Subject: Proposal to Address Share Trading by Government Officials

[Sanjeev Goyal]

DOPAT/E/2025/0008709

 

Concerned Department: Personnel & Training.

 

Government employees are prohibited from engaging in private trade. However, the widespread availability of mobile trading apps has led to many officials trading shares during working hours, which compromises their official duties and productivity.

 

Currently, there is no effective system to prevent this practice, DOPT may please explore effective ways to curb this increasing practice.

 

For instance, all government employees may be required to disclose the number of share market transactions undertaken and the total profit and loss earned in their annual property return. Investments made via Systematic Investment Plans (SIP) may be kept outside the purview of this reporting. At present, only holdings in shares etc is to be disclosed in annual property return but disclosure of count of transactions undertaken would only reveal the level of involvement of employee in the trade.

 

A direct PAN based report may also be called from BSE/NSE.

 

This simple reporting mechanism would provide a way to monitor compliance and discourage officials from conducting personal business while on duty.