Declared, But Not Disclosed: What Top Bureaucrats Leave Out Of Property Filings, Pg3

Key Highlights:

• Bureaucrats are mandated to declare their immovable assets annually, a practice in place since 2011 to promote accountability.
• A review of 102 top-ranking Secretary-level officials' declarations for March 31, 2026, revealed significant omissions.
• Out of 244 self-acquired properties declared, 115 lacked details of area or dimensions, and 115 did not include their current value.
• Ten officials among the 102 declared "nil" self-acquired properties in their latest filings.
• Section 44 of the Lokpal Act requires public servants to declare assets, but rules for its implementation, amended in 2016, are still pending.

Detailed Insights:

• The review specifically focused on self-acquired properties, excluding ancestral assets.
• 44 out of the 102 officials, or their spouses, own three or more self-acquired properties.
• One IAS officer of Secretary rank declared eight self-acquired properties, while another declared six.
• The officials scrutinized include Secretaries of various Central Government departments, including the Prime Minister's Office and NITI Aayog, as well as Chief Secretaries of states and Union Territories.
• Common reasons cited for missing property values included "not known," "value not determined," or "as per circle rate."
• The system of public disclosure for bureaucrats' assets was initiated in 2011 following RTI petitions and anti-corruption movements.
• The Cabinet Secretariat and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) did not respond to queries regarding verification mechanisms or actions taken on incomplete declarations.
• Unlike immovable assets, bureaucrats' movable assets above a certain value are reported to the government but are not made public.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Immovable Assets: Properties like land, buildings, and anything permanently attached to the earth.
• Lokpal Act: An Indian anti-corruption legislation establishing the institution of Lokpal and Lokayuktas to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.
• Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT): The central personnel agency of the Government of India, responsible for recruitment, training, and service conditions of civil servants.