Srinagar : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said that irregular action of Home Department to pay one-month additional salary to police personnel who were not deployed for election duties during the conduct of Municipal/ Panchayat elections, 2018 resulted in inadmissible payment of Rs 1.58 crore in respect of 483 police personnel.
In December 2018, the General Administration Department had accorded sanction for payment of one-month additional salary/ wages/remuneration as the case may be, in respect of employees who were deployed for conduct of Municipal/ Panchayat elections, 2018 or both.
“Audit scrutiny of records (December 2020 to June 2021) of six 22 Drawing and Disbursing Officers of Home department revealed that one-month additional salary was irregularly paid to 483 police personnel who were not deployed for conduct of Municipal/ Panchayat elections, 2018 as they were providing security to Very Important Persons (VIPs) and other protected persons in and outside their respective districts during the months in which elections were held, thereby resulting in inadmissible payment of Rs 1.58 crore in respect of 483 employees,” the audit body said.
Giving the break up, the irregular paid policemen includes 355 (SSP Jammu); 48 (SSP Rajouri); 40 (SSP Kathua); 20 (SSP Reasi); 16 (SSP Doda); and four (Commandant IR- 2nd
Battalion, Rajouri).
“On this being pointed out (December to June 2021) in Audit, Accounts Officers, Offices of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu and Rajouri, SSP Doda and Commandant IR-2nd Battalion, Rajouri accepted (September 2021) the audit contention and stated that payment was made inadvertently and recovery would be initiated against the said employees,” it said, adding, “Accounts Officer, Office of SSP, Reasi stated (September 2021) that recovery had been started from the salary of May 2021 in respect of said employees.”
The CAG said that the matter was referred to Government in January 2022. “Financial Advisor/ CAO Home Department stated (May 2022) that an amount of Rs 1.10 crore had been recovered against inadmissible payment of Rs 1.58 crore,” CAG said, adding, “Further, it was stated that SSP Jammu, SSP Doda and SSP Rajouri had recovered more than 75 per cent and were in the process of recovering outstanding amount.” (GNS)
