Union government has added a new ‘sub-rule’ superseding the 50-year-old-rule that restricted top administrators of the country to accept gifts. With this, the All India Services (AIS) civil servants – IAS, IPS and IFoS officers will now be able to retain gifts received from foreign dignitaries when they are part of Indian delegations.
The 50-year-old rule that has been applicable so far restricted the top officers from taking gifts on occasions other than weddings, anniversaries, religious functions and funerals if the practice was in conformity with the religious and social realms and that too from their close relatives and friends only with whom there is no official dealings. Also, they needed to report to the government if the value of such gifts exceeded Rs. 25,000.
As per the new amendment, “a member of the service, being a member of the Indian delegation or otherwise, may receive and retain gifts from foreign dignitaries in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Rules, 2012, as amended from time-to-time.” Before this newly amended rule, gifts received from foreign dignitaries, from known or unknown sources, were usually deposited in the ‘toshakhana’ – a repository of such articles in the Ministry of External Affairs.