140 IAS officers yet to file immovable property returns
Lucknow: While the Aditya Nath Yogi government has asked IAS officers to disclose their movable assets as well by April 6, a large number of them have not even filed the annual immovable property returns till date. The exercise should have been completed in January this year. Most of the defaulters are those promoted from the provincial civil service (PCS).
Chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar has asked all defaulters to immediately declare/update details regarding the immovable property purchased or disposed of by them and their family members between January 2016 and January 2017. He has also sought an explanation for the delay. The state government’s department of appointment and training has even displayed a long list of all the 140 defaulting IAS officers who have not filed the immovable property returns for the year 2016.
The IAS officers are supposed to disclose their immovable property every year in January on a given pro forma on the official website of the department of personnel and training of the central government.
“But I am directed to say that despite the expiry of specified period, you have not made available the annual movable property details either online or in a hard copy to the Government of India or the state government. You, are therefore, asked to immediately file the annual immovable property returns for the year 2016 by April 6, 2017 at any cost citing the reasons for the delay,” the chief secretary has said in a letter to the IAS officers concerned.
The chief secretary, in his letter issued on Saturday, has quoted Section 16 (2) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 to bring the point home.
“Every member of the service shall submit an annual return in such a format as may be prescribed by the government in this regard, giving full particulars regarding the immovable property inherited by him or owned or acquired by him or held by him on lease or mortage either in his own name or in name of any member of his family or in the name of any other person,” the said section says.
Of the 140 defaulters, majority are the promotee IAS officers coming from junior batches.
For example, 28 officers each belong to the 2002 and 2008 batches. One each are from 1980, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1997,2007, 2013 batches.
Similarly, two defaulters each belong to the 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1999,and 2001 batches. Three officers each are from the 1985, 2011 and 2015 civil services batches. Four each come from the 2012 and 2014 batches and five each from the 2003 and 2005 batches. Six officers belong to the 2006 batch and nine each to the 2004, 2008 and 2009 batches.