Parl panel asks for mechanism to check veracity of asset of civil servants

Noting that a large number of IAS officers have not filed annual immovable property returns, a Parliamentary committee has asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to form a panel to to look into it and also put in place a mechanism to check the veracity of asset details filed by bureaucrats.

As many as 1,393 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers did not file their asset details in the 2011 to 2022 period, according to a recent report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.

"Keeping the wider ramifications of corruption in public administration in mind, the Committee recommends the central government to constitute a committee to examine the issue of non-submission of annual immovable property returns by public servants in detail," said the report tabled in Parliament recently.

The Committee said that DoPT should put a mechanism in place to check the veracity of the property return statement filed by public servants.

It said India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which mandates the state parties to establish and promote effective practices aimed at prevention of corruption.

The Committee said DoPT is the nodal department for anti-corruption, including matters concerning UNCAC.

The panel also took up the matter of posting of an All India Service (AIS)-Indian Foreign Service (IFS) couple at the same station and suggested framing of appropriate guidelines.

It appreciated the Department of Personnel and Training for formulating guidelines for posting husband and wife, who are in government service, at the same station.

"However, the Committee feels there is a lacuna in the policy which needs to be addressed. It is observed that DoPT's guidelines do not provide any relief to spouses where one of the spouses belongs to an All India Service and the other spouse belongs to the Indian Foreign Service," said the report tabled in Parliament recently.

The three All India Services are IAS, Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service.

"The IFS does not have positions earmarked in the state governments except for postings in Regional Passport Offices and branch secretariats. Moreover, these positions are restricted to certain pay levels. Secondly, the AIS officer can opt for deputation but the rules require him/her to go back to the cadre for cooling off' period or in case of other exigencies," the report said.

Accordingly, the Committee recommended that appropriate guidelines be framed for AIS-IFS couples also.

"The Department may further consider allocating the AIS officer to Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre and post him/her in Delhi or alternatively allocate him/her to the states contiguous to Delhi where the IFS officer remains posted for long periods to the extent possible so that the couple can remain posted at the same station," it said.