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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 As per the report, a total of 44,918 employees - 36,081 regular and 8,837 non-regular - have not withdrawn salaries via IFMIS in more than six months.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'.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AM Best Maintains Under Review With Developing Implications Status for Credit Ratings of First Insurance Company
LONDON, January 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has maintained the under review with developing implications status for the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb+" (Good) of First Insurance Company (SFIC) (Jordan). The Credit Rating (rating) action follows the announcement on 9 January 2025 that SFIC's sister company, Solidarity Bahrain B.S.C., has signed a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Bahrain National Holding Company B.S.C. in relation to the acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of each of Bahrain National Insurance Company B.S.C. (c) (BNI) and Bahrain National Life Assurance Company B.S.C. (c) (BNL) for a total purchase price of BHD 75 million. The signing of the SPA follows the previous announcement on 11 August 2024 that SFIC's parent company, Solidarity Group Holding B.S.C. (c), agreed to purchase the operations of BNI and BNL. The ratings are expected to remain under review with developing implications until the transaction closes and AM Best has assessed its impact on SFIC's credit rating fundamentals. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on Contacts Saad Abbasi Financial Analyst +44 20 7397 0316 Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 882 2310 Jessica Botelho-Young, CA Director, Analytics +44 20 7397 0310 Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 882 2318 Sign in to access your portfolio
