PM reminds ministers to declare their assets
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sent a second reminder to his ministerial colleagues to disclose their assets and liabilities in time.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sent a second reminder to his ministerial colleagues to disclose their assets and liabilities in time.
A letter from cabinet secretary Ajit Seth was sent to all Central ministers this month after the then cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar wrote to the ministers on the same issue on June 2.
As per the code of conduct, ministers are required to inform details of his or her assets and liabilities including that of the family members' by August 31. “The PM clearly doesn't want his colleagues to default in this measure at a time when the government is tackling the civil society upsurge,” a senior minister said.
After receiving the information through the cabinet secretariat, it would be uploaded in the website of the Prime Minister’s Office for everyone to see. Last year too, all ministers had submitted their assets and liabilities statements.
In his one-page letter, Seth referred to Chandrasekhar’s earlier letter to the ministers that was sent at the behest of the prime minister. He also requested the ministers to ensure the details are submitted in time.
On Thursday, during his intervention in the Lok Sabha on the Anna Hazare issue, Singh touched upon the issue of his personal wealth and income when he threw an unusual challenge to BJP's Sushma Swaraj: “I invite the leader of the Opposition to look at my property, which I may have accumulated in the last 41 years.”
According to the terms of the code of conduct, a minister is required to submit “details of the assets and liabilities, business interests (self and family members), particulars of all immovable property, value of shares and debentures, cash holdings and jewellery.”