Ethics is nothing else than reverence for life

One of the serious challenges facing mankind in organized social life is ethics-that is, the problem of choice between good and bad, do's and do not's etc. All the creations in this natural world follow certain fixed laws of nature. That is why we can exactly predict when the sun will rise tomorrow. But we cannot predict human behaviour in the same way. Nobody can confidently say that two individuals would behave in the same way tomorrow as they do today, because man has been endowed with the freedom to decide, which other creations do not possess. That is why philosophers and scholars have emphasized ethical development of human beings to ensure rational behaviour in society. In addition, Ethics, the legislation and upholding of good conduct by public officials is a sine qua non for sustenance of good governance and service delivery. The reputation and success of governance depends upon the conduct of public functionaries and what the public believe about their conduct. It is therefore of fundamental importance that public functionaries act justly and fairly to all, not only paying lip service to ethical conduct but also ensuring that these are manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done.

Thus, by this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the role of ethics in ensuring good governance & suggestions to promote ethics & moral values in governance. This paper also discusses the concepts of ethics, accountability, transparency, integrity and professionalism in the public service.