Disclose details of assets, PM tells Ministers
New Delhi:3.Feb 2010
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is believed to have asked his Cabinet colleagues to disclose details of their assets and liabilities and refrain from dealing with the government on immovable property.
In a code of conduct for Ministers of both Centre and the State governments, it has been emphasised that details of the assets should include particulars of all immovable property and the value of shares and debentures, cash holdings and jewellery.
The Ministers have also been advised to sever all connections, short of divesting themselves of the ownership, with the conduct and management of any business in which they were interested before their appointment.
Although the code has no legal backing, still it is expected of all Ministers to scrupulously adhere to the code.
The authority for ensuring the observance of the code is the Prime Minister in the case of Union Ministers and the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in the case of Chief Ministers. State Ministers should report to the Chief Ministers.
The code asked the Ministers to divest themselves of all their interests in business concerns and their management which supplies goods or services to the government or to government undertakings.
This also applies to interests in businesses primarily depending on licenses, permits, quotas and leases received or to be received from the government, it said.
In such cases, the Minister may transfer his interests in the management or both ownership and management to any adult member of their family or adult relative other than the wife/husband.
The code asked the Ministers to furnish annually by August 31, to the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister as the case may be, a declaration regarding their assets and liabilities for the previous financial year.
The Ministers should refrain from starting or joining any business. Besides, no Minister should personally or through a member of his family accept contribution for any purpose, whether political, charitable or otherwise.
No Minister should associate himself with the raising of funds except for the benefit of a registered society or a charitable body or an institution recognised by a public authority and a political party.
A Minister should not accept valuable gifts except from close relatives, and members of the family should not accept any gifts at all from any person with whom the Minister may have official dealings.
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