The Uttar Pradesh Government has issued a significant order to its employees in the state, mandating declaration of all assets by 31 August 2024, failing which severe measures against such employees shall be initiated besides withdrawal of their salaries.
The directive has instilled some urgency among the 1.3 million state government employees who have yet to send in their property details via the Manav Sampada portal. Administration, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is determined to ensure the enforcement of this rule in order to bring transparency and accountability into the state’s workforce.
Manav Sampada Portal: Digital Revolution in HR Management
What is Manav Sampada?
Manav Sampada is much advanced version of Human Resource Management Systems to bring in a sea change in the way records of government employees were maintained. After its implementation in Himachal Pradesh, the portal has been adopted by many states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, and Punjab.
It is envisaged to computerize all types of HR processes, like recruitment, promotion, transfer, and other important administrative functions. This is the reason that this portal will ease procedures, cut down on paperwork, and increase efficiency within government departments by maintaining staff data in electronic form.
Asset Declaration on the Portal is Necessary
The current directive revolves around declaring immovable and movable assets for the financial year 2023-2024. UP has clarified that in case of non-compliance, employees will be marked absent, and their monthly salary kept on hold until the employee fulfills this obligation.
The initiative is not merely a bureaucratic requirement but part of the greater task of instilling a culture of transparency and accountability among people working in government.
It reminds public servants that their positions are ones of responsibility and trust. Their declaration for the same reason contributes to a system of checks and balances that does not allow corruption and misuse of power to take place on a large scale.
The Manav Sampada portal epitomizes this process by giving employees an easy platform to contribute their details, thus ensuring that the government has a comprehensive and accurate record of the assets owned by its workforce.
The Government’s Dire Redevelopment: A Final Warning
Failure to Declare Assets
It is in the light of this that the UP government issued a warning to its employees, stating that whosoever failed to declare their assets before August 31, 2024, shall meet a dreadful consequence waiting ahead.
The notice has further warned that employees failing to act in accordance with this directive will be considered absent from duty, and their salary will be withheld from August 2024 onwards until the declaration process of the employees concerned is complete.
The government made it clear that “this is the last extension, and there will be no extension beyond the stipulated deadline”.
This is a far-reaching effect directive. In many of the government employees’ cases, salary delay or loss may create some financial problems. Through this strict measure, the government demonstrates its commitment to infusing discipline in all employees for abiding by the rules.
This approach shall, to a great extent, help deter non-compliance and motivate employees to complete declaration of their assets in due time.
Previous Extensions and the Current Status
For this declaration of assets, the deadline was December 31, 2023. On the very low scale of adherence, the government extended the deadline several times to give employees more chance to the same.
In fact, till now, only about 26% of the 1.78 million-government workers in Uttar Pradesh have made their submission. Alarmed by the low level of compliance, the government has resorted to the last filtering operation.
This might come from lack of awareness, technical challenges, or mere procrastination. However, the fact that the government has opted to impose tough penalties based on this directive underlines the seriousness involved. By setting that firm deadline coupled with the consequences of non-compliance, the government wants to see all employees according due seriousness to this requirement.
The Process of Registering on the Manav Sampada Portal
Step-by-Step Guide to Registration
For employees who have yet to register on the Manav Sampada portal, the following is a detailed guide to completing the registration process:
Visit Official Website: First, log in to the Manav Sampada portal. The portal is officially designed for declaring assets, and everyone has to file their declarations on this website.
Log In: On the top right corner of the home page you will get the “eHRMS Log in” button. This provides a pathway to the login window.
Enter Details: The department name, user ID, password, and captcha code should be entered in the boxes to log into the account.
Add New User: For a new user, one has to click on “Add New User” to get registered. It is an important step for all those people who come to the portal for the first time.
Add Employee Details: Enter personal and professional details such as name, birthdate, sex, date of joining, department, and others.
Submit and Generate Credentials: When all of the information is verified, click “Submit”. The system will then process an Employee User ID and generate a password for future logins.
Property Returns on the Manav Sampada Portal
Once you have registered, one of the next activities that is imperative to do is filing of property returns, a prerequisite during declaration of possession. Follow the procedure below on filing property returns on the portal:
Logging In: Log in to Manav Sampada using your credentials and click on Property List.
Choose Reporting Officer: Choose appropriate reporting officer to whom you intend to file this e-file. A example reporting officer ensures that the declaration is taken on record and accepted by the competent authority.
Contents to be entered: Enter the contents for APR for the present year and last year. Enter the contents of all your assets, and classify them
Classification of Assets:
Immovable: Details regarding land, building, house, shop, etc.
Liquid: Your stocks, money market, government securities.
Movable Assets: Like furniture, gold, vehicle, etc.
Provident Fund: All the amounts that have been deducted by the employee on account of his provident fund.
Life Insurance: Any insurance/s that have been taken by the employee on his life.
Debts and Liabilities: An accounting of the debts/monetary obligations that the employee may have at any time.Save and Submit: Please fill in all the relevant details and save and submit the form to your reporting officer.
Broader Implications of the Directive
How to bring Transparency and Accountability
The UP government’s insistent declaration of one’s assets has been a sub-set of the greater push towards greater transparency and accountability within the state’s bureaucracy.
In an attempt to get all government employees to declare their assets, the government is fighting corruption and encouraging ethical behavior amongst its workforce. This initiative does not pertain to mere compliance but to inculcate a culture of honesty and integrity within the government.
Ensuring Compliance through Technology
The Manav Sampada portal showcases the commitment of the state government toward leveraging technology for the goals of good governance. Through digitization of the asset declaration process, compliance can be easily monitored by the government and it can take prompt action against employees who do not follow the rules.
This will not only make the process easier for the employee but it will also help the government to maintain correct and updated records of all the assets declared by its employees.
Potential Implementation Challenges
Even though the directive is very clear, the aspect of implementing it may have certain challenges. The fact that there are too many employees who have not heeded to the directive signals potential awareness and accessibility of technology challenges.
Some of the employees will also have difficulty in handling the technical part of the Manav Sampada portal. To overcome these, the government may need to organize awareness campaigns, offer technical backup, and ensure all participants engaging in the program have the necessary resources to go through with the program.
Conclusion
Hence, the UP government order with respect to asset declaration of state employees by August 31, 2024, quantifies into huge reforms pertaining to transparency and accountability in the bureaucratic setup of the state. This makes the process easier, more streamlined, and more digitized through the Manav Sampada Portal.
However, the seriousness of this ultimatum by the government lies in the fact that currently more than 1.3 million employees are still un-registered. Employees who refuse to follow direction will be subject to severe penalties, including the revocation of their salaries.
The initiative has an objective of fostering ethics in government employees and also serves as a step towards the state’s larger goal of automation and digitization of most administrative processes. This will be an eye-opener as the deadline of each employee comes close; it will make each employee rush to make an effort and get themselves registered and declare their assets so that nobody is forced to suffer a disturbance in their way of livelihood.
