Good governance with good intentions is the hallmark of our government. Implementation with integrity is our core passion.~ Narendra Modi
Integrity in simple terms means doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Integrity is a fundamental moral characteristic that serves as the foundation for good character.
Acting with integrity means understanding, accepting, and choosing to live in accordance with one’s principles, which will include honesty, fairness, and decency. A person of integrity will continually show good character by avoiding corruption and hypocrisy.
When people conduct virtuously regardless of the circumstances or consequences, they demonstrate their integrity. This frequently necessitates personal integrity. Indeed, integrity serves as a vital link between ethics and moral conduct.
When a person has strong ethical and moral convictions that they follow even when they are not under public scrutiny, they are said to have integrity. A person with integrity acts honourably in all of life's circumstances. They will be dependable at work, and one can rely on them to do the correct thing in the given situation, whether they have to make an important professional decision or work in a team.
Importance
The first five-year plan rightly emphasised;
"Integrity in public affairs and administration is essential and there must, therefore, be an insistence on it in every branch by public activity. The influence of corruption is insidious. It undermines the structure of administration and the confidence of the public in the administration. There must, therefore, be a continuous war against every species of corruption within the administration."
Integrity indicates an individual's moral character; persons with high integrity have a higher sense of conscience, which drives them to do the right thing even if no one applauds; this also restrains them from engaging in unethical behaviour even when no one is watching and there is no threat of punishment. It is one of the desirable characteristics in people in general, but when it comes to civil servants, it is a must-have, must say.
Corruption, patronage (based on communalism, sectarianism, nepotism, and favouritism), and undue influence are all examples of deviation from conventional standards of integrity. Bribery, abuse of position or influence, black marketing profiteering, and other related acts are some only forms of corruption.
Civil servants are the cornerstone and the face of bureaucracy; they deal with the public and manage resources for the implementation of policies and the general public. A person of high integrity will not be persuaded by material gains and can be counted on to perform their duties with diligence.