Thaindian News

Bhopal, Feb 23 (IANS) Taking the lead, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Tuesday declared his assets in the state assembly.
According to his declaration, he has Rs.13 lakh in cash in his bank accounts, besides 64 gm gold jewellery, household goods worth Rs.1.80 lakh, and a house worth Rs.3 lakh in Vidisha district.

He also owns 4.79 acres of farmland in Sehore district’s Jait village, 1.29 hectares agricultural land in Vidisha district and a house here worth about Rs.23 lakh which he has purchased on bank loan.

Chouhan said he pays an annual premium of about Rs.17,000 to an insurance company and has deposited Rs.60,000 in the National Savings Certificate scheme, besides providing Rs.14 lakh as advance to his wife Sadhna.

His wife, according to Chouhan owns 470 gm gold jewellery while he himself also owns a revolver.

Chouhan had a week ago said: “The property details of all ministers, including myself, will be tabled in the ensuing assembly session and all ministers have agreed to it while the property details of bureaucrats and police officers would be put up on website.”

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Information Commissioner P.P. Tiwari had Feb 15 directed the public information officers (PIOs) of the state government’s departments to provide the details of the declaration of property of administrative officers in the state.

Tiwari’s decision had come in response to a petition by Choudhary Rakesh Singh, the deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly, demanding that officials file property returns of the last three years in public interest.

The appellant had demanded that all civil servants should declare their property details as it concerns matters of public interest.

The appellant had argued that if public representatives like MPs and legislators had to declare their property details even before assuming positions of power, then bureaucrats, who already enjoy power, should not be exempted from the same.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has also asked all government officials to put up details of their immovable property on the website of their respective departments by April 30 or else face disciplinary action.