Festival gifts to Govt Officials - Addl Inputs
Below are the key issues and solutions as outlined by you in regards to festival gifts to Government officials in India. Kindly review and if you have any additional specific inputs on solutions, please share the same.
We will then share with key stakeholders so actions can be taken to address this.
Transparency International India
Festive gifts to Government officials - Solutions
1. Government officers should be prohibited from accepting cash and gold as gifts
2. Government could issue a general list of items that can be accepted as gifts by the government employees
3. Demanding gifts should be considered a crime
4. The gifts should be scanned and checked before being handed over to the officers
5. Eatables and sweets should be allowed to be given as gifts
6. If there is any out of the way pecuniary benefit derived by the one giving gift and then receiving it solely on that account, then it should be punishable under corruption act
7. Gifts above certain items to be returned or given to NGOs
8. Government offices could put up messages at different places in their offices saying ’no gifts allowed’
9. Like MEA, all the ministries should create a small department where all the gifts received by the employees should be submitted. Depending on the value of the gift, the department should decide if the employee should be allowed to keep the gift.
Festival gifts to Government officials - Key Issues
1.Festive gifts are used to bribe officials
2.Some corporates/businesses gift cash and gold to Government employees 3.These gifts are sometimes also in the form of property and jewellery
4.Festival gifts are not just confined to Government officers only but all concerned persons in Govt. offices irrespective of ranks
5.The privileged officers are normally in functions of purchase, account and finance, incoming quality control, licensing, accreditation, approvals, affiliations etc.
6.Many Government officers expect and/or directly or indirectly demand gift
7.There is a sort of a competition among gift givers to give costlier gifts
8.Sometimes these gifts are not in form of products but in the form of services like white wash, paint of houses, manpower service during festivals to Government officers
9.It is felt that gifts will boost the morale of the officers, employees and make them work more effectively
10. Many people give gifts expecting a favour in return
11.People use giving gifts as a medium to meet senior officials. more
We will then share with key stakeholders so actions can be taken to address this.
Transparency International India
Festive gifts to Government officials - Solutions
1. Government officers should be prohibited from accepting cash and gold as gifts
2. Government could issue a general list of items that can be accepted as gifts by the government employees
3. Demanding gifts should be considered a crime
4. The gifts should be scanned and checked before being handed over to the officers
5. Eatables and sweets should be allowed to be given as gifts
6. If there is any out of the way pecuniary benefit derived by the one giving gift and then receiving it solely on that account, then it should be punishable under corruption act
7. Gifts above certain items to be returned or given to NGOs
8. Government offices could put up messages at different places in their offices saying ’no gifts allowed’
9. Like MEA, all the ministries should create a small department where all the gifts received by the employees should be submitted. Depending on the value of the gift, the department should decide if the employee should be allowed to keep the gift.
Festival gifts to Government officials - Key Issues
1.Festive gifts are used to bribe officials
2.Some corporates/businesses gift cash and gold to Government employees 3.These gifts are sometimes also in the form of property and jewellery
4.Festival gifts are not just confined to Government officers only but all concerned persons in Govt. offices irrespective of ranks
5.The privileged officers are normally in functions of purchase, account and finance, incoming quality control, licensing, accreditation, approvals, affiliations etc.
6.Many Government officers expect and/or directly or indirectly demand gift
7.There is a sort of a competition among gift givers to give costlier gifts
8.Sometimes these gifts are not in form of products but in the form of services like white wash, paint of houses, manpower service during festivals to Government officers
9.It is felt that gifts will boost the morale of the officers, employees and make them work more effectively
10. Many people give gifts expecting a favour in return
11.People use giving gifts as a medium to meet senior officials. more
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View all 57 comments Below 57 comments
Why not the people gift the poor people during festivals? Let them enjoy.The govt. should not allow their officials irrespective of the cadre to accept any gift whether a sweet or a precious one.It should also be treated as a bribe.As per the conduct regulations it is a punishable offence only. more
Nov 11
Get Outlook for Android ________________________________ From: Transparency International India Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 3:10:25 PM To: sunilkumar@live.in Subject: "Festival gifts to Govt Of..." more
Oct 13
Token Diwali Sweet Gifts to be allowed not expensive and lavish once. more
Oct 12
What is the 'token' you recommend? and how to ensure compliance? more
Oct 22
I have been in Govt job. I feel no gifts at all must be permitted in office from anybody and at home from anybody who is in any way concerned with the official job of the concerned govt official and/or can not be proven as family member or friend unrelated to official jobs. If at all any gifts are permitted, the receiver must be liable to declare the gift alongwith its description, cost and person who gifted to his higher up and the PIO of the department who should declare as and when such information is sought under RTI. Govt officials work on salaries and if there are any incentives required they should be given by way of enhanced salaries or official bonuses from the govt. Their loyalty has to be to the govt (and through govt to the public with whose money and vote the govt is functioning) but never to individuals capable of gifting. Leaving aside family members and friends, nobody will ever gift anything to anybody without vested interest (another exception could be gifting to poor) and if any vendor has ever gifted anything to a govt official, he has extracted benefits worth ten times from him at the expense of tax payers money. Britishers were very clear on it. All gifts for govt officials in office were banned. Govt official post retirement were not permitted to take up job with the firms with whom he has interacted in last 5 yrs of his job. If he has to take up such a job, he was to take prior approval from the govt which was never given. Also govt officials had to declare if any of his near and dears are working in any firm with whom he has to interact in official capacity. more
Oct 12
I fully agree with Mr. Kuwar. Creating a general list of items that can be accepted as gifts by the government employees' is fraught with misuse. Does anyone believe our people will stick to it? Sweets and eatables might be okay but any thing other than that must be a strict no-no. It must made a punishable offence since it is nothing but bribe. more
Oct 14
