Under the Service Conduct Rules, it is mandatory for all government employees to furnish a statement containing details of movable and immovable assets at the time of joining, and an annual update is needed thereafter. In case of default, the government can take appropriate action. But the government has always turned a blind eye to this significant mandate.

In May 2013, when the ACB arrested two Public Works Department engineers in Nashik who had amassed movable and immovable assets disproportionate to their official income, the government reinforced the existing rule, asking state employees to disclose purchases of any immovable asset that costs twice their basic salary.

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The employees were asked to take prior permission for any transaction involving a person/trader/contractor who does business with his/her office. But once the reports of the arrests started dwindling in the media, things were back to square one.

Not a single department — whether it is the municipal corporation, police department, RTO or PWD — have taken any note of this existing guideline. While few states have made it compulsory for all employees to declare assets, it is high time the Maharashtra government reinforces this basic order with utmost seriousness.