Date to file APRs extended till Mar 17

Jammu, Mar 3: J&K government Sunday granted “last and final opportunity” to its defaulting employees, who failed to submit their Annual Property Returns (APRs) on PRS portal, even within the extended timeline, by extending the deadline up to March 17, 2024.

General Administration Department vide Circular No 36-JK(GAD) of 2023 dated December 21, 2023, followed by another notification dated December 29, 2023 had asked all J&K government employees to file their property returns for the year 2023, with effect from January 1, 2024 to January 31, 2024 on the PRS Portal, accessible on https://prs.jk.gov.in.

In this connection, all the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) were also asked to ensure registration of those employees, who had not yet registered on the PRS Portal. They were also directed to ensure filing of property details by their cent percent employees, within the specified timelines.

Through a notification, issued on February 12, 2024, the timelines were further extended with effect from February 13 to 27, 2024.

Yet many employees failed to submit their property returns within the extended timeline and thus made a default in this mandatory process. Various employees registered themselves on the portal but not submitted their property returns, thus they too caused a default in submission of their details.

Notably, Sub Section 2 of Section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Men and Public Servants (PMPS) Declaration of Assets and other Provisions Act, 1983 lays down that it “shall be incumbent on the part of every public servant to submit annual returns of the assets held by him and his family members in the month of January every year and shall indicate the reasons for increase, if any, in the assets and source thereof.”

The Jammu and Kashmir Public Servants Declaration of Assets Act and Rules made thereunder provide for imposing a penalty for non-submission of the property returns by the public servants.

It is further provided that if any public servant without any reasonable cause which he shall be required to show, fails to submit the return annually, he shall be guilty of committing criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act and shall be punishable under the said Act.

Taking cognizance of non-submission of returns by defaulting employees, the matter was reconsidered in the General Administration Department, which finally decided to give “a last and final opportunity to these defaulting employees, who failed to submit their property returns within the extended timeline.

Accordingly, the submission of property returns by the defaulting employees would be allowed through online mode on the Property Return System (PRS) portal with effect from March 3 to 17, 2024.

“Further, all those employees who had registered themselves on the portal but not submitted their property returns shall submit the same, besides, the unregistered employees shall get themselves registered on the portal and subsequently submit their property returns, during the stipulated period. In case, the employees encounter issues related to OTP, they shall update their current mobile numbers and email IDs on CPIS portal and further, Disbursing Officers (DDOs) shall ensure necessary facilitation in this regard,” the authorities have cautioned.

All the Controlling Officers and Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) have been asked to ensure compliance with regard to filing of property returns by all the defaulting employees of their establishment and administrative departments have been directed to assess the progress in this regard.

Earlier the department had cautioned that the non-submission of property returns by the employees would invite action against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, besides, would result in denial of their Vigilance Clearance.

To further facilitate employees, the J&K government had also simplified the process for filing of Annual Property Returns (APRs) through online Property Return System (PRS), by incorporating two new features on December 31, 2023.

Two new features, aimed at easing out and further simplifying the process of filing property returns by the employees, allowed employees to import previous year's data and access to the portal through multi factor authentication.