Asset declaration monitoring report presented to CIAA

KATHMANDU, May 27: The National Vigilance Center (NVC) submitted the asset declaration monitoring report for fiscal year 2080/81 BS to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Secretary Sarju Kumar Vaidya presented the report to the chief commissioner of the CIAA.

The law requires every person holding public office to submit an asset declaration under the Corruption Prevention Act, 2059 (2002). They must submit an updated declaration of their assets, including sources or disposals, within 60 days of assuming office and then within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year.

Moreover, Section 50(3) of the Act penalizes public officials who fail to submit the asset declaration within the prescribed deadline.

Chief Commissioner of the CIAA, Prem Kumar Rai, thanked the NVC for submitting the report on time while accepting it. He emphasized that agencies such as the National Archives (Civil Service, Teachers, Police), the Military Archives, and the NVC must integrate their electronic data collection systems to make the asset declaration process more organized, reliable, and technology-based.

Noting that some officials and employees have still failed to submit their asset declarations within the stipulated time as the law requires, the CIAA Chief Commissioner urged the NVC to promote awareness and compliance across all government agencies.

CIAA Commissioner Rai also highlighted the need to extend monitoring beyond the NVC's current work to include offices that provide public services in line with changing times. He instructed the center to conduct follow-up monitoring of development projects after performing technical tests and issuing suggestions and directives to evaluate the improvements made following these technical assessments.

NVC Secretary Vaidya briefly outlined the key points of the report. The report states that the federal government required 488,280 employees and officials, the provincial governments required 19,834, and local governments required 273,239 to submit their asset declarations during fiscal year 2080/81 BS.

Out of these, 483,687 federal, 19,355 provincial, and 27,280 local employees and officials submitted their asset declarations, totaling 775,849. The report shows that 5,504 individuals missed the deadline to submit their asset declarations. It also highlights a declining trend in the number of people failing to submit asset declarations compared to previous years.

Assistant spokesperson Deviprasad Thapaliya stated that the CIAA will take necessary legal action against public servants and officials who fail to submit their asset declarations on time, as required by law.