Home Ministry's code of conduct restrains ministers from accepting expensive gifts

NEW DELHi: Even as Gujarat businessman Rameshkumar Bhikabhai claimed on Wednesday that he had gifted the monogrammed suit to PM Narendra Modi, his “friend“ of “four decades“, the code of conduct for ministers issued by the home ministry clearly restrains both Union and state ministers from accepting a valuable gift unless it is from a close relative.

“A minister should not accept valuable gifts except from close relatives, and he or members of his family should not accept any gifts at all from any person with whom he may have official dealings,“ reads the code of conduct.

The authority for ensuring observance of the code of conduct lies with the PM in the case of Union ministers, the PM and home minister in the case of CMs and the CM concerned in case of state ministers.