Yojana Summary
October 19, 2026
Civil Services Ethics: Resolving Conflict of Interest in Public Procurement and Discretionary Approvals
Summary for Quick Revision: Ethical frameworks for handling recusal, gifts, post-retirement commercial employment, and safeguarding public trust in civil governance.
Conflict of interest occurs when a public official's private capacity might improperly influence the performance of their official duties and responsibilities. Under the Nolan Committee principles of public life—Integrity, Objectivity, and Openness—civil servants must avoid situations of perceived or real conflict.
Practical Case Study:
A district collector is the chairperson of a committee awarding contracts for government school tablet distribution. One of the competing bidding firms has an equity stake owned by the collector's brother-in-law.
Ethical Resolution Steps:
1. Immediate Formal Disclosure to the State Government.
2. Complete Recusal from the evaluation committee.
3. Institutional Audit of procurement criteria to ensure transparent, competitive bidding via GeM (Government e-Marketplace).
GS-4 Ethics, Nolan Principles, Governance
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