By P. Vijian
NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and about 30 of his cabinet ministers on Saturday declared their personal wealth. According to the prime minister's office website, his personal wealth totalled 5.1 crore Indian Rupees, which includes cash in bank, land and properties (two houses and a Maruti 800cc car).
The richest cabinet minister, based on the website, is Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, with assets (including his family's) amounting to 263 crore Indian Rupees.
And, the poorest among the lot was Defence Minister A. K. Antony, who hails from Kerala, with only a crore Indian Rupees.
The declaration was done in accordance with the Code of Conduct for ministers. Nevertheless, not all ministers declared their assets.
Seventy-two out of 77 ministers made public their personal assets -- a move seen to promote greater transparency in the working of the government -- at a time when the ruling party is facing credibility crisis.
Of late, the United Progressive Alliance, headed by Manmohan, came under severe pressure after major graft cases, such as the Commonwealth Games bribery and the telecommunications scam made headlines.--NNN-BERNAMA
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