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A recent report by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has highlighted that a large number of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers did not file their asset details in the period from 2011 to 2022.
To address this issue and prevent corruption in public administration, the Committee has recommended the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to form a panel to investigate and check the veracity of asset details filed by bureaucrats.
As many as 1,393 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers did not file their asset details in the 2011 to 2022 period, according to a recent report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.
Mechanism to Check Veracity of Asset Details
The Parliamentary Committee has urged the DoPT to establish a mechanism to verify the accuracy of the property return statement filed by public servants. As India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), the state parties are mandated to establish and promote effective practices aimed at preventing corruption. The DoPT is the nodal department for anti-corruption, including matters concerning UNCAC.
Guidelines for Posting AIS-IFS Couples
The Committee has also addressed the issue of posting All India Service (AIS)-Indian Foreign Service (IFS) couples at the same station. While appreciating the DoPT for formulating guidelines for posting husband and wife, who are in government service, at the same station, the Committee observed that there is a gap in the policy that needs to be addressed.
The guidelines do not provide any relief to spouses where one of the spouses belongs to an All India Service and the other spouse belongs to the Indian Foreign Service.
The IFS does not have positions earmarked in the state governments except for postings in Regional Passport Offices and branch secretariats. Therefore, the Committee has recommended appropriate guidelines for AIS-IFS couples to be framed.
The Department may consider allocating the AIS officer to Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre and post him/her in Delhi or alternatively allocate him/her to the states contiguous to Delhi where the IFS officer remains posted for long periods to the extent possible so that the couple can remain posted at the same station.