NEW DELHI, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has asked all civil servants in the country to declare their assets by January next year, otherwise they will lose promotions as well as foreign tours and postings.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has recently written to all government departments to ensure submission of Immovable Property Returns (IPRs) by Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working with them by Jan. 31, 2018.

"...failure to ensure timely submission of IPR would result in denial of vigilance clearance," DoPT Additional Secretary P K Tripathi said. Vigilance clearance is mandatory for civil servants for any promotion and foreign visit.

The government's move is aimed at curbing corruption among tainted civil servants, a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's corruption-free country initiative.

There are over 5,000 IAS officers posted across the country. The cabinet secretary, who reports directly to the prime minister, is India's highest ranking civil servant.