Criminal cases against accused ordered
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 13:
Close on the heels of the office of the Accountant General detecting fraudulent withdrawal of pension in the name of about 200 fictitious pensioners from the Thoubal Treasury office, the State Government has directed police authorities to prepare criminal cases against all found involved in the racket.
Disclosing this a reliable source told The Sangai Express that the Accountant General (Manipur) has intimated the State authorities regarding the scam that ironically involved withdrawals supported by documents prescribed by the AG office for pension purposes.
Acting on the detection of the fraudulent withdrawals, the Finance Commissioner (Govt of Manipur) has also issued relevant instructions for special audit of withdrawal records for the year maintained by the Thoubal Treasury Office.
With the Thoubal Treasury office racket not being an isolated case of fraudulent withdrawals, the State Government is not ruling out possibility of 'special audit' on payments processed by other treasury offices, confided the source.
Such a measure had reportedly been necessitated after about 5000 pensioners out of a total of 25,000 who were enjoying pensionary benefits from the State's exchequer were neither able to provide documentary evidences to deserve the sop nor turned up for the photography exercises taken up by the Government for verification of genuine pensioners through computerisation of pension payment/release system.
As per disclosure of the source, Imphal Treasury Office is accountable for 3200 of the 5000 pensioners that did not oblige the exercises, with 500 of them enlisted in the Imphal East District Treasury office, Thoubal's credibility impinged by 380 'suspect pensioners', Senapati Treasury Office falling short of 900 genuine ones, Churachandpur 250, Bishnupur 150 and Tamenglong Treasury Office 30.Meanwhile, the source also said that all the 30 Drawing and Disbursement Officers (DDOs) of the Education Department are yet to submit statements regarding exact number of employees under them thereby impeding expeditious completion of the Manipur Government Employees List (MGEL) exercise.
The Chief Minister had recently announced that on completion of the ongoing exercises for weeding out fake pensioners and on proper verification of about 4000 employees who failed to conform to MGEL procedures, the State exchequer stands to save upto Rs 8/9 crore annually.