The Nagaland Government has detected more than 1,000 government personnel suspected of drawing double salaries or pensions from multiple sources, with a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the cases across nearly 50 departments.
Deputy Chief Minister, Y Patton, who is in charge of Home, disclosed this in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Thursday, stating that the suspected fraudulent drawals were not limited to the Nagaland Police.
According to Patton, the Home Department constituted the SIT after finding that more than 1,000 personnel were suspected of drawing double salaries, including cases involving double pensions. He said the matter was under investigation and the actual number of fraudulent drawals would be known only after the probe was completed.
The disclosure came during a question raised by MLA Kuzholuzo Nienu on whether Nagaland Police personnel were being paid strictly against sanctioned posts and whether any personnel had been detected drawing double salaries.
The department stated that the Personnel Information Management System (PIMS) alone was the deciding factor for salary drawal following the introduction of the e-Pay system in Nagaland. It also stated that the sanctioned strength of posts was being strictly adhered to while drawing salaries of Nagaland Police personnel.
Nienu, while expressing satisfaction with some of the answers, said the response on PIMS was not satisfactory and was vague.
He said he had been informed that around 600 to 700 personnel were drawing double salaries and described the situation as “shocking”. He urged the government to take strict action against those found guilty of fraudulent drawals.
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Nienu suggested termination of service and prosecution of those involved, besides measures to prevent such employees from entering other government departments. He said exemplary action was necessary to deter others from attempting to draw double or multiple salaries.
Patton, however, clarified that the figure of more than 1,000 represented personnel suspected of such practices and not a confirmed number of fraudulent drawals. He said the investigation would establish the actual number.
Nienu also used the discussion to call for stronger systems within the police department, saying the issue of multiple salary drawals showed the need to identify risks and improve existing mechanisms.
He maintained that the Home Department was critical to the functioning of the State and that strengthening its systems would contribute to strengthening the State as a whole.
The discussion also touched upon police recruitment and transfer policies, with Nienu urging the government to modernise the recruitment system and introduce a comprehensive transfer and posting policy.
He said the police recruitment system needed to be overhauled to meet the requirements of a digital age, including the growing use of technology and artificial intelligence in policing.
Nienu also recalled raising the need for a comprehensive transfer and posting policy in the Assembly in 2023 and urged the department to bring out the policy in the next session.
Patton said the member’s suggestions had been noted.
