As per PTI, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department in Odisha has issued an ultimatum to its employees, stating that if they do not submit information about their property by January 31, their salaries will be withheld starting this February.
This directive comes after a similar announcement made by the state’s General Administration and Public Grievances department.
The submission of the property statement document is a mandatory requirement for all government officials in the state as per the Odisha Government Service Conduct (Amendment) Rules, 2021. The department has informed this through a recent order.
As mentioned by Odisha TV, the department of GA & PG sent out a letter (number 2436, dated December 31, 2022) instructing all staff members to submit their annual property statements (as of January) for the year 2022 through the online HRMS portal by January 31, 2023.
“It is especially important to submit these statements, as it is a requirement for being considered for promotion to the next grade,” said the head of the department.
The directive also states that officers responsible for office administration will provide a list of officials who have failed to comply within the deadline, to the relevant department heads for further action.
It is important to note that this rule applies to All India Service officers, such as IAS, IPS and IFS.