasthan is to make the government facility available to the common people along with social audit.

• Reduction of Discretionary Powers: Administrative reforms often focus on reducing the discretionary powers of government officials, as excessive discretion can lead to corruption and unethical behavior.

• Example: Goods and Services Tax (GST) was a significant administrative reform aimed at reducing discretionary powers and curbing corruption in the taxation system.

• Regular Reviews and Assessments: Periodic reviews and assessments of government programs and projects help identify and rectify inefficiencies, corruption risks, and ethical lapses.

• Example: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), a government housing scheme, undergoes periodic reviews to assess its progress and identify any misuse of funds or corruption risks.

• Public Awareness Campaigns: Government agencies may run public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about their rights and responsibilities and to encourage them to report unethical practices.

• Example: Like Election Commission of India conducting public awareness campaigns ‘SVEEP’ to educate voters about the importance of ethical voting practices. 

• Collaboration with Civil Society: Engaging civil society organizations and watchdog groups in monitoring and evaluating government actions can help identify and address ethical issues.

• Example: Transparency International India collaborates with government agencies to assess and monitor corruption levels, promoting accountability and ethical behavior in public administration.

2nd ARC Recommendations on Ethical and Moral Values in Governance

• Codification of Ethical Standards: Codification of ethics will ensure the minimum standards that public servants must follow.

• Strengthening Vigilance Systems: Strong vigilance systems to ensure that corruption is eliminated at the root like whistle blowers act etc.

• Digital Transformation for Citizen-Centric Governance: Digitization and e-governance is the way forward to ensure citizen centric governance.

• Promoting Ethical Leadership through Education: Values such as selflessness, honesty, integrity and objectivity if inculcated at early age through education will lead to Ethical leadership in the future.

• Effective Delegation and Standard Protocols: Work delegation and responsibility assignment should be consistent within every organization, and standardized protocols should be formalized through citizen charters.

OECD Recommendation on Improving Ethical Conduct in the Public Service

• Effective Legal Framework: India shall have legal framework with provisions to cover unethical and corrupt practices such as the breath of official trust and duties, abuse of power, abuse of official’s influence.

• Political Commitment: Ethically committed leadership instill confidence in people who work with honesty and lead the way by being role models.

• Active Civil Society: The effectiveness of civil society hinges on the degree of permissible public criticism of the government, with impartial media being crucial for exposing corruption and unethical behavior.

• Central Ethics Coordinating Body: Bodies that coordinate the overall ethics framework includes parliamentary committees, central agencies and departments or specially created independent agencies.

• Conducive Public Service Conditions: Public service terms, including salary, promotions, postings, and transfers, directly shape civil servants’ behavior and influence the recruitment of talent.

• Professional Socialization Mechanisms: It includes soundness of training programmes organized to inculcate public spirited values among administrators. 

• Monitorable codes of conduct: Code of conduct should be clearly and unambiguously worded. The values being promoted in code of conduct/ethics should secure genuine employee acceptance.

• Efficient Accountability Mechanisms: Accountability system is determined by the strengths and weakness of the existing organizational arrangements and procedures to detect and punish corruption and other unethical practices.

Ethics and moral values guide human conduct and it help people to lead good life by applying moral principles. The same when applied to public administration will not only bring efficiency but also helps in developing an egalitarian, just and fair society.

Tags:
Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

Keywords:
STRENGTHENING OF ETHICAL AND MORAL VALUES IN GOVERNANCE ETHICAL VALUES AND MORAL VALUES Framework for Ethical and Moral Values in Governance Indian Initiatives to Strengthen Ethical Framework Measures to strengthen Ethical and Moral Values in Governance 2nd ARC Recommendations on Ethical and Moral Values in Governance arc OECD Recommendation on Improving Ethical Conduct in the Public Service

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 4

Topics:
Public Service Values