Nearly 349 IAS officers have not submitted their Annual Immovable Property Returns (IPR) for the year 2020 in the stipulated time limit while 338 IAS officers had not filed Immovable Property Returns for 2019. There are 5,166 IAS officers working across the country as against their sanctioned strength of 6,746. According to a Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice said in its 106th report on Demands for Grants (2021-22) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Indian administration has become heavily dependent upon a particular administrative service and it is time to give equal opportunity to officers belonging to other services having expertise in that specific domain.
The committee said it is of the view that while making appointments to higher echelons of the administration, priority should be given to integrity, calibre, aptitude and interest of the officer among other things rather than the service to which he belongs.
"The generalist versus specialist controversy is one of the major challenges facing the Indian civil service today. Today, India needs no generalists or specialists but specialised generalists, i.E. A generalist with knowledge, work experience in a particular domain. This calls for administrative review and restructuring along functional lines," it said.
Just because somebody is an IAS officer, he is running fertiliser and chemical factories to airlines, Modi had said in a reference to public sector units being headed by bureaucrats, and asked what this will achieve.
The committee noted with concern that 349 IAS officers have not submitted their Annual Immovable Property Returns (IPR) for the year 2020 in the stipulated time limit. "During the examination of Demands for Grants (2020-21), the committee was informed that 338 IAS officers had not filed Immovable Property Returns for 2019. This makes a case for institution of stringent measures other than denial of vigilance clearance against erring officers," it said.
"The committee also recommends the DoPT to furnish a status note detailing the stringent measures that can be taken against IAS Officers who fail to file IPRs within the stipulated time limit," it said.
An IAS officer is required to submit an annual return with the government giving full particulars regarding the immovable property inherited by him or owned or acquired by him or held by him on lease or mortgage, either in his own name or in the name of any member of his family or in the name of any other person.