Revision summary
Honest youth avoid active politics because of money, muscle, closed tickets, smears and a culture that calls all politics dirty. Motivation needs inner-party democracy, cheaper campaigns, faster justice, disclosure that voters use, and local offices as a first step. Education should teach the Constitution as a craft, not as a reason to stay home. Parties must select on record, not only on family. Ethics in politics is entry plus reform, not a vow of absence.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
A democracy that scares honest youth out of parties and polls will be run by those who can stand the dirt. The task is not a lecture on duty. It is to make ethical entry into politics thinkable and survivable.
Body
Why ethical youth stay away
- Politics is widely seen as a market of money, muscle, and family tickets, not as public service.
- The cost of a campaign, the fear of character assassination, and the risk to family livelihood push a salaried ethical person back to a job.
- Inner-party democracy is weak, so merit and clean records lose to loyalty and cash.
- Criminalisation and the slow court process make a false case a career weapon.
- Media and social media reward outrage, not committee work, so a decent candidate looks dull or is quickly smeared.
- Civic education often treats politics as dirty by definition, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Steps to motivate ethical youth
- Inner-party democracy: published membership rolls, contested organisational elections, and youth wings that are not only applause machines, as the 170th Law Commission discussion on electoral reform and many later reports have urged in spirit.
- Lower the money wall: stricter ceiling enforcement, more public funding of parties on transparent criteria, cheaper campaign time through debates and a level digital field, and State funding experiments that are audited.
- Fast, fair process against both real crime and motivated false cases, so that a clean candidate is not ruined by a pending charge-sheet as theatre.
- Disclose and deter: effective implementation of affidavit disclosure, the Representation of the People Act, 1951 disqualifications, and voter education so that a criminal record is costly at the booth, not only in a seminar.
- Local first: urban local bodies, panchayats, student unions and issue campaigns as lawful nurseries, where a young person can serve without a national war-chest.
- Protect the decent: anti-defection should not become anti-conscience, but threat, booth capturing and paid news must meet real police and Election Commission action.
- Honour service: internships with legislators that teach files, not only posters; fellowships that pay a modest stipend so that only the rich can afford a year in public life.
- Education that does not sneer: schools and colleges should teach the Constitution, local government and how a budget is made, so that politics is seen as a civic craft.
- Parties should publish candidate-selection criteria and give tickets to persons with a record of social work or professional integrity, not only to heirs.
- Media and civil society should cover ward work and questions in the House, not only the insult of the day, so that ethical work is visible.
- Reduce the humiliation of the first-time honest candidate: model code enforcement against personal vilification, and a culture in parties that a lost election is not a family disgrace.
- Role models in office who live simply and keep a clean register do more than a motivational video. Youth copy what wins.
What not to do
- Do not tell youth that ethics means never joining a party. That leaves the field to the unethical.
- Do not romanticise outsider anger that has no programme and no patience for institutions.
- Do not confuse a technocratic job with political representation. Both are needed; only politics writes the law.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD AWAY[Ethical youth stay away] --> MONEY[Money and muscle] AWAY --> FEAR[Smear and false cases] AWAY --> TICKET[Closed tickets] MOT[Motivate entry] --> IPD[Inner-party democracy] MOT --> COST[Lower campaign cost] MOT --> LOCAL[Panchayat and local first] MOT --> HON[Honour clean work]
Conclusion
Ethical youth will enter politics when entry is cheaper, fairer and safer, and when parties and voters reward a clean record. Reform the gate, show the work, and stop teaching that public life is only a swamp.
Quick related
Students also ask
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(a) One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life example. (150 Words, 10) (b) Corporate social responsibility makes companies more profitable and sustainable. Analyse. (150 Words, 10).
Next question on this syllabus topic (2017 · Q4). View answer →
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Should ethical youth stay out until politics becomes clean?
If they all stay out, it stays dirty. Enter through local office and issue work, and push party and legal reform at the same time.
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Is a high campaign ceiling the main barrier?
It is a major one, with muscle, family tickets and smear. Lowering cost without inner-party democracy only helps a new rich candidate.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2023 · Q9 · GS IV · 20 marks
Case study. At 9 pm on Saturday evening, Rashika, a Joint Secretary, was still engrossed in her work in her office. Her husband, Vikram, is an executive in an MNC and frequently out of town in connection with his work. Their two children aged 5 and 3 are looked after by their domestic helper. At 9:30 pm her superior, Mr. Suresh calls her and asks her to prepare a detailed note on an important matter to be discussed in a meeting in the Ministry. She realises that she will have to work on Sunday to finish the additional task given by her superior. She reflects on how she had looked forward to this posting and had worked long hours for months to achieve it. She had kept the welfare of people uppermost in discharging her duties. She feels that she has not done enough justice to her family and she has not fulfilled her duties in discharging essential social obligations. Even as recently as last month she had to leave her sick child in the nanny's care as she had to work in the office. Now, she feels that she must draw a line, beyond which her personal life should take precedence over her professional responsibilities. She thinks that there should be reasonable limits to the work ethics such as punctuality, hard work, dedication to duty and selfless service. -
2016 · Q14 · GS IV · 20 marks
Case study. You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a Government office working as an assistant to the director of your department. Since you have joined recently, you need to lean and progress. Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you for your job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed person having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are looking forward to lean a lot from him. Since you have good tuning with the boss, he started depending on you. One day due to ill health he invited you at his place for finishing some urgent work. You reached his house and before you could ring the bell you heard shouting noises. You waited for a while. After entering the house the boss greeted you and explained the work. But you were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfy you. Next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the office and found out that his behavior is very bad at home with his wife. He also beats up bit wife. His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman in comparison to her husband. you see that though your boss is a nice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence at home. In such a situation, you are left with the following options. Analyse each option with its consequences. (a) Just ignore thinking about it because it is their personal matter. (b) Repost the case to the appropriate authority. (c) Your own innovative approach towards situation. -
2021 · Q6(a) · GS IV · 10 marks
An independent and empowered social audit mechanism is an absolute must in every sphere of public service, including the judiciary, to ensure performance, accountability and ethical conduct. Elaborate. -
2017 · Q10 · GS IV · 20 marks
Case study. You are an honest and responsible civil servant. You often observe the following: (a) There is a general perception that adhering to ethical conduct one may face difficulties to oneself and cause problems for the family, whereas unfair practices may help to reach the career goals. (b) When the number of people adopting unfair means is large, a small minority having a penchant towards ethical means makes no difference. (c) Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the larger developmental goals (d) While one may not involve oneself in large unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes the system more efficient. Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits.
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