IAS
and IPS officers will now need to take prior permission from the Union government before accepting
gifts, including free transportation, boarding and lodging, worth more than Rs
5,000.
According
to the recently amended all-India services rules, they also need to inform the
government if they accept gifts of over Rs 25,000 from their relatives or
friends. No member of the service shall accept any gift without the
sanction of the government if the value of the same exceeds Rs 5,000, the new
rules say.
They
may accept gifts from near relatives or personal friends with whom they have no
official dealings on occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, funerals and
religious functions when the making of gifts is in conformity with the
prevailing religious and social practice but they have to make a report to the
government if the value of such a gift exceeds Rs 25,000, the rules
state. Free transportation, free boarding and lodging and any other service
or pecuniary advantage when provided by a person other than a near relative or
personal friend having no official dealing with the member of the service will
be construed as a gift, as per the definition in the existing rules.
However,
the rules state that gifts does not include casual meals, casual lift or other
social hospitality. Officers shall avoid accepting lavish hospitality or
frequent hospitality from persons having official dealings with them or from
commercial firms or other organisations, the rules say.
The
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has notified the All-India Services
(Conduct) Amendment Rules, 2015. Earlier, IAS, IPS and IFoS officers were
needed to take prior government sanction before accepting gifts if their value
exceeded Rs 1,000, he said.
"(Also),
they were to inform government after receiving gifts from near relatives,
friends, or on occasions such as wedding, anniversaries, funerals and religious
functions if their value exceeded Rs 5,000," the official added.
Indian
Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest
Service (IFoS) are the three all-India services.
"The
rules have been amended and the ministries concerned have been told to bring
them to the notice of all IAS, IPS and IFoS officers," a DoPT official
said. The monetary limits have been revised through the new rules.
There
are about 4,802 IAS, 3,798 IPS and 2,668 IFoS officers serving in the
country.
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