https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Civil Services Meaningless Without Ethical Conduct, Says Former UP Chief Secy Alok Ranjan 

Indian Masterminds Stories

Who is a civil servant? A highly qualified person with knowledge of law and the Indian constitution, appointed to ensure best possible services to people. They have to lead with honesty and integrity to act in the best interests of the public. However, these qualities are eroding and became a concern for UPSC, the recruitment commission for civil servants, under the Union government. 

Acting on this concern, a subject called ‘Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude’ was added in the Mains syllabus of Civil Services Exam. Now the question arises, was adding the subject enough? Maybe not, but it sure was a good step, says veteran bureaucrat, Mr. Alok Ranjan, who was an IAS officer of 1978 batch and UP cadre.

The officer who rose to the rank of Chief Secretary, UP and also served as Advisor to the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has recently come up with his book, Ethics For Civil Services: With 100 Case Studies. Also, author of the book, Making A Differencethe IAS As A Career, Mr. Ranjan has not only dealt with ethical concepts, but also analyzed all the case studies that have come in Ethics paper between 2013-2019. 

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK 

The Ethics paper is mostly divided into two parts. First part deals with ethical concepts and the second with case studies which carries 125 marks. A publisher approached Mr. Ranjan for a book on this subject as not much was available till then. While going through the syllabus, Mr. Ranjan realized that the subject is really good as it included various concepts, administrative pointers, which can surely affect the mindset of aspirants and successful candidates. Also, he himself had lot of real life experiences of dealing with such compromising situations. Hence, he agreed to write the book. 

Alok Ranjan, Ex-IAS

About the actual purpose of adding the subject getting lost somewhere, he commented, “In the past few decades, the society has become more materialistic and ethical conduct has declined. However, it was a good step. Some might take it just as a scoring subject but the process of learning this subject helps in developing an ethical framework in mind.”

He also pointed out that the evaluation of this step is indeed needed, and the fact remains that everybody might not change, but some surely will. 

TOTAL INTEGRITY 

Ethics is not limited to just corruption. Most people think that honesty is only an attribute required of an officer. However, that is not the case. While compromising on financial integrity is a total no-no for civil servants, total integrity is also very important. “Civil servants are wedded to the constitution. They have to deliver good services to the people, especially the weaker sections. Only they can ensure the best possible use of public money,” said the former bureaucrat. 

He also emphasized that honesty is a basic requirement for civil services. It is not something to take pride on. An officer should always try to develop a system where everyone works with transparency and accountability. 

PAYS OFF IN THE LONG RUN 

In the book, the officer has dealt with various case studies, which includes compromising on quality of any project or dealing with political pressure. Such situation is common in the life of a civil servant. All of these really tempt, but if the individual doesn’t compromise, then it always pays off in the long run. 

Mr. Ranjan said that if a reputation of an upright officer is carefully built, then nobody will ask them to do anything out of the way. There might be some short term turmoil like transfer or punishment posting but, ultimately, every system needs competent officers. 

Sharing an example from his own life he said, “I was posted as Vice-Chairman of a Develoment Authority. On the first day, people tried to give me commission saying that was the system. I outrightly denied. This gave me the moral support to question all the work that had been going on under the authority. Being ethical helps your work and you are rewarded in the end.”Most of the people join civil services for public service. And, this is not possible without ethical conduct. Mr. Ranjan concluded with a few words of wisdom for all civil servants: “You have to leave everything behind on retirement. The one thing you can take with you is the satisfaction of service. And, it only comes if you were honest in your work. Not just the public, but the entire government machinery cannot help but praise this attribute of yours.” 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
scam
‘Hello, This is IPS Officer Speaking…’: 9th-Pass Youth Tricks Cops in Three States with Fake Voice Scam
Screenshot 2025-07-18 214334
L&T Chairman Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan’s FY25 Remuneration Jumps Nearly 50% to Rs. 76.25 Crore!
bureaucracy news
Appointments Update: IRS Kommisetty Murlidhar to Join Andhra Govt; Jay Nath Yadav Inducted into IAS
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)
Indian Overseas Bank Plans Rs. 4,000 Crore Fundraising via QIP; Net Profit Soars 76% in Q1 FY26
Paresh Saxena IPS
IPS Officer Dr Paresh Saxena Protests Empanelment Denial, Returns President’s Distinguished Service Medal
Screenshot 2025-07-18 212145
Chhattisgarh: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Unveils ‘Anjor Vision @ 2047’ - A Bold Roadmap for a Developed Future!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
The Secret of The Secret – How To Make The Universe Conspire For You
AI 171 CRASH
AAIB Initial Probe In AI-171 Crash Questioned By Aviation Experts
Ravi Kapoor
Why Ex-IRS Officer Ravi Kapoor Walked Away from Power
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Bhavesh Royada
“People often don’t put in the effort required for exams of this level,” Bhavesh Royada
Bhavesh Royada left a stable engineering job to follow his passion for nature. Overcoming failures and...
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-14 at 15.58
The Economist Who Became an IFS Officer
How Abhimanyu Gahlaut balanced global economics and civil services dreams to crack UPSC with AIR 38
Disha Dwivedi UPSC
How Disha Dwivedi Cracked UPSC in Her Sixth Attempt with Unshakable Determination
Disha Dwivedi’s UPSC journey from five prelims failures to securing AIR 672 in 2024 showcases strategic...
Social Media
Screenshot 2025-07-18 203508
Majestic Tiger Rescue and Release in Sundarbans Captivates the Internet: IFS Susanta Nanda Shares Video On X
The video captures the tiger’s strength, agility, and instinct—a breathtaking sight as the big cat slices...
Standing Leopard
Leopard Stuns Internet by Standing on Two Legs Like a Meerkat
A rare video of a leopard standing on two legs in Kruger Park stuns viewers and goes viral across social...
G S Roshni
Kerala’s Fearless Forest Officer G.S. Roshni Rescues 16-Foot King Cobra with Bare Hands, Garners Praise & Critique
Beat Forest Officer G.S. Roshni’s first-ever king cobra rescue goes viral, earning her the title of ‘Green...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
SJVN
Leadership Continuity: Rajendra Prasad Goyal Given Additional Charge as Director (Finance) of SJVN Ltd- Know more about Him
government-of-haryana
Haryana Government Transfers 2 IPS, 13 HPS Officers in Major Police Reshuffle- Check Details
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
promila gupta
AI 171 CRASH
Ravi Kapoor
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT