As per service rules IAS officers in UP were asked to file Immovable Property Returns or IPRs but till 5pm on April 20 only very few of over 500 officers had done so ( Times of India, April 22 ). Civil servants in India are known to be totally corrupt and it is impossible for anyone to maintain honesty. The reason is that there is a chain starting from the lowest clerk going up to the highest level. Bribes are collected at the point of contact with the public and then shared up the chain. If one officer refuses to accept bribe money it affects everyone by breaking the chain. Such an officer is asked to join the crooks, then transferred repeatedly to harass him and may, finally, be murdered. Since the only safe place to hide black money is in property IPRs give an idea on how much money is being stolen from the public. By not submitting IPRs these officers will not get vigilance clearance and will be ineligible for promotion. But who cares for an increase in salary of a few thousand rupees when one has to hide billions in black money. That the vast majority of officers in UP have chosen not to file their returns shows that all, except a handful, are crooks. Civil servants obtain their cue from politicians governing the state. Bihar had the reputation of being the cesspit of India but UP has now taken over the coveted spot. A consultancy group based in Hong Kong called The Political and Economic Risk Consultancy ltd has rated India as the 4th most corrupt nation in the Asia Pacific region but such is the lack of shame that the scum just carry on, each one pointing at the other and pretending to be honest. If the leader is lacking in honor the troops will follow.