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FILING ASSETS AND LIABILITIES BY PUBLIC SERVANTS

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

03-December-2014 13:44 IST

Filing Assets and Liabilities

Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 mandates that every public servant (as defined in the Act, which includes Ministers, Members of Parliament, Government employees, employees of statutory bodies, PSUs, etc.) shall make a declaration of his assets and liabilities as well of his spouse and dependent children in the manner as provided by or under the said Act. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clause (k) and clause (l) of sub-section (2) of section 59 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (1 of 2014), read with section 44 and section 45 of the said Act, the Central Government has notified the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 in the official Gazette on 14th July, 2014, which, inter alia, contain the forms in which such information/return is required to be filed.

Subsequently, concerns and apprehensions were raised by several Ministries/Departments and other stakeholders, inter alia, about the complexity involved in furnishing the desired details in the forms prescribed under the Rules. Accordingly, the Government of India vide its order dated 28-08-2014, constituted a Committee to simplify the forms and the process in which public servants shall make declaration of assets and liabilities. The said Committee has submitted its First Report on 01-10-2014, recommending simplified formats for declaration of moveable property and for declaration of debts and other liabilities by public servants.

The Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 have also been amended by a notification dated 8th September, 2014, by which the time limit, for furnishing of such information/return by public servants, has been extended till 31st December, 2014.

This was stated by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to Shri Sudheer Gupta & others in the Lok Sabha today.

OBCS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

OBCs in Government Services

As per information received from various Ministries/ Departments till date, the representation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), as on 01.01.2013, in 69 Central Government Ministries/Departments was 5,23,721 which is 17.74% of 29,52,080 employees.

The reasons for lower representation of Other Backward Classes in services are identified as under-:

(i) Reservation for Other Backward Classes started only from the year 1993.

(ii) Other Backward Classes candidates who were appointed up to 1993, that is before introduction of reservation for the Other Backward Classes, are not included for counting the representation.

(iii) There is generally a time gap between occurrence of vacancies and filling thereof as recruitment is a time consuming process.

(iv) Some reserved posts for Other Backward Classes remain vacant due to non-availability of suitable candidates of reserved category.

(v) Some of the selected Other Backward Classes candidates do not join the service or leave the service after joining because they get better opportunities elsewhere.

Reservation in Central Government jobs for Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes employees is provided at the rate of 27%, 15% and 7.5%, respectively. As per information received till date from 69 Ministries/ Departments, the representation of Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as on 01.01.2013, was 17.74%, 17.57% and 7.73%, respectively.

Instructions have been issued  in June, 2013 to all concerned to make concerted efforts to fill up the backlog reserved vacancies. A committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to analyse the reasons for less employability of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes in Government sector and to suggest remedial measures. Keeping in view the recommendations of the Committee, various time bound measures have been identified and intimated to concerned Ministries/Departments to fill up such backlog vacancies.

This was stated by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to Kumari Shobha Karandlaje in the Lok Sabha today.