APR submission on PRS portal | Govt issues ‘final’ notice for defaulting employees
Punitive action, denial of vigilance clearance after March 11
Jammu: J&K government Monday issued final notice for the defaulting employees and provided them with “last opportunity” for the submission of Annual Property Returns on the Property Return System (PRS) portal from February 28 to March 10, 2023.
Earlier specified deadline for submission of property returns through online mode (PRS portal) was from January 1, 2023 to January 31, 2023.
It also warned that thereafter, no more opportunity would be granted and punitive action would be initiated against the defaulters, besides denying them vigilance clearance.
PRS portal has been developed for online filing of Annual Property Returns by every government employee working under J&K government as mandated under the J&K Employees Conduct Rules and J&K Public Men and Public Servants Declaration of Assets and Other Liabilities Act, 1983 and rules made there under.
The portal facilitates access and monitoring of the property details of all the employees especially while processing vigilance clearance in their favour, besides, assisting the ACB in investigating the cases of disproportionate assets expeditiously.
The database of the PRS portal has been integrated with the E-Vigilance Clearance System, so that the employees who have not submitted their Property statement shall not be given mandatory vigilance clearance.
As per official sources, approximately 3.38 lakh employees had submitted their property returns on the PRS portal by January 31 (original deadline).
As per the instructions by the General Administration Department (GAD), the failure or non-submission of the property returns by the government employees invites a punitive action under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Men and Public Servants Declaration of Assets Act and Rules made thereunder.
Further, the defaulting employees will be guilty of committing criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act and will be punishable under the said Act. Moreover, non-submission of the property returns will result in denial of the vigilance clearance of defaulting employees.
Final notice has been issued after it has been observed that many employees have failed to submit their property returns within the stipulated timeline (i.e., till January 31, 2023) and have thus made a default in this mandatory process. It has also been observed that various employees have registered themselves on the portal but not submitted their property returns, thus they too have caused a default in submission of their details.
“The matter has been considered in the General Administration Department (GAD) and it has been decided that a last and final opportunity may be granted to these defaulting employees, who have failed to submit their property returns within the stipulated timeline. Thereafter, no more opportunity shall be granted and action as specified shall be initiated against the defaulters,” the GAD notified.
Earlier vide Circular No 52-JK(GAD) of 2022 dated December 22, 2022, followed by notification dated January 25, 2023, all the employees working under Jammu and Kashmir Government were advised to file their property returns for the year 2022 on the PRS portal, accessible on https://ors.ik.aov.in from January 1 to 31, 2023.
Issuing final notice to the defaulters, the GAD has specified that the submission of property returns by the defaulting employees will be allowed through online mode on the Property Return System (PRS portal) February 28 to March 10, 2023.
As per the standing instructions, all those employees who had registered themselves on the portal but not submitted their property returns would submit the same, besides, the unregistered employees would get themselves registered on the portal and subsequently submit their property returns, during the final stipulated period.
All the Controlling Officers or Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) have also been asked to ensure compliance with regard to filing of property returns by all the defaulting employees of their establishment while the administrative departments will assess the progress in this regard. Greater Kashmir
