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.
