GS4 · UPSC Mains

You are posted as the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in a rural district where caste-based untouchability still exists in subtle and overt forms. You visit a local school during inspection and notice that Dalit children are being made to sit separately during the mid-day meal. The cooks preparing meals are also selected on caste basis. The punishments to students for the same mistakes also differ in intensity based on the student's position in the social ladder. The headmaster justifies this by saying, "It's our custom. Mixing them will create problems of impurity in the village." Later, you meet a 10-year-old Dalit boy named Ravi, who quietly says, "Madam, why are my hands dirty even when I wash them?" This sentence stays with you. You look at numerous other segregated students who seem to have internalized the social customs of discrimination. You, being a morally upright officer, want to take strong action, but the village elders, some of whom are politically powerful, urge you to "go slow" and "not disturb harmony." Meanwhile, your own junior staff appear reluctant to intervene, reflecting deeply ingrained prejudice. Moreover, trying to change customs could mean your suspension from the job or fake charges of sexual assault on you. This would also potentially result in breaking your marriage which has been fixed only recently. (a) What ethical responsibilities do you hold as an officer in transforming social attitudes? (b) How do emotional experiences like Ravi's statement impact the moral reasoning of a civil servant? (c), Suggest short-term and long-term strategies to create attitudinal change in this case. (20 marks, 250 words)

20 marks · 250 words · 2 toppers answered this

GS4 · Case studies on the above issues GS4 · Attitude — content, structure, function; influence & relation with thought & behaviour; moral & political attitudes; social influence & persuasion

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