J&K government tells employees to declare moveable assets that cost over two months’ basic salary

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed all of its employees to submit an annual online declaration of moveable assets that cost more than their basic salary for two months.

The order applies to assets owned by the employees themselves or their family members.

The employees need to submit the declaration using a portal – https://prs.jk.gov.in – between January 1 and 31 each year. They have to begin submitting the online declarations from this month, according to The Indian Express.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has introduced this provision through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Servants Declaration of Assets and Other Provisions Rules, 1998. As per the rule, the government employees need to provide a declaration about their “cash balance, saving bank deposits, shares, cash certificates, fixed deposits, debentures, security bond”.

They also have to declare jewellery and electric and electronic household items that cost more than their basic salary for two months.

The government has introduced the online declaration so that employees submit the information regularly and on time, The Indian Express cited a senior official as saying.

“Earlier, they used to submit their declaration forms to their respective heads of departments against proper receipts,” the official said. “The new system will save the trouble of issuing a receipt to each and every employee. Also, officers at even senior levels had to be repeatedly reminded to file their annual statements earlier.”

The official added that the provision is aimed at keeping a watch on whether employees accumulate wealth disproportionate to their income.

Before the amendment, government employees had to declare their movable assets if their value was more than Rs 20,000 in each case, according to The New Indian Express.

In June, the Jammu and Kashmir government made it compulsory for new recruits to state whether their family members are associated with any political party, and whether they have links with any foreign organisations or banned organisations.