Lokpal: Employees to give assets details

New Delhi: All central government employees have to file the details of their assets and liabilities, as mandated under the Lokpal Act, for two years by October 15 this year.
“The annual returns of assets and liabilities under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, for the years 2014 and 2015 (which were to be filed by April, 30 2015 and July 31, 2015, respectively) may be filed on or before October 15,” said a letter by the Department of Personnel and Training to secretaries of all central government ministries.
A similar letter has been sent to chief secretaries of all states to ensure that all IAS, IPS and IFS working under them file the property details by October 15. As per rules, notified under the Lokpal Act, every public servant shall file declaration, information and annual returns pertaining to his assets and liabilities as on March 31 every year or on or before July 31 of that year.
For 2014, the last date for filing returns was September 15, which was later extended to December-end, then till April 30, and now up to this October 15.
Employees also have to file the details of their assets for 2015 by the extended date. The declarations under the Lokpal Act are in addition to similar ones filed by the employees under various services rules.
All Group A, B and C employees are supposed to file a declaration under the new rules.
Employees need to give details like cash in hand, bank deposits, investment in bonds, debentures, shares and units in companies or mutual funds, insurance policies, provident fund, personal loans and advance given to any person or entity, among others.
The DoPT has already clarified that the failure to declare assets by government employees while filing property returns under the Lokpal rules will be presumed to have been acquired by corrupt means. (PTI)