Patna: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office in Patna is likely to examine salary payments in govt departments following the detection of excess withdrawals from state treasuries in the education and home (police) departments.Following CAG’s report on the two departments, state govt has stopped salary payments to around 9 lakh officers, teachers and employees of the education department and 1.30 lakh police personnel until further orders.“The CAG sends its reports to all the respective states. The report received in Bihar was tabled in the state assembly and was also examined by the House’s Public Accounts Committee,” deputy CM and finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told reporters on Thursday.“Based on the CAG report, inquiries have been ordered into excess salary withdrawals in the education and home departments. Salary payments to 10.30 lakh govt personnel in the two departments have also been stopped until further orders,” he said. Payments would resume only after the inquiries were completed, and action would be taken against those found guilty, he added.Irregularities have been detected in Patna, Bhagalpur, Aurangabad, Supaul, Banka, Samastipur and other districts. Preliminary inquiries by the education department in Patna, Bhagalpur and Supaul have identified 5,000 suspected cases.Finance department secretary Vinay Kumar has directed the education and home departments to investigate excess salary withdrawals involving 10.30 lakh personnel. The inquiry will examine the possible involvement of those who prepare, verify and approve salary slips.Salary slips issued over the past five years will be matched with treasury records, and other relevant details will also be examined. “After the inquiry is completed, the excess amount withdrawn will be recovered from those found responsible,” the finance minister said.According to the preliminary findings, the alleged irregularities involved collusion between beneficiaries and employees responsible for preparing, checking and approving salary slips. Govt’s two centralised portals — Human Resources Management System (HRMS) and Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS) — were also allegedly tampered with, sources said.The preliminary inquiry in the education department found cases in which, against a monthly salary of Rs 52,000, excess amounts ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 9 lakh had allegedly been withdrawn.
