Team News Riveting
New Delhi, September 21
The Government of India has amended over five decades old rule that would not facilitate the IAS, IPS and IFoS officers to retain gifts received from foreign dignitaries during official tour.
The existing rules ask the officials to deposit the gifts received from foreign dignitaries, from known or unknown sources, with the ‘toshakhana’—a repository of such articles in the Ministry of External Affairs.
The officers could accept gifts from their near relatives or from personal friends having no official dealings with them on occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, funerals and religious functions. The officer, however, should make a report to the government if the value of such gift exceeded Rs 25,000, according to the existing rules.
Gifts include free transport, free boarding, free lodging or any other service or pecuniary advantage when provided by a person other than a near relative or personal friend having no official dealings with the officer but does not include a casual meal, casual lift or other social hospitality.
“No member of the service shall accept any gift without the sanction of the government if the value of a gift exceeds Rs 5,000,” says the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, applicable to the officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
The Personnel Ministry had in March last year sought comments from state governments on the proposed rules.
The Personnel Ministry has now amended these rules and inserted a new sub-rule under Section 11 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.
“a member of the service, being a member of the Indian delegation or otherwise, may receive and retain gifts from foreign dignitaries in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Rules, 2012, as amended from time-to-time,” read the recently amended rule.
