IMPHAL, May 16: Failure on the part of the state government to submit the reports for adoption of the Revised Code of Conduct for ministers and MLAs in time may lead to the direct assessment of the state ministers and MLAs by the officials of the ministery of Home Affairs. The officials could be making a direct assessment of the assets and liabilities of the state ministers and the MLAs in the near future.According to a high official source, the ministry of Home Affairs had repeatedly reminded the state government to furnish the action taken up report of the state government to maintain the code of conduct for the state ministers and MLAs to the concerned MHA. The first such intimation was sent to the state government on December 17, 2009 signed by Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Joint Secretary (CS), MHA.Subsequent upon this notification of MHA the matter has been discussed by the state cabinet in its meeting held on October 15, 2009 and decided to collect information on adoption of the Revised Code of Conduct from other State for consideration, however the state cabinet failed to finalized on anything during the meeting, the source added.It may be mentioned that governments of various states including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Meghalaya have responded so far and their comments have already been submitted to the MHA in time.Further according to the same source, the state cabinet department at Secretariat has already reminded the state government about other states already submitting their reports whereas the state is yet to take up the required actions and as such the central ministry is still awaiting for replies from the state government.In the meantime the revised Code of Conduct of Ministers (both union and state) has been received under cover of Ministry of Home Affairs, letter No. DO. NO. 10/16/2008-M&R dated December, 2009 and most recently MHA has again written twice to the state government and insisted that the state government adopt the Code of conduct as revised by the MHA.Besides, considering the strict directives from MHA, the state government has observed that the revised Code of Conduct mainly deals with declaration of assets and liabilities by the state ministers and MLAs in accordance with Para 2(a) of the revised Code of Conduct.According to the source, the matter was put up during a recent state cabinet meeting with the cabinet deciding to approved the adoption of the revised Code of Conduct for ministers, but inactiveness on the part of the state government in stimulating the advised Code of conduct for minister as advised by the MHA will lead to the direct interference from the central concerned ministry the official source added.
