Hyderabad: Most government employees don't file annual property returns and don't maintain a personal accounts register that includes details of source of income and expenditure. This lands them in trouble when the Anti Corruption Bureau knocks on their door. Those government employees who receive remittances from abroad sent by sons and daughters who work there have to inform the government about the receivables, which they don't do.
According AP Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, every government employee other than a member of the AP Last Grade Service, and a record assistant in the AP General Sub-ordinate Service, must submit a statement of all their immovable and movable properties exceeding Rs 20,000. The properties could be acquired or inherited by him or her, or by family members before January 15 of each year.
A senior official of the Anti Corruption Bureau said that some government employees say they are not involved in any kind of corruption so they need not submit these reports. But all government employees must submit annual property returns and income tax returns. They should also maintain a personal accounts register that includes the receivables and expenditure so that they can explain when agencies ask them to account for the properties.
Usually, the ACB calculates the income and expenditure to come to a conclusion about disproportionate assets. “It is a good thing for even private persons to maintain a personal cash register on in- and out-flow of funds,” said an ACB official. The controlling officers or the chief vigilance officer or vigilance officers of concerned departments have to scrutinise the annual property returns submitted and call for clarifications.
According to rules, they must ensure submission of the returns by all concerned as such scrutiny will help to some extent to check corruption at the outset. All heads of departments are supposed to list employees who have not furnished their returns in time and proceed against the officials for violation of the rules.
