Kashmir Digits

The J&K Government has ordered recovery of excess amount of Rs 43.29 crore paid to employees, officials, and even pensioners for their deployment in municipal and panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018.

They had received a one-month additional salary for their poll duties.

Commissioner Secretary, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, in his order has referred to the payment of one-month additional salary, wages, remuneration in lieu of election duty performed by the officials, and employees.

“Pursuant to the State Administrative Council decision No 55/10/2018 dated 31 August 2018, the General Administration Department in terms of government Order No 1789-GAD of 2018 dated 20 December 2018 had sanctioned a one-month additional salary, wages and remuneration as the case may be in favour of employees deployed for conduct of municipal and panchayat polls 2018 or both,” the GAD’s order reads.

It says, “The DDOs across J&K drew a one-month additional salary in favour of the employees as per their interpretation of the government order.”

However, the Principal Accountant General, J&K sought a clarification on the admissibility of various allowances while drawing one month additional salary in favour of these employees of the erstwhile state government because many Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) paid allowances like HRA and CCA as a part of the salary in pursuance of the government order.

The matter was examined in the department and following the review, it came to the fore that in terms of Article 27 (b) of J&K Civil Services Regulations (Volume-I), the definition of salary does not include local allowances, HRA, deputation allowance, travelling allowance and the payment of these allowances in favour of the concerned employees was wrongly made, and had resulted in excess payment of Rs 43.29 crore which needs to be recovered from these officers and officials and also from the employees who in the meanwhile retired on superannuation.

The GAD order reads, “The excess amount paid to any employee deployed or associated with the conduct of municipal and panchayat polls 2018, which is not covered under the definition of salary as provided in Article 27 (b) of J&K Civil Services Regulations (Volume-I) will immediately be recovered from these employees and pensioners by the concerned DDOs and Treasury Officers.