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The centre has prescribed a provision in pay rules for three all India Services, namely Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS), to provide a timeline in rules for filing current and pending Immovable Property Returns (IPR) to get empanelment or appointment to next level.
Serving and retired bureaucrats say that filing IPR is one of the necessary conditions for empanelment; however, it was not in ‘formal rules’ creating a lot of miscommunication and litigations. Another official said that such a move would help the Centre rejig the bureaucracy especially, in poll-bound states.
New rules notification
According to a notification by the Department of Personnel and Training, a note has been added to Indian Administrative Service (Pay) Rules, 2016, Indian Police Service (Pay) Rules, 2016 and Indian Forest Service (Pay) Rules, 2016 and accordingly, new rules have been notified. The new note says IAS. IPS or IFS will file IPR for the previous year within the time frame specified for the purpose, i.e., January 31, for being considered for appointment in the next level of pay in the pay matrix.
Now the second part is very important which prescribes a member of service, who has not filed the IPR for any of the years before coming into force of the amendment rule of 2021, “shall file the same within such period, as may be laid down by the Central Government in this behalf, for being considered for appointment in the next level of pay in the pay matrix.” These changes are going to be implemented from December 30.
Reactions
A retired bureaucrat explained that an all-India service officer must file IPR in their cadre State if they are posted there. If they are on Central deputation, their filing to be done there. An officer must send a copy to Centre, in case of State files and to the State, if Centre files. However, the process will be completed only when the State concerned sends it to Centre or vice versa. A serving officer explained that such an act is noted in ACR and also during the time of empanelment appointment next level of pay in the pay matrix.
“There have been cases where IPR has not been filed but without any intention. Also, there have been cases where process not completed because of one reason or other reason. Now, empanelment will be denied due to this,” retired official said while explaining that new amendment will facilitate filing of pending as well as current IPR.
“Some of key secretary-level, such as one in the Department of Financial Services is going vacant. Now, if the Centre wants to bring one particular official from State for this, but her/his empanelment has not been there on account of non-filing or non-completion of the IPR process, amendment will help complete the process,” he said.
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