Lokpal: Babus will have to file property returns twice for this year

New Delhi, Feb 18: All central government officials will have to file details of their assets and liabilities twice this year in the wake of implementation of the Lokpal Act.

The first return under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act as on August 1, 2014 should be filed on or before April 30 this year, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

The next annual return under the Act for the year ending March 31, 2015, should be filed on or before July 31, this year, it said. The declarations under the Lokpal Act are in addition to the Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) filed by them under existing services rules.

The DoPT has also sought a compliance report from all departments in respect of IPRs filed by the em[ployees. The annual IPR, as on December 31, 2014, under the existing Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 is required to be filed on or before January 31, 2015.

The secretaries of all ministries or departments have also been requested that all concerned may be suitably advised to file the IPRs and the return under the Lokpal Act. "A compliance report in respect of the IPRs filed by Group 'A' officers of the Central Civil Services (CCS), as on January 31, 2015, has also been requested by April 30, 2015.

"It has also been requested that similar action may be taken by the authorities controlling services not covered by the CCS (Conduct) Rules," the order said.

It has been directed that all preparatory steps for the purpose of filing returns under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, be put in place, the DoPT said.

An online system for filling the annual declarations of assets and liabilities by the public servants, as in PRISM (Property Related Information System) for IAS officers developed by NIC, may be adopted, it said.

The DoPT had in September notified the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Amendment Rules, 2014, extending the date for the filing of returns to December 31.

As per the rules, every public servant shall file the returns of his assets and liabilities, including that of his spouse and dependent family members, on March 31 every year on or before July 31 of that year.

For the current year, the last date for filing these returns was September 15, which was later extended to December-end and now till April 30, 2015. All Group A, B, and C employees are supposed to file a declaration under the new rules.

PTI