Make all arrangements on assets filing by January: PM Modi tells government secretaries

New Delhi: In order to ensure timely compliance of April-end deadline for filing of assets details by babus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the authorities concerned to take preparatory steps in this regard by January.

The Department of Personnel and Training has written to all chief secretaries of states and secretaries of central government ministries and departments informing them about the Prime Minister's directive.

As per the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Second Amendment Rules, 2014, a public servant shall file the returns of his assets and liabilities, including that of his spouse and dependent family members.

As per the rules, all Group A, B and C employees need to declare such details as on March 31 every year on or before July 31 of that year.

For the current year, the last date for filing these returns was September 15, which was later extended to December-end and now till April next year, for the current fiscal by April 30, 2015.

"The Prime Minister has further directed that all preparatory steps be put in place for this purpose by January 31, 2015," reads the DoPT letter sent to the state governments on Monday.

In a communique to all central government secretaries, it has sought compliance of the rules by all officers and staff in ministries, and in departments or PSUs under their administrative control. The DoPT has notified a new form for the employees to declare details of their assets and liabilities, along with that of their spouse and dependent children, which is mandatory under the Lokpal Act.

The declarations under the Lokpal Act are in addition to similar ones filed by the employees under various services rules.

There are about 26,29,913 employees in Group A, B and C, as per the government's latest data.