Annual property returns binding on officers

According to the circular, for officials who do not file their immovable property returns, vigilance clearance will be held back, their promotion chances would be blocked and their stint in the central government won’t be a reality.

Bipin Bihari Mishra, former DGP and Sahadev Sahu, former Chief Secretary welcomed this idea, as Sahu said ‘annual property return’ is good and emphasized the word ‘annual.’

DoPT in its circular declared that the annual property return as on January 1, 2011 of members of the All India Service and other Group “A” Central Service officers will be published in the Government website and placed in the public domain.

Even the names of the defaulters or those who do not strictly comply the timely filing of the immovable property returns will be put on the website for public scrutiny. 

The Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh said, “The department’s decision to put the property returns on the website is good, because it`s the politicians and bureaucrats  who first need to abide by the rules.”

As per All India Service (Conduct) Rules 1968, all the members of the service are required to submit their Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) latest by 31st January every year. As this was grossly violated, the Central Government drastically decided to put the officers’ property details in public domain.

Agriculture Minister Dr Damodar Rout said, “It should not only be applied to Central Service Officers but officers in the state.”