The Central government has issued stringent directives to all Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across the country, mandating the timely submission of their annual Immovable Property Return (IPR). Failure to comply will result in halted promotions and potential disciplinary proceedings, as outlined in a recent official communication.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) released an office memorandum on December 23, addressed to secretaries of central departments and chief secretaries of states. It explicitly states that all IAS officers must submit their IPR for the previous calendar year by January 31 annually. For the 2025 calendar year, the deadline is set for January 31, 2026.
The online submission module on the SPARROW portal will automatically close after this date, leaving no room for extensions. Online filing has been mandatory for IAS officers since January 2017, requiring detailed disclosures of immovable properties held in their own name, family members’, or any third party’s name.
This move is aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability within the administrative services. In the past, many officers delayed or neglected these submissions, but the government is now enforcing stricter compliance. A notification dated December 30, 2021, amended the IAS (Pay) Rules, 2016, specifying that non-submission of IPR on time would disqualify officers from consideration for promotion to the next pay matrix level.
The DoPT memo highlights that over recent years, officers have increasingly adopted electronic submissions or uploaded scanned manual forms, which has been encouraging. However, the emphasis now is on zero tolerance for delays to curb corruption and foster a cleaner administration.
Secretaries of central ministries and state chief secretaries have been instructed to ensure that all IAS officers under their jurisdiction adhere to these rules and take necessary steps for enforcement. Experts believe this directive could significantly impact the careers of thousands of IAS officers nationwide, promoting greater fiscal discipline and ethical standards in public service.
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