Malik Jehangir
SRINAGAR: A scandal has surfaced in the Department of Agriculture wherein some of the officials of the department including top rank officers have fudged their date of birth following which these people have drawn extra amount from the state ex-chequer on account of salary.
A document has clearly shown that a Subject Matter Specialist (SMS) has withdrawn an amount of around 60 lakhs as excess salary. In the document it has clearly been mentioned that the SMS has drawn the whopping amount as salary for the period that should have been considered as retirement period.
“In continuation to this office letter No. DAOI/Bud/Estt/980-83 Dated:-13-12-2018, this office had submitted a challan worth Rs. 3550000 (Thirty Five Lac fifty thousand only) out of total amount of Rs. 5913627 due to him,” writes District Agriculture Officer (Inputs) Budgam in his correspondence to District Treasury Officer, Budgam.
The correspondence shot under the correspondence number DAOIB/Estt/1138-41 refers to the undue pay drawn by Fayaz Ahmad Qadri, Ex-DI SMS Budgam. The correspondence was shot on January 23, 2019.
The correspondence further says, “Now the balance amount of Rs. 2363627 (Rupees twenty three Lac Sixty thousand Six hundred twenty seven only) has been deposited by the Ex-officer in question through cheque bearing No. 743963 today and is being deposited through challan FC-2 to your office for submission in concern account head 0401.”
The fraud came to the fore after Director Agriculture Kashmir, Altaf Aijaz Andrabi made a mention of the instances that came up with regard to corrections or insertions made by some officers in their respective date of birth. The Director Agriculture Kashmir has since then asked all the officers to get their date of birth verified.
“Instances have come to the notice of the Directorate that some unscrupulous employees have made corrections/insertions in their service record especially in respect of date of birth on the basis of fake and forged DOB certificates just to avail extension in their services and to earn undue benefits fraudulently in this regard, instance of Ex Research Officer of this department, who had retired in May 2018 is worth to quote,” wrote Director Agriculture in a circular issued on 3-11-2018 under communication number 2768-2802.
The circular further reads, “Her pension case was sent to AG’s office, but received back for verification of DOB. Her DOB was referred to JKBOSE for verification, who reported that the same is fake and fabricated, so the case is under investigation and referred to Administrative Department.”
In view of the above, it is impressed upon all the officers down the line that before submitting the pension cases of retiring employees to this office, their DOB be got verified from the concerned issuing authority. Also, ensure that other entries made in their service book (s) are correct. Variation or ambiguity if any found be reported to this office for further action as per Service Conduct Rules, reads the circular.