Central government employees do not need to declare their assets and liabilities this year as the government is finalising a fresh set of rules under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Amendment) Act, 2016.
A December 31 deadline was set for nearly 50 lakh central government employees to file their assets and liabilities.
Without specifying any date, an office memorandum has said rules will be notified in due course to prescribe the form, manner and timelines for filing declaration of assets and liabilities under the revised provision of the Lokpal Act.
In July this year, the central government employees were asked to declare their assets and liabilities by December 31 under section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act.
Besides this, the public servants were also directed to declare their annual return of assets and liabilities as on March 31, 2015 on or before December 31 this year.
This was the sixth extension given to employees for filing details, two days before the earlier extension of July 31 came to an end.
For 2014, the last date for filing returns was September 15 of that year. It was first extended till December 2014, then till April 30, 2015 and third extension was up to October 15. The date was then extended to April 15 and then July 31, this year for filing of the returns.
Now, in the office memorandum, the Centre has clearly stated that there is no requirement for filing declaration of assets and liabilities by public servants as of now.
"... there is no requirement for filing declaration of assets and liabilities by public servants now. The Government is in the process of finalising a fresh set of rules," the office memorandum added.
"In this regard it is stated that with the passing of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Amendment) Act, 2016, the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Plan of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 and all the amendments made thereto become redundant," the Centre said.
Under Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, an employee has to give details of deposits in foreign bank accounts, movable assets, insurance, bonds, shares and mutual funds, among others, in the declaration.
They also have to declare expensive furniture, fixtures, antiques, paintings and electronic equipment if the total current value of any particular asset in any particular category (e.g. furniture, fixtures, electronic equipments) exceeds two months' basic pay or Rs one lakh.
The declarations under the Act are in addition to similar ones filed by the employees under various services rules.
