Rs 2 cr pension scam
Treasury Officers asked to recover payment already made
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Oct 1: Alarmed over the irregularities detected in the processing of pension to non-admissible cases through different treasuries of the Jammu Division, the office of the Principal Accountant General, Jammu and Kashmir, has urgently requested the Finance Department to halt the pension revision payments related to six departments.
These departments include Irrigation and Flood Control, Jal Shakti (PHE) Department, Power Development Department (PDD), PDC, R&B, Agriculture, and Headmasters/ Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) of the Education Department.
The Principal Accountant General Office has also requested the Treasury Officers for the recovery of the payment already processed to the illegal beneficiaries.
“You’re requested to kindly issue instructions to the treasuries to stop payment on pension revision authorities pertaining to Irrigation and Flood Control, Jal Shakti (PHE) Department, Power Development Department (PDD), PDC, R&B, Agriculture, and Headmasters/Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) bearing print date upto and including September 22, 2023,” read a communication number Pension/Co-ord/J/2023-24/1457-1458 dated September 26, 2023, addressed to the Principal Secretary (Finance), Government of Jammu and Kashmir, by the Principal Accountant General (A&E), Jammu and Kashmir, a copy of which is in possession of the Excelsior.
Startlingly, the Principal Accountant General has so far discovered 32 unauthorized or irregular pension revision authorities at various treasuries within Jammu Division, including Bhaderwah, Akhnoor, Ramsoo, Talab Tillo, New Plot, Samba, Assar (Doda), Banihal, Ramban, Gandhi Nagar, Saddar Jammu, and Additional Treasury New Plot.
An Excelsior report dated October 1, 2023, had previously highlighted that these unauthorized or irregular authorities were being signed at various treasuries, utilizing forged dispatch numbers and Treasury Officers’ signatures. This fraudulent activity resulted in an estimated loss of approximately Rs 2 crores to the State exchequer.
The Principal Accountant General Office’s internal investigation, based on information from treasuries and its own records, has revealed that payments in at least 13 cases have already been disbursed by different treasuries, including Additional Treasury Tallab Tillo at Muthi, Sub Treasury Akhnoor, Sub Treasury Bhaderwah, Sub Treasury Banihal, and Additional Treasury New Plot, Jammu.
In light of these findings conducted after one of the Senior Accounts Officers, Raja Jee Saproo, highlighted the discrepancies in the processing of the pension cases, the Principal Accountant General J&K office has called upon the Treasury Officers concerned to cease payments on all forged authorities.
Additionally, for cases where payments have already been made, it has been requested to take steps to recover the amount from the beneficiaries’ bank accounts and restore pre-revised pension payments.
The Finance Department has been accordingly requested to issue instructions to the treasuries to halt payments on pension revision authorities related to the six departments, with print dates up to and including September 22, 2023.
“However, payments on authorities issued up to this date can only proceed after authentication and verification by the Principal Accountant General Office, which will involve sending an email to the office’s pension group officer,” read the communication addressed to the Finance Secretary by the office of the Principal Accountant General.
Additionally, the Principal Accountant General J&K office has requested the Secretary Finance to instruct the Treasury Officers to honour revision or normal pension authorities of other departments only after comparing the specimen signatures of the officers of the Principal Accountant General Office with those affixed in the pension/revision authorities.
The Principal Accountant General Office has shared these signatures with the Secretary Finance to be further shared with the Treasury Officers, claiming that these signatures had already been shared in the past with the Treasury Officers.
Furthermore, the Principal Accountant General J&K office has urged the Secretary Finance to instruct Treasury Officers to scrutinize revision and normal pension authorities from other departments by comparing the specimen signatures with those affixed in the pension/revision authorities. The Principal Accountant General Office has already shared signatures of its officers with the Secretary Finance for distribution to Treasury Officers, emphasizing that these signatures were previously shared with the treasuries.
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