The scam-ridden UPA II may brag to no end about passing the Lokpal Bill to “clean up the system” but behind all this show the government has quietly punctured it, at least for the time being.
According to the Lokpal Act, the 50 lakh-plus Central Government employees had to furnish information regarding their assets and liabilities by February 15 this year. But it never happened as the government issued an executive order on the very date giving an extension for 180 more days. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014, notified quietly on February 15, has given the officials an “extra-long rope” as against the Lokpal stipulations.
“The order issued by the DoPT has in a way scuttled the basic tenets of Lokpal Act. Since everyone concerned is a beneficiary, nobody has raised any alert about this,’’ said an official with the same ministry. According to him, the new order has relieved bureaucrats as it has given them “enough and more leg space” for manoeuvring with details of their assets.
According to the order, the government can also modify or amend the relevant rules under Section 44 of the Act. The Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, requires furnishing of information relating to assets and liabilities (a) by the public servant on the occasion of entering upon office within 30 days from the date of assumption of office, and (b) by a public servant holding his office as such within a period of 30 days from the date of coming into force of the Act.
It also requires the filing of annual return of such assets and liabilities with the competent authority, on or before July 31 every year; and the competent authority in respect of each ministry or department shall ensure such statements are published on the website of such ministry or department by August 31 that year.
Also, the government has asked for comments and suggestions from bureaucrats regarding the framing of the rules under which they will have to declare their assets.
The government, it is learnt, was in two minds over issuing this order as it feared it could backfire if the opposition raked up the issue. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was apparently against such a move but the government finally decided to go ahead as the “goodwill of officers is very important during election time”.
“No government would like to do anything that is unpleasant for the 50 lakh strong government employees, especially in an election year,’’ said the source.
It may be true as the government had tried to win over the Central government officials and their families by announcing the next pay commission just before the election code came into existence. The Centre had also mulled over increasing the retirement age of government employees. But one of the joint secretaries with the DoPT who was involved in the executive order says it wasn’t meant to appease anyone.
“The government has not relaxed norms for its employees. They will still have to furnish information regarding their assets and liabilities. We have only extended the deadline,’’ insisted the official. The official, however, refused to give an explanation on the reason for extending the deadline. “There are many compelling reasons which cannot be explained,” he said.
According to the executive order, the officials will have to furnish information regarding their assets and liabilities only by July. By then a new Government would be in place.
“The new government can further extend the deadline if it feels it will help it to win the goodwill of the employees. There will be no end to such appeasements which would further deflate the Lokpal Act,’’ said the source.