The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday put up on its website the assets and liabilities of Union Council of Ministers for 2010-11 in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Ministers.
Under the Code, the Ministers have to give an update of their assets as also those of their spouses and dependents along with any business interest every year in the prescribed format.
The list for 2010-11 comes after nearly two months and three reminders from Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar and is still not complete.
Not available
As per the details uploaded on the PMO website (http://pmindia.nic.in/) details of assets of 10 Ministers are not available. They include Cabinet Minister holding the Tribal Affairs V. Kishore Chandra Deo, two Ministers of State holding independent charge and seven Ministers of State. It is not clear if any action is contemplated against these Ministers.
Going by the details available Defence Minister A.K. Antony has the least amount of assets. Besides a house worth Rs.15 lakh and agriculture land amounting to the same value, the Minister has two savings bank accounts amounting to approximately Rs.1,82,000. Mrs. Antony is the owner of a second-hand Wagon R valued at Rs.1,69,000 and bought with a bank loan of Rs.1,36,000. The entry in the form for disclosure of their business interests reads nil.
On the face of it, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibbal and Minister of Chemical and Fertilisers M.K. Azhagiri appear to be in close competition as Ministers with high value assets of over Rs.30 crore.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assets are worth Rs.4.8 crore. Besides a house in Chandigarh and a flat in Vasant Kunj in South Delhi, the rest of the assets of Dr. Singh are in bank deposits.
