Why should there be any inhibitions , any reluctance or dodging tactics adopted by some Government employees in not submitting property returns annually by the stipulated date ? Technically ,this return is called – return of Assets and Liabilities. It is not only pertinent to know as to the particulars of the property, both movable and immovable, one possessed but whether one had outstanding liabilities also to pay for . Raising loans , incurring debts , borrowing heavily etc equally are needed to be known for precise reasons as the same has direct bearing on the repayment capacity , integrity and honesty of an employee. Beyond a percentage of one’s income – salary etc , one cannot raise loans as in the process of repayment of heavy debts, one could falter and pose a danger to the institution by way of indulging in irregular practices and unlawful pecuniary gains. However, it is not that large number of employees have not been submitting these essential returns but still , many employees reportedly are evading and avoiding submission thereof.
It , however, follows that any reluctance in not submitting the annual return , not only creates a valid ground for suspicion about there being something fishy which the concerned employee was trying to hide but constitutes gross misconduct under service rules. There is no legal bar in inheriting , acquiring and buying assets , movable and immovable, within the known sources of income which needs to be only mentioned in the property return along with ‘how acquired’ . It, therefore, denotes that each year particulars about the property or assets and liabilities are carried forward in the next return falling due with additions or whatever changes with cogent reasons mentioned and submitted the same without fail.
It is , however, to be noted that the said Law about Declaration of assets and other provisions is brazenly violated on account of non submission of these important returns. It is expected that the Government shall walk the talk on its firm stand on the issue which is inversely related to combating the menace of corrupt practices in Government departments. The question is as to why should such declaration not be made invariably every year without fail. It looks quite prosaic , if not astonishing ,that unless the top administration talks tough and even warns to act tough for non- compliance of instructions like the one under reference, things do not move. It is more so when mandatory returns and information concerning personnel issues irrespective of ranks and positions of employees in the Government service are not submitted in the ordinary course.
Had the Government imposed penalties on the defaulting employees including withholding salaries for non- compliance of standing instructions of the Government related to such statutory requirements , perhaps, the position would have been quite different. To make it known in plain words, the exercise is in vogue in all Central Government departments, offices, other Government run institutions and the like to monitor the trend of possessing and acquiring assets by an employee in relation to known sources of income and liabilities outstanding in relation to one’s ability to repay – all in relation to preventing corrupt practices in such institutions. One cannot hide the information legally, nor can it be understated or falsely stated as that would imperil the very service of such an employee.
How can Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) ordinarily identify officers and officials in respect of whether having acquired assets disproportionate to known sources of income in the absence of having the requisite information, is the moot question. Not that the Bureau cannot have it all ascertained through its own mechanism and sources but that would entail difficulties for the concerned defaulting employee who could straightaway be put under the list of suspicious employees and even proceeded against. Moreover , the ACB has undertaken to prepare a database of property statements of the employees to be subjected to detailed scrutiny as and when required. We feel that a workshop of a day or two should be conducted to ”acquaint” the employees about the nitty – gritty of the said return , its importance and the repercussions of non submission. Moreover, submission through on-line mode too should be extended to non IAS and KAS cadre employees for forwarding these mandatory returns to the concerned authorities.
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