List the Nolan Principles of Public Life. Discuss with examples how ‘openness’ and ‘leadership’ can come into tension during a public-health emergency.
Subtopic: Section A · Aptitude and foundational values · Nolan principles
How to structure your answer
Define: the seven Nolan principles (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership).
Illustrate: COVID-19 — openness about case counts vs leadership pressure to prevent panic.
Apply: Disaster Management Act 2005 and reasoned restrictions on disclosure.
Conclude: openness should be the default; restrictions must be time-bound and justified.
Written within the word limit
143 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Definition: The Nolan Committee (UK, 1995) codified seven principles of public life — selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership — that bind holders of public office.
Illustration: During COVID-19, 'openness' demanded daily disclosure of case counts, ICU bed availability and vaccine stockpile, while 'leadership' required confidence-building messaging that did not trigger panic-hoarding of oxygen. Kerala's daily 6 pm briefings under K.K. Shailaja balanced both — granular ward-level data with calm framing. The Tamil Nadu Public Health Department's transparent dashboard for the 2024 dengue surge similarly held the line. Tensions arise when full openness risks undermining confidence — officers must disclose verifiable facts promptly while contextualising them. T.N. Seshan modelled both at the Election Commission by publishing irregularities while reasserting institutional authority.
Application: The 2nd ARC's Ethics in Governance recommends adopting a codified Indian Public Service Values statement modelled on Nolan, with disclosure built into RTI Section 4.
What an examiner expects to see
- Nolan Committee (UK, 1995) — seven principles adopted as global benchmark
- 2nd ARC adapted them as Civil Services Code of Ethics for India
- Openness — proactive disclosure under RTI 2005 Section 4
- Leadership — by example, not by command
- Tension in pandemics: WHO joint mission report February 2020 vs national risk communication
- Bhopal 1984, AIIMS COVID dashboards 2020-21 — case studies in disclosure ethics
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Kerala health communication during Nipah 2018 under K.K. Shailaja
- DGCA 2020 disclosure norms for COVID-positive flight passengers
- ICMR daily testing dashboard during second wave 2021