In its hurry to pay the salaries to the government employees as per the new PRC so as to thwart their strike, the AP government this month has deposited salaries to even employees who are long dead and those who are under suspension. Thus, huge amounts have gone into the accounts of people who are no more and the government does not know how to recover the amount.
Due to the standoff with the government employees over the new PRC, which they have rejected outright, the government this month decided to deposit their salaries as per the new PRC. But with the treasury employees expressing solidarity with the striking government employees, the government tried to use the online systems and AI to process the salary data.
The technology used could not differentiate between the living employees and those who are dead. Also, it could not identify those suspended for various reasons. All these people got salaries. The government, which checked the data, later found that money has already gone into such accounts. Now, efforts are on to identify such accounts and is now said to trying to recover the amount.
The government reportedly asked the treasury officials to prepare a list of those who have retired long ago and is trying to contact them. Similarly, suspended employees are also being contacted. There are also complaints that ineligible people got their salaries. Those in the know of government financial processes say that recovery would be a very tough task and it could take quite a long period to get back the money.
WOW