Civil Services Model Main Exam, 2015

General Studies, Paper-IV Test dated.30.11.2015

Conditions:

1. All the questions carry equal marks

2. Give answer to each question as per the prescribed word limit.  

3. Time Allowed: 2 hours

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1. You are working as BDO in a block. You came to know that the Panchayat/village Development Officers, working under you administrative control, have been drawing Pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme, in the name of deceased persons, by putting their own thumb impression in the pension distribution register. As per law, whenever some pensioner dies, they must have intimated you for suitable replacement within the village of the deceased.

How do you rectify the system? What action will be taken against the VPO/VDO who had indulged in the illegal activities mentioned above? [250 words]

2. “You are working as a BDO in a block. There are certain development works in your block which are given on nomination basis by the local MLA to his party functionaries. There have been vociferous demands from various quarters to pay the “mobilization advance”   to the persons involved in the execution of the works. The local MLA has already spoke to you on the issue and threatened to transfer you if you don’t pay the advances immediately. There were instances, in your block that certain persons had taken mobilization advances and not started the works which led to suspension of your predecessor”.

What do you do in this situation? Will you grant the advance to the concerned? Discuss. [250 words]

3. “You are District Collector went for inspection of a development work done in a remote village which has been infested with the Maoists. The villagers informed you that it would not be safe to go the site of the work, as the Maoist movements are very frequent in the said area and it was told that the Maoists are planning to abduct a politician or top beaurocrat, to execute their agenda.”

What do you do in the situation? Give reasons for your decision in 250 words?

4. “You are a young IPS officer posted in a district as a “Superintend of Police”.  There has been illegal quarrying of granite for long time in the district and many of these illegal miners are goons and some politicians. You have decided to end this menace. On one of your visits to the sites, you have found a lorry is carrying a truck load of granite mined illegally.  You are alone with your driver in the scene. There were instances in the district that the illegal miners crushed some Government officers under the wheels of their Lorries who tried to stop the vehicles”.    

What course of action you take? Will you stop the vehicle just by standing in the road? Discuss in 250 words.

5. There has been long history of food adulteration is India. But, of late, the nature of adulteration has reached alarming proportions where the artificial food products are being made with dangerous chemicals which have debilitating effect on the health of the people. For instance, black pepper is made from the seeds of papaya by adding, dangerous chemicals to them.  You are working as a police commissioner is a city, where an adulteration mafia is operating for several years with the active support of local Minister and Health and Sanitation Department.  The local Minister has a share in this illegal business. Further, he is a powerful and vengeful man who can make your life miserable and may not hesitate to take action on you and your personnel if this illegal business is touched.

The local media has been publishing news on this mafia and recently one informant approached you to give credible information on the network of the adulteration mafia and their network, under the condition of anonymity. 

Knowing the effect of the products marketed by the mafia under different names, on the health of the people and also knowing the clout of the local Minister, what course of action you take with the credible information is your hand? What measures you take to ensure the safety of your personnel and how you secure the anonymity of informant? [250 words]

6. In a district, four Dt. Collectors have been transferred for their refusal to make payment to a contract work involving the clay-bunding of a local river to the tune of Rs.9.5 crores. The contract was duly sanctioned by the state Government. But the work has been executed by the local and powerful Minister, through his benamis. There are allegations that not even 20% of the work is done, but total work has been recorded by the engineers, surely under the threat of the Minister.  The four district collectors, who were shifted out of district in quick succession for their refusal to make this payment, feared that they have to face career related problems they clear the bill. They refused to make the payment, in spite of big bribes offered to them by the benamis of the Minister.

You are working as a district collector in a remote district in a state where no proper facilities are available. You got an offer though you chief secretary to go the district referred above & the CS briefed you about the problem & you yourself aware of the transfer to your colleagues on the issue.

Will you accept the offer of transfer? Will you make the payment? What course you take in the matter? [Reply in 250 words]

                   

7. Your roommate who is also preparing for civil services exam for past six years keeps telling you that he has lost zeal to serve public and his only motive to getting into IAS is to make money and enjoy power. Even though he made it into personality test stage four times in a row, he has not got any rank till now. He thinks he cannot go back to his previous lucrative job as his ego is not permitting him to go. Moreover he is skeptical that the company might hire him for lesser salary that what he used to earn earlier. He is confident of clearing this exam in his next attempt.  As far as you know him, he was very motivated to serve people in the early days of exam preparation. He used to talk about helping weaker sections as an IAS officer. He used to motivate you to put interest of the public before anything else. But, now his tone has reversed. He wants to marry a rich girl, preferably a daughter of a powerful politician. He also wants to venture into business after making lots of money in IAS. There is clear chance of him getting selected into civil services as he seems to have corrected all his previous mistakes that he had committed in exam.

What options do you have in this case? Examine their merits and demerits, and choose the best course of action. (250 Words)

8. Recently your wife’s gold bangle was stolen from your bedroom. Apart from maid who daily works from morning to afternoon, only you, your wife and your 18 year old son live in your home. Your son is a school drop-out and goes to acting and dance classes to fulfill his ambition to become an actor. You suspect him of stealing the bangle, whereas your wife suspects maid even though she has been working in your home for past ten years. In your absence, your wife confronts the maid and accuses her of breaching trust. She asks her to give back the bangle and threatens to file police complaint against her. The maid pleads not guilty and says that she has not stolen anything in last ten years and she would never do such thing despite being very poor. From next day maid stops coming to your home. You find out that, as expected, your son had stolen the bangle to pay fee for a dance class. He had done after you had refused to pay his fees. Knowing this, your wife feels bad about the maid.  She tries to reach the maid, but later learns from another maid that she has left the town with her blind son. 

Which values are lacking in your family in the above case? Knowing that your son had stolen, what will you do now? Critically discuss. (250 Words)

9. Five years ago, you gave life to twins after ten years of struggle to get pregnant. During those ten years you had prospered professionally and reached a high position in career growth. In the beginning you found it very difficult to manage children and work. Thankfully your husband who ran a business had sufficient time to look after them. He had encouraged you to take independent decisions and supported you to grow well in your career. After the birth of your children, doctors had told you that you would no more bear children in future due to certain medical condition. Few days ago when you consulted doctor, you came to know that you are in third week of pregnancy. You were happy with two children. It is now impossible for you to manage one more child due to professional commitments. You do not want this child and you want abortion. But your husband who is very fond of children and extremely happy knowing that you are pregnant, wants this child. He insists that you should not resort to abortion. Your friends suggest you to go ahead with abortion as you already have two beautiful small kids and don’t need another one at this stage. But your husband is unhappy with this decision and also thinks that ethically it is wrong to terminate pregnancy.

a) What will you do in this situation? Justify. (150 Words)

b) Your husband who is usually supportive now accuses of you giving preference to profession over family life. Do you agree with him? Substantiate.  (150 Words)

10. You are posted as District Collector (DC). In a village where illegal granite quarrying is rampant, local police seize five vehicles illegally carrying granite. The police are roughed up by an unruly mob said to be supporters of granite mafia. When the police refuse to give back vehicles despite facing threat, the mob demand that they would want to see DC on the spot or else situation would be made much worse by resorting to road blockades and violent activities. When the news reaches you, you decide to go there in the morning as it was already dark. But you receive a message that if you do not go there the situation could turn worse. The SP of district, a lady, softly warns you not to go in the night and she would manage the situation till morning. She says that the situation is much worse than you have imagined and there will be threat to your life. But you get a call from Chief Minister that you must visit the spot immediately and negotiate with the mob to end the fiasco peacefully.

What will you do? How will you execute the work within the four corners of the law? Justify. (250 Words)

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Dear Friends,                                                                                                            

You may attempt the above questions as per the guidelines given above. Model    answers to these queries will be provided by Wednesday.   Questions, 7 to 10 are          copied from Insights India.                                                                                                        

                                                                                              B.Yadagiri, IRS.,