J&K employees asked to file APRs from Jan 1

Jammu, Dec 27: J&K Government has asked its employees to file their Annual Property Return (APRs), through online Property Returns System (PRS) portal for the year 2024, from January 1 up to January 31, 2025.

PRS portal will remain accessible on https://prs.jk.gov.in with effect from January 1, 2025 up to January 31, 2025.

In this connection, all the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) have also been asked to ensure registration of those employees, who have not yet registered on the PRS portal, besides, ensuring filing of property details by their cent percent employees, within the specified timelines. The portal will automatically close on January 31, 2025.

It has been cautioned that the non-submission of property returns by the employees will invite action against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, besides it will result in denial of their vigilance clearance.

Notably, Sub Section 2 of Section 9 of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Men and Public Servants Declaration of Assets and other Provisions Act, 1983 makes it 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 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 there-under provide for imposing a penalty for non-submission of the property returns by the public servants.

It further provides 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.”

This Act and Rules also lay down that every public servant will submit annual property returns, as per instruction issued by the Government from time to time, in respect of all the assets possessed by him and his family members.

With a view to make the process of filing of property returns employee friendly, the Government of Jammu & Kashmir has launched online portal for filing of Annual Property Returns (PRS) portal by each and every (J&K) Government employee, as mandated under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Servants Declaration of Assets Act and Rules made there under and also as per the provisions of the Employees Conduct Rules, every year ending December 31, by or before January 31 of the next calendar year.