New Delhi: Efforts for early establishment of anti-corruption body Lokpal and a slew of initiatives like introduction of self-attestation in place of affidavits among others kept the Ministry of Personnel in news during the year.

With the change of government at the Centre in May, the Ministry held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi started various measures to increase transparency and simplify governance.

It opened up doors for technocrats and specialists from private sector to take up key posts in government. In its quest to seek out-of-the-box solutions to governance-related matters, the ministry also put up 'idea boxes' inside the power corridors of North Block here.

It was also in continuous focus due to the agitation by a group of students demanding changes in the pattern of civil services examination, conducted by the UPSC to select IAS, IFS and IPS officials among others.

The Personnel Ministry formed rules under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (also known as Lokpal Act) for government employees to declare their assets and liabilities, along with that of their spouse and dependent children. The last date for filing such returns has been extended till April 30, 2015, for the ongoing fiscal.

The ministry struggled hard to establish Lokpal at the Centre to effectively deal with corruption cases. However, its efforts could not be fructified due to absence of a Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, who is a member of a committee selecting chairperson and members of the Lokpal.

It has recently pushed for amendment in the Lokpal Act, making provision for inclusion of the leader of the single largest opposition party in Lok Sabha as a member of the selection committee. The amended Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha, has been referred to a selection committee.

Congress with 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha has emerged as the second largest party after BJP's 282 but fell short by 11 to stake claim for the LoP for which it requires a strength of 55.

The ministry also notified new Lokpal search committee rules during the year, giving it more freedom to recommend names for chairperson and members of the anti-corruption body outside the list provided by the Department of Personnel and Training under it.

The Personnel Ministry, which acts as administrative department for government employees, introduced various measures to help bureaucrats share their experience with outside world and help them get direct feedback from public.

It is in process of formulating a policy for all senior government officials so that they can regularly visit schools in their neighbourhood to discuss with students on subjects like ethics, nation building, environment protection, development and good governance among others.