WHAT THE CODE SAYS

A person immediately after becoming a minister, and in any case within two months from the date of assumption of office, shall disclose to the Prime Minister or the chief minister details of his and his family’s assets and liabilities and business interests. These need to include shares and debentures, cash holdings and jewellery; sever all connections, short of divesting himself of the ownership with the management of any business in which he was interested before his appointment; and divest himself of all his interests with regard to a business which supplies goods or services to that government or its undertakings or whose business primarily depends on licenses, permits, quotas, etc, received or to be received from it. After taking the office and so long as he remains in the office, the minister has to furnish annually by August 31 to the PM or the CM, as the case may be, a declaration regarding his assets and liabilities for the previous financial year; refrain from buying from or selling to the government any immovable property except where such property is compulsorily acquired by the government in usual course; refrain from starting or joining any business; ensure that the members of his family do not start or participate in business concerns engaged in supplying goods or services to that government (excepting in the usual course of trade or business and at standard or market rates) or dependent primarily on grant of licenses, permits, quotas, leases, etc., from that government and report the matter to the PM or the CM as the case may be if any member of his family sets up or joins in the conduct and management of any other business. No minister should personally or through a member of his family accept contribution for any purpose, whether political, charitable or otherwise. If any purse or cheque intended for a registered society or a charitable body or an institution recognised by a public authority or a political party is presented to him, he should pass it on as soon as possible to the organisation for which it is intended. A minister, including the Union ministers, CMs and other ministers of state governments/union territories, should not permit their spouse and dependents to accept employment under a foreign government, in India or abroad, or in a foreign organisation (including commercial concerns) without prior approval of the PM. Where the wife or a dependent of a minister is already in such employment, the matter should be reported to the PM for decision whether the employment should or should not continue. As a general rule, there should be total prohibition on employment with a foreign mission. But how many state governments and ministers comply with these provisions is anybody’s guess.