Integrity

Integrity comes from the Latin word “integritas,” which means “wholeness” or “completeness.” Integrity is the inner sense of “wholeness of character” that develops due to a person’s continued uncompromising adherence to values and moral principles.

Integrity refers to consistency between one’s thinking, words and actions (as commitments).

For example, Mahatma Gandhi started the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) because the laws under the British Raj were not consistent with his belief system. Even during CDM, he adhered to the principles of “Satya” and “Ahimsa” because they were other virtues he believed in. Thus, his thoughts, speeches and actions were in complete coherence.

Integrity can stand in opposition to hypocrisy. Hypocrisy refers to an inconsistency between one’s thinking, words and actions. For example, publicly denouncing corruption while accepting bribes at a personal level.

Integrity is considered high when what “one thinks his ideal self should be” and “what one is” are nearly the same. That is, when there is a higher overlap between one’s Ideal self and Real self, the person’s integrity is higher. Whereas when the overlap between these two is less, the integrity is considered lower.

Integrity entails always doing the right thing, regardless of the circumstances. “Doing the right thing when no one is looking” is an essential element of integrity. It always takes courage to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences, which is why fortitude and integrity are frequently found together.

Integrity is a moral virtue that is the foundation for a good character. IAS officer Ashok Khemka and former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam are good examples of people with high integrity. On the other hand, the recent Punjab National Bank scam is an example of a lack of integrity among persons holding positions of authority in the banking sector.

Types of Integrity

Intellectual Integrity

Intellectual integrity refers to being consistent and accurate in one’s thinking and holding oneself to the same standards one expects others to meet. It also means honestly admitting discrepancies and inconsistencies in one’s thoughts and actions. Further, it includes standing up for one’s best judgment by being willing to act for the same.

For example, if I am an environmental scientist, I must show the results of my experiments accurately even if it goes against my personal interests. 

Personal Integrity

A person is said to possess high personal integrity when various aspects of his self are fully integrated. That is having no conflict among one’s thoughts, desires, commitments, values, and actions. It refers to the quality of eliminating the gap between what we think, what we say and what we do.

Integrity is the integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs and behaviour. People with high integrity have an internal locus of control (self-governed). People with high integrity are controlled by their conscience rather than the external environment. Manjunath Shanmugam, a young manager with Indian Oil Corporation, set an example of high personal integrity. He drew attention to irregularities in the quality of fuel being marketed in some petrol pumps, for which he was shot dead.

Professional Integrity

A person in any profession holds their professional integrity by fully adhering to the profession’s relevant code of conduct, ethical standards, norms and values.

For instance, healthcare professionals must observe the Code of Ethics prescribed by the Indian Medical Association.

Integrity in Public Administration

Integrity in public administration requires that public authorities adhere to high moral principles in their dealings with private citizens, businesses, and other public authorities. It essentially means that officeholders, elected representatives and public servants must always act professionally and in the public interest. They must not do anything that leads to the waste of public resources or harm to the public interest. 

Challenges in upholding integrity in Civil Services

• Threats and Punishment – Sometimes there is a risk to our job profile and even risk of life. For example, Satyendra Dubey was an IES officer who was a project director in NHAI at Koderma. He was murdered in Gaya, Bihar allegedly for his anti-corruption action in the Golden Quadrilateral project in 2003. 

• Lucrative rewards – Often the interested parties offer rewards and bribes against certain actions which you could perform in their favour.

• Personal Values – Often personal biases and attitudes prevent a person from adhering to the ethical code. This is the most commonly identified flaw that people identify that leads us to compromise on integrity.

• Conflict of Interest – Often it is in our personal interest to act unethically. For example, a civil servant in a position of power might be interested in buying land in the area from where a new highway is being planned. 

They must not commit fraud, accept bribes, or leak confidential information. For this reason, rules of conduct, oaths or affirmations are created.

According to the 2nd ARC, integrity means that civil servants should be guided solely by the public interest in their official decision-making and not by any financial or other consideration with respect to themselves, their families, or their friends.

Integrity in Civil Servants

Given the above challenges in upholding integrity in civil services, we must refine the meaning of integrity for civil services. 

Integrity in civil services means upholding honesty, transparency, and moral principles while performing public duties despite all challenges, and in circumstanceas and at all times.

Integrity integrates morality with behaviour. Integrity is a non-negotiable quality for civil servants and other public authorities. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, as President of India, invited his family to stay with him for two days. He himself bore all the expenses even though his family was entitled to stay on government expenses.

The significance of integrity in public administration is as follows:

• To Curb Corruption: Integrity in public administration is a barrier against patronage, misuse of power/influence, bribery, wastage of public resources, and personal aggrandizement, that is, corruption in all its forms. 

• Awaken Conscience: Conscience is the inner voice of a person that guides him in all his judgements/actions. It is like a guiding light that keeps one on the path of ethical conduct. For instance, a police officer might order his subordinates to open fire on unarmed, peaceful protestors. An honest police officer might obey the order, whereas police officers of integrity will be guided by their own conscience and will refuse to fire.

• Public good: Lower levels of integrity in public functionaries deny many people their just rights and also hinder economic development. Civil servants have immense powers and responsibilities. Their impartiality and honesty are important for public good and socio-economic development.

• Fulfilling Constitutional mandate: Civil servants have a crucial role in achieving the constitutional mandate of delivering social, economic and political justice and establishing equality of status and opportunity in society.

• Effectiveness and Efficiency: For efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery, integrity of executive machinery is a necessary precondition. For instance, the Public distribution system is prone to leakages, wastages, poor quality of grains due to mismanagement, and other such challenges. These can be eliminated by promoting high integrity in responsible public officials/employees.

Measures Taken to Promote Integrity in Civil Services

The following are major steps taken by government to promote integrity in public administration:

• Code of Conduct: A code of conduct has been prescribed for civil servants. It aims to increase confidence in government and reassure citizens of the integrity of civil servants.

• Legal measures: Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act of 1988, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act of 2002, the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999, the Whistleblowers Protection Act of 2014, Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act of 2013, etc. are major legal measures taken to promote integrity.

• Transparency: The Right to Information Act, 2005, is based on the principle that government information is the property of people and ensures their right to be informed (Article 19). It takes democracy to the grassroots level and is also a step towards ensuring participatory governance in the country.

• Vigilance and Investigative Mechanisms: Central Vigilance Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigative Agency, Lokpal, and Lokayukt are all measures to establish a comprehensive machinery against any type of breach of integrity.

• Right to Public Service Delivery: A number of states have enacted the Public Services Guarantee Act, which guarantees the “right to public services” that are to be provided within the stipulated time frame. At the central level, the Citizens Charter Bill was introduced in 2011.

• Integrity pacts: It is a tool developed by Transparency International. It was used in the AgustaWestland deal.

• Integrity survey: These are done to monitor the integrity and probity of officers. The government also issues integrity recognition certificates.

Ways to improve the integrity

The above measures have fostered an environment of integrity to some extent. However, some issues like corruption, and undue influence by the civil servants are affecting public service. Thus some more steps need to be taken in India to increase integrity in the public services. These are:

• Enough salaries, facilities and security, to prevent civil servants from undue rewards and punishments.
• Strengthen Legal Framework: A robust legal framework is necessary to prevent corruption and malfeasance in civil services. Legal measures, for instance, empower CBI by making it a statutory body.
• Strengthen enforcement machinery: Enforcement agencies such as ED, CBI, NIA, CIC, Lokpal, etc., should be strengthened by providing more funding, discretion, independence, dedicated staff, other infrastructure and suitable powers.
• Code of Ethics: A code of ethics is a set of ethical values and principles that can guide public officials in handling ethical dilemmas and situations of crisis of conscience. Such a code should be expeditiously enacted for civil servants.
• Training and Education: Public officials should receive training on ensuring integrity in behaviour and being aware of the consequences of unethical behaviour. Relevant modules should be introduced in the Karamyogi iGot platform.
• Whistleblower Protection: Whistleblower protection is necessary to encourage public officials as well as citizens to report unethical behaviour without fear of retaliation. The legal framework should protect whistleblowers.
• A National Commission on Integrity and Transparency in Governance should be established, with the role of doing research, providing training on integrity to all civil servants, and taking steps to promote ethical values among public servants. 

Conclusion

The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) also requires that the States promote training programs to enable public officials to meet the requirements for proper performance of public functions and enhance their awareness of the risks of corruption inherent in the performance of their functions”. Integrity is indeed the most essential attribute of a democratic state. Therefore, Integrity in public affairs is critical and should be insisted on in every branch of public activity.