Parliamentary Panel Recommends Withholding Promotions for IAS Officers Failing to Submit Property Returns

A Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended stricter penalties, including withholding promotions, for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers who fail to submit their Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) on time. 

The panel’s report, presented to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), highlighted the persistent issue of non-compliance among officers, which has also led to vigilance clearance being denied in several cases.

According to the report, 91 IAS officers did not file their IPRs in 2024, while 73 failed to do so in 2023. Due to non-filing, vigilance clearance—an essential requirement for key postings—was denied to 15 officers in 2023, 12 in 2022, and 14 in 2021.

Stricter Compliance Measures Proposed

To tackle the issue, the committee has suggested the creation of a centralised compliance monitoring mechanismwithin the DoPT, supported by a dedicated task force to track the filing status of all IAS officers. It also recommended automatic escalation procedures after repeated reminders to non-compliant officers and proposed withholding promotions or taking other disciplinary actions against defaulters.

Concern Over IAS Officer Shortage

The panel also raised concerns over the shortfall of 1,316 IAS officers, describing it as a serious challenge to governance and administrative efficiency. Against an authorised cadre strength of 6,858 IAS officers, only 5,542 officers are currently in service. This includes 3,987 direct recruits (against a sanctioned 4,781) and 1,555 promotees (against a sanctioned 2,077).

To address the shortfall, the committee suggested an online tracking and submission platform to help state governments efficiently determine vacancies in the promotion quota. Additionally, it recommended penalizing states that routinely fail to fill promotion quota vacancies within the stipulated deadlines, including withholding their promotion considerations.

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