NEW DELHI, November 12 (Aalimi Nation) – The Finance Ministry has revised the rules on official laptops and tablets for central government officers, allowing them to keep the device for personal use once four years have passed since it was bought. The change was set out in an office memorandum issued by the Department of Expenditure on November 10.
The memorandum replaces guidelines issued in July 2023 on procuring and allocating electronic devices to central ministries and departments. It applies to laptops, tablets, notebooks, ultrabooks and similar equipment issued for official work, and covers attached and subordinate offices as well. State governments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and consultants are outside its scope.
Under the revised rules, a device remains government property for four years from the date of purchase. During that period the officer is responsible for the safety and security of official data on it. After four years, the officer may retain the device, and the department must erase all official data before handing it over. The rule also applies to officers who already hold government-issued devices.
The memorandum raises the price ceiling for new purchases. A standard device may now cost up to Rs 1.5 lakh plus taxes, against Rs 1 lakh earlier. For devices with more than 40 per cent Make-in-India content, the ceiling is Rs 1.8 lakh plus taxes, up from Rs 1.3 lakh. The cap includes the cost of standard pre-installed software.
Officers at Section Officer rank and above may be provided a device. Those in Pay Level 12 and above under the Seventh Pay Commission are eligible in full, up to the sanctioned strength of their department. For gazetted officers in Pay Levels 8 to 11, eligibility is initially limited to 50 per cent of sanctioned strength, which the secretary of the ministry can raise to 75 per cent with the consent of the financial adviser.
An officer cannot be given a replacement within four years of being issued a device, unless the existing one is declared beyond economical repair.
Officers who retire or leave service before completing four years can still keep the device, but they must pay for it. The memorandum, as described in reports, links the amount to the device's depreciated book value, calculated at 25 per cent a year. Accounts of the exact method differ, and the full text should be consulted for the precise formula.
One notable difference from the 2023 guidelines is that mobile phones, which were explicitly mentioned then, are not listed among the eligible categories in the new memorandum.
The reports on the memorandum do not give any estimate of the financial impact of the higher price ceilings. The text of the document was not available for review, so the details above rest on accounts of its contents and may need to be checked against the original order.
The revised limits are meant to apply to future purchases and allocations by central ministries and departments, which are expected to follow the new procedure for erasing data before any device is handed over to an officer.
