According to report published in the Telegraph E L S N Bala Prasad, Sudhir Kumar Rakesh, Anshuli Arya and J R K Rao have written letters to the government stating that bringing asset details of employees in the public domain might cause security threat to them.

The government is putting the assets on its website. Prasad is the director-general of Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development, Rakesh holds the post of chief electoral officer of the state. Rao is posted as commissioner of Kosi division and Arya is the managing director of Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority.

The daily quoting sources said that these four officers have chosen to write letters, but some officers belonging to the All India Services and serving in Bihar claimed in private that the move was against the norm of the code which is to be followed by All India Service officers as far as declaring the assets is concerned. “According to the code, we used to declare the details of immovable assets only, but now the state government is forcing us to declare the details of movable property.

I fail to understand the logic behind this move,” an IAS officer was quoted in the daily. As reported in the past officials and employees are extremely critical of this latest state government move. What will the government achieve by uploading these facts on the website? After all it is free to take action against the corrupt officials? Why no action has been taken against Senthil Kumar, Direcot Census, even a year after his premises were raided? they ask.

However, it is for the first time that the name of four officers, who have written letters, figured so prominently.

Comment

comments...

Making public the movable and immovable assets of public servants has long been overdue. The Nitish administration deserves credit for reintroducing it. If the three senior officers have raised security issues, they are also entitled to do that. The Bihar government will be well advised to address them. However, the long term problem seems to be that the rules always stay on the rule-book, but they aren't implemented. Often times this particular provision has the danger of being played with according to whims: One government may enforce it, others may sleep over it and yet another may use it selectively to persecute a public servant. If the information about the properties of public servants is in public domain, people will be more empowered to bring forward a case against someone who might have acquired assets "disproportionate to his/her known sources of income." The scope of public vigilance will grow wider.

Again, unfortunately, Bihar has seen this provision being politicized, used in a partisan way and eventually leading nowhere. The three officers mentioned in the report have cited a case which is still unresolved. Recently, the opposition party in Bihar, the RJD, also taunted the government asking how many homes of corrupt officials were 'converted' into schools! A reminder to the government's promise.

Years ago the citizens of Bihar were informed about the 'Disproportionate Assets' case against the former Chief Ministers -- the couple. Instead of going impartially into the case, to find out the truth, the case became a cat and mice game, the issue was stonewalled and the final outcome of the case was not known. Or, it might be pending.

The structure of the Bihari society is such that any time a public official acquires unearned asset, he or she can't hide it for a long time. He or she shows it off, it becomes known to the relatives, or the villagers or the neighbors. And they talk about it!

During one of my visits to Bihar in 2009, a relative of a highly placed official was jealously gossiping to me how the said official got his coveted posting and how he and his family afforded to ride an expensive vehicle. If a politician or a public servant, therefore, is caught with assets he or she hasn't earned, there will be many others privy to that. In the infamous fodder scam, there were multiple babus behind every politician caught. To take a recent example, two senior bureaucrats were taken into custody along with the DMK's minister in the UPA government.

By taking the corruption bull by its horn, Nitish seems to have redeemed the pledge of the JP movement. By putting this issue on the front-burner, the Nitish administration has not only exhibited its seriousness, it has set itself up for public scrutiny as well. Bihar may witness an era of cleaner politics. It was long overdue.

Dr. Binoy Shanker Prasad
Dundas, Ontario
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It should be done!!

Yes.This is necesory to declare all the assests of the every officers. Because it shows that how many officers are involved in corruption and they have collected money on what basis.
If they have not done any wrong activity or have not involved in any corruption then why the need to worry about this…..
It should happen for every gov. employee. Lots of funds released by government but where it goes nobody knows. I think this is the right step by government to make transparency between public

Rabikant

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To me it seems to be not necessary to make the assets of senior officers in public. It may hurt their dignities. Assets of those found guilty can be made in public as such officers lost their dignities. Public is nothing to do with the asset declaration. They want to see the results. As long as the government has details it is enough for the public. Aam Khane Se Matlab, Aam Ki Guthli Se Kiya Lena Dena. Public needs mangoes not to count its seeds.

Gheyas Hashmi
Jeddah

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I think all the candidate running for elections declare all their movable and immovable properties.We have not heard so far that as a result of that they became the target of anti social elements.

Our IAS officers are many times more powerful then these candidates and anti social elements normally don't make them as their target.

It would be interesting to read the logic they may have to justify linking of declaration of total networth and being the victim of anti social elements.

Do they fear being kidnapped or their family being kidnapped for ransom?Apart from that there is no other way of making use of that information.

When this is put to public domain then it will be easier to prosecute them in the court of law in case vigilance catches them.Also public will be able to give feedback on what is being hidden.

This makes sytem more transparent.Nitish ji,you have full support of Bihari public.

Deepak Kumar