Disbursement of Salaries: Govt issues series of instructions to ensure fiscal discipline

Srinagar: To ensure fiscal discipline and proper budget management, the Government Thursday issued a series of instructions regarding disbursement of the salaries of employees.
“In terms of J&K Budget Manual, the salary budget is allocated only for the sanctioned staff strength. However, it has been noticed that departments are projecting requirements of funds for disbursement of salaries under various innovative nomenclatures,” said an order issued by the Principal Secretary Finance, Navin K Choudhary here this evening.
Quoting instances which go in violation of the Financial Rules and Regulations, the order said the Education Department is projecting salary requirement against “overall cadre strength” which is a wrong practice.
It said the creation of posts in any Department is an area/ institution/office specific one, approved by the Cabinet with the prior concurrence of the Finance Department. “The abolition or transfer of the posts from one area to another, from one office to another is also the prerogative of the Government except wherever specifically provided under any rule or order,” it said adding that the transfer and posting of a Government employee from rural areas against the nonexistent post (against Overall Cadre Strength) in urban areas is not only loaded with the risk of payment of higher emoluments, but also prone to additional appointments against the posts left vacant due to such transfers.
According to the order, the problem for projection of funds over and above cadre strength also arises due to posting/joining and transfer of officers/officials to offices where no sanctioned post exists. “Again, it has been seen that the problem mainly persists in the Education and Health Department,” it said.
“In this background, it is enjoined upon all the Administrative Secretaries to ensure strict compliance to basic principles and rules and to ensure that the salary of the employees is drawn only against the sanctioned posts, which shall include deputation/ leave reserve posts also,” the order said adding that the Government servants engaged against non-existent posts (against Overall Cadre Strength) should not be paid at city rates at all.
“Wherever transfers are made at the insistence of the employees, the salary and allowances of all such Government officials should be drawn as he/she was drawing in the earlier posting,” it said and added that all Heads of Offices, Director Finance/ FA&CAO/DDOs of the respective Departments shall closely monitor any deviation of the directions issued in this regard and should stop such practices if still in vogue in their Departments.
It said wherever salary is drawn over and above the sanctioned strength of the posts, such drawl shall be construed as illegal and the authorities involved in drawing such salary in the garb of “overall cadre strength” shall face serious disciplinary proceedings.
The order further enjoined upon all the departments to ensure that no expenditure is booked under ‘salary’ by any Government office unless the same has been budgeted for and the entry relating to the posts figures in the form B-4 and other related statements. The number of posts in B-4 of any office should confirm its sanctioned strength.
If on account of implementation of Court Orders etc the Departments are constrained to release arrears without budget, the same should be specifically shown in the Revised Estimates, it said adding that the posts belonging to an office should not be arbitrarily transferred from one office to another. “Even if the Departments require re-deploying employees, the salary should continue to be drawn from parent office only,” it said.