Latest news with #IFMIS
News18
08-07-2025
- News18
This Madhya Pradesh Cop Drew Rs 28 Lakh Over 12 Years Without Reporting For Duty. Here's How
Last Updated: The discrepancy came to light during a routine review of the 2011 police batch in 2023, when it was discovered that there was no record of the constable's attendance or deployment In a shocking case of bureaucratic failure, a police constable in Madhya Pradesh allegedly drew over Rs 28 lakh in salary across 12 years without attending a single day of training or duty. The case, first reported by NDTV, highlights glaring loopholes in the state's payroll monitoring system and has triggered an official probe. According to India Today, the constable, Abhishek Upadhyay, was appointed in 2011 and posted to the Bhopal police lines. He was supposed to undergo mandatory training in Sagar, but never reported there. Instead, he returned to his hometown in Vidisha and, despite never completing training or reporting for active duty, remained on the government's payroll. The Economic Times reported that Upadhyay continued to receive salary uninterrupted for over a decade. The discrepancy only came to light during a routine review of the 2011 police batch in 2023, when it was discovered that there was no record of his attendance or deployment. When questioned, Upadhyay claimed he suffered from chronic health issues, including migraine and psychological stress, worsened by a road accident. NDTV cited officials who said the constable submitted documents related to his mental health, but failed to follow proper leave protocols. He reportedly sent his paperwork via speed post, avoiding any direct departmental interaction. A police inquiry led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ankita Khaterkar is now underway to determine how Upadhyay's name remained active in the payroll system for so long. Disciplinary action may be taken not only against the constable but also against the officials who failed to flag the prolonged absence. The incident has brought renewed attention to the larger issue of ghost employees in Madhya Pradesh. According to NDTV, a recent investigation found nearly 50,000 government staffers had not withdrawn salaries since December 2024 but still remained in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). While the state treasury department claimed these anomalies were addressed in a short audit, critics argue that such large-scale data mismatches point to deep systemic flaws. As the investigation progresses, questions remain: How many more such cases have gone unnoticed, and how long will the system allow invisible employees to draw very real salaries? First Published:
NDTV
09-06-2025
- NDTV
NDTV Impact: Ghost Employee Alert Triggers Statewide Audit in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: After an explosive report by NDTV on the possibility of thousands of "ghost employees" in Madhya Pradesh, based on a letter from the state treasury, the government has finally responded with an extensive data cleansing drive. The letter from the state treasury, dated May 23, raised alarm over thousands of government employees who had not drawn salaries from the official IFMIS (Integrated Financial Management Information System) since December 2024. Yet, the portal still has active employee codes. In response, the State Financial Intelligence Cell (SFIC)-under the Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts (CTA)-conducted an extensive audit of the treasury database in coordination with DDOs (Drawing and Disbursing Officers) and treasury officers across the state. The exercise aimed to identify inactive employees and update the IFMIS system accordingly. The government now claims that no fake or suspicious employee has been found so far, but the details revealed by the cleansing drive paint a more complex and worrying picture. As per the report, a total of 44,918 employees - 36,081 regular and 8,837 non-regular - have not withdrawn salaries via IFMIS in more than six months. When broken down by status, the numbers reveal this: Out of the 44,918 employees, 21,461 were found to be dead (19,533 regular and 1,928 non-regular), while 4,654 employees were on deputation (4,436 regular and 178 non-regular). Another 10,985 had either retired, resigned, opted for voluntary retirement, or had their services terminated. 483 were suspended without salary, and 1,656 employees had their salaries withheld due to official government directives. In addition, 2,342 were placed in the 'Free Pool', meaning they were unassigned after transfers or status changes. Technical issues accounted for 1,022 employees, and 2,247 employees were linked to miscellaneous cases, including bonded doctors, grant-in-aid institutions, or PRI contractual staff. Despite these seemingly legitimate classifications, none of the employee codes were deactivated, and exit procedures had not been completed in IFMIS. This means these accounts remain active in the system, vulnerable to misuse, and - if left unchecked - could be exploited for unauthorised or backdated salary withdrawals. NDTV's Earlier Report Raised Alarm Bells NDTV had earlier exposed how nearly 50,000 government employees were "missing" from the salary grid, despite their codes being active. The report, based on the same May 23 memo, suggested that the situation could escalate into one of the biggest ghost employee scandals in the state's history. The value of unpaid salaries linked to these ghost-like entries was estimated to be around Rs 230 crore. When NDTV confronted Finance Minister Jagdish Devda, his response was evasive: "Whatever process is followed, it is done according to rules." When asked if such a situation posed a risk to the system, he simply repeated, "Whatever happens, will be according to rules... okay... fine," before abruptly ending the conversation. Although the government has denied the existence of any fraudulent employees, the very architecture of the payroll system has been exposed as vulnerable. Codes remain active despite death, resignation, retirement, suspension, or deputation. Without proper flagging or exit entries, these dormant identities could be reactivated with malicious intent. The government says this is part of a continuous cleansing process that will pave the way for a more robust IFMIS NextGen rollout. But One Question Remains - While the system may not have found its ghost just yet, the shadow of systemic failure still hangs heavy over Madhya Pradesh's treasury, and NDTV will keep reporting until every name, every code, and every rupee is accounted for.
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
50,000 govt employees ‘not paid', Madhya Pradesh begins probe
The Madhya Pradesh government has started investigating allegations that salaries of 50,000 government employees have not been paid for over six months as the finance department said it has begun a verification excercise. These employees have employee codes, but their salaries have not been drawn, raising suspicion about potential irregularities. The Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts (CTA) had on May 23 asked the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) to investigate the matter. The finance department said in a statement that the verification of data for both regular and non-regular employees is a 'continuous process', carried out through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) software. The exercise is being led by the Office of the Commissioner, Treasury and Accounts, which has issued multiple instructions to treasury and disbursing officers to confirm the accuracy of employee records. 'All treasury, drawing and disbursing officers have been directed from time to time to verify employee data through official correspondence,' said an official from the commissioner's office. The state-level Financial Intelligence Cell (SFIC), functioning under the Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts, regularly analyses data from treasuries and monitors salary disbursement trends. According to officials, the SFIC recently scrutinised records of nearly 50,000 employees whose salaries have not been drawn through the treasury software in the past four months. 'In such cases, verification of employee details has been mandated through the respective drawing and disbursing officers,' read a directive issued by the Commissioner. 'This is a continuous process undertaken periodically by the office.' A review of data from December 2024 revealed further potential irregularities. 'There are employees with valid employee codes whose retirement dates have not been entered, and the exit process in IFMIS has not been completed, yet no salary has been withdrawn for four months,' the department said. In light of these findings, treasury officials have been asked to share relevant data with DDOs and obtain written confirmation within 15 days, including reasons for the salary stoppages. 'The details received from DDOs will be submitted to the Commissioner's office,' the directive noted. 'If any discrepancies are found during data verification, immediate reports must be sent through the Divisional Joint Director, Treasury and Accounts.' Officials maintained that the scrutiny of employee data is not an isolated audit, but rather 'a standard and ongoing administrative process aimed at maintaining transparency and accuracy in the state's financial systems'.
NDTV
06-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
50,000 'Ghost' Employees And Rs 230 Crore Salary Scam In Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: The salaries of 50,000 government employees, that is nearly nine per cent of Madhya Pradesh's government taskforce, have not been paid for over six months. It is a mystery buried deep in the state's bureaucratic files, but it may be one of the biggest salary scams in Madhya Pradesh's history. NDTV has accessed documents revealing that these employees exist in official documents. They have an identity -- name and employee code -- but for some reason, their salaries have not been processed for nearly six months. Are these employees on unpaid leave? Are they suspended? Or are they simply 'ghost' employees? Unfolding The Salary Scam NDTV has obtained a letter dated May 23, sent by the Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts (CTA) to all Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs). The letter is a call to investigate a startling anomaly. "The data of Regular / Non-Regular employees under IFMIS, whose salaries have not been drawn since December 2024, is enclosed... although employee codes exist, their verification is incomplete in IFMIS, and the Exit process hasn't been done either." Following the letter, over 6,000 DDOs are under scanner and have been asked to explain the possible Rs 230 crore fraud in 15 days. The timeline will be over today. "We conduct data analysis regularly and this discrepancy was observed. I further clarify unambiguously that its not that salary is being drawn against these accounts. This inquiry tries to curb the risk of probable embezzlement which may occur," Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts Bhaskar Lakshkar told NDTV. The treasury department has launched a statewide verification drive, ordering every DDO to certify that no unauthorised employee is working in their office. "There could be genuine cases - transfers, suspensions... But if someone hasn't received salary for six months straight, and their exit isn't processed either, that's a red flag," said a senior finance official. Finance Minister Cornered NDTV approached Madhya Pradesh's Finance Minister Jagdish Devda with the facts. When confronted with the question: "50,000 salaries not drawn for months. Why?" Mr Devda appeared visibly uncomfortable and said, "Well... whatever process is followed, it is done according to rules." When asked again whether this could be a problem in the future, he repeated - "Whatever happens, will be according to rules... okay... fine." And then, without another word, he walked back inside. Large-Scale Fraud Or Ghost Postings: Why We Need To Get To The Bottom Of It Of the 50,000 employees who haven't been paid, 40,000 are regular employees and 10,000 are temporary staff. Collectively, their salaries mount up to Rs 230 crore. Since salaries haven't been drawn for months, suspicions of a large-scale fraud or ghost postings are growing stronger. Where are Rs 230 crore? If even a fraction of these 50,000 are ghost employees, it raises troubling questions: Who is manipulating the system? Can salaries be backdated and withdrawn without checks? Has the government unknowingly allowed space for a Rs 230 crore scam to fester? Are these 50,000 positions open? If yes, how has been departments functioning without 9 per cent of its staff? A lot of questions remain to be answered as this scam unfolds layer by layer. Though, in a display of timely vigilance, the state's treasury flagged a potential discrepancy during a routine data audit - and in doing so, may have averted a major financial risk. The objective of the investigation is simple yet crucial - to verify whether ghost employees are quietly lurking in the system.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Time of India
Snakebite scam of Rs 11.26 crore exposed in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh; what really happened will leave you speechless
A shocking financial scam involving fake death compensation claims has been uncovered in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, known as the setting for Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Investigations reveal that between 2018 and 2022, a carefully planned fraud used fake deaths from natural causes like snakebites, drowning, or lightning strikes to steal public funds. One of the most striking discoveries is that a man was recorded as dying 30 times from snakebites, and a woman 29 times. These fake deaths were used to claim compensation, totalling an estimated Rs 11.26 crore from the state government. Authorities are now probing how the fraudulent claims bypassed multiple levels of verification, highlighting serious loopholes in the compensation system that allowed the scam to go undetected for years. Snakebite scam of 11.26-crore exposed by Joint Director of Jabalpur The finance department discovered in its findings that the mastermind of the scam is Assistant Grade III staff Sachin Dahayak. The investigation, conducted by Rohit Kaushal, Joint Director (Finance) of the Jabalpur division, started with the examination of the financial documents of the Keolari tehsil and then uncovered the extent of the fraud in a later stage. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo "An 11.26-crore scam has surfaced. The money was deposited into the bank accounts of 47 people, including family members, friends, and acquaintances of Dahayak," Kaushal said. Instead of money being deposited directly into accounts of genuine recipients, it was diverted into personal accounts of unrelated people—a sign of a carefully planned and orchestrated fraud. Snakebite scam involves fake death claims for compensation The scam involved the use of the same names repeatedly in multiple claims for compensation. For example: Ramesh was recorded as having died 30 times. Dwarika Bai is said to have died 29 times. Ram Kumar was recorded as having died 28 times. Each of these spurious deaths was claimed up to Rs 4 lakh compensation, the maximum available by the Madhya Pradesh government in case of death due to a natural calamity. During the investigation, officials discovered that claims were sanctioned without necessary documents including: Death certificates Post-mortem reports Police verification These documents were never brought forth despite constant requests by the investigation team. Lack of these mandatory checks enabled the scam to remain undetected for years. How criminals used system gaps to forge fake sanctions The criminals took advantage of gaps in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to bulldoze spurious bills and sanctions. The investigation further revealed that officers, ranging from tehsildars to a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), had their official login details used to create spurious sanction orders. The primary accused, Sachin Dahayak, has been arrested and is in custody. Departmental action against six other government officials has been launched, including: One Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Four Tehsildars One other Assistant Grade III employee All were serving in Keolari tehsil during the period of investigation (2018–2022). CAG audit exposes Rs 23.81 crore fraud in Madhya Pradesh A different audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in late 2022 also pointed out the systemic nature of the fraud. The audit, which considered disbursements from four big state relief schemes, identified that Rs 23.81 crore was fraudulently disbursed in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Breakdown of misappropriated amount: Seoni: Rs 11.79 crore Sheopur: Rs 3.36 crore Shivpuri: Rs 3 crore Dewas: Rs 1.26 crore Sehore: Rs 1.17 crore The audit report, which was laid before the Vidhan Sabha in March 2025, reported that Rs 21.14 crore had been transferred to ineligible or unauthorized persons and Rs 2.67 crore had gone to government servants and their family members. In Seoni district alone, scrutiny of 81 bills from the Keolari tehsil found that Rs 11.64 crore had been illegally transferred to 59 ineligible persons in the name of 291 fictitious sanction orders. Financial fraud exposes weaknesses in digital governance The revelation of this compensation fraud in Seoni and other areas highlights key weaknesses in financial management and digital governance frameworks. The capacity to keep making false death claims undetected for more than three years indicates key lacunas in monitoring, documentation, and accountability. While inquiry goes on and disciplinary steps against officials implicated unfold, the case pinpoints the imperative for enhanced verification processes, periodic audit checking, and safe access to financial management systems to avert repeats of such massive financial frauds. Also Read | China's 650-year-old Ming Dynasty tower roof collapses in seconds, tourists evacuate in panic | Watch
