Day 20 – Q 2.Can a person without empathy become a good administrator? Examine.
2. Can a person without empathy become a good administrator? Examine.
क्या सहानुभूति के गुण के बिना एक व्यक्ति एक अच्छा प्रशासक बन सकता है? जांच करें।
Introduction
Empathy is a quality by which we can understand, recognize and respond to the feelings and emotions of others. As Alfred alder said, “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another”
Body
Importance of empathy as a quality in public administrators:
- Not everything is covered by the law, only if an officer could empathize with the public he/she could effectively implement the law. Eg: A law may require an administrator to demolish illegally constructed slums, he/ she must follow the rules but while doing so he/ she should be ethical enough to do so with empathy, giving the poor enough time to move out and suggesting them possible alternatives.
- Being empathetic helps in building courage: Empathizing with the people would naturally build in courage to stand against powerful criminal forces.
- Help in being innovative: Eg: Armstrong Pame, IAS, empathized with the people of Manipur and understood the hardships they are facing without proper roads, he came up with ideas to fund the same and is now hailed as the miracle man of Manipur.
- It helps in understanding the depth of the situation which in turn makes delivery fast. Eg. Aruna Sundrarajan created sustainable employment prospects for working class women.
- Administrator with empathy can come up with real practical solution to the weaker section. Eg . S .R. Sankaran was the person behind the obliteration of bonded labour, the making of special wage plan for SC/STs
But empathizing with the wrong side or beyond the limits of law can be detrimental:
- Could make the officer partial and not hear the story of other side.
- Could sometimes not effectively implement government policies which could be beneficial in the long run, though may have short term drawbacks.
- 3.Administrator without empathy may also lose patience in their response to action of people.
Eg – mob lynching recently in presence of UP police.
- Administrator without empathy can never deliver services as required.
Eg – During British time , there were many ICS officers but they could not deliver services to Indians because they were not empathetic to them.
Conclusion
This is proved by Gandhi’s Talisman that empathy is cardinal value for good administration. But it is also important that officers maintain a balance of this emotion and use it rightly at the right place and right time.
Best answer – Shravya Byri
