SUBASH RAI
GANGTOK: The Human Resource Development Department has done it again- made an embarrassing blunder. It is now official that the Department miscalculated salary arrears for a section of teachers posted in East Sikkim and disbursed excess amounts following the 4th Pay Commission salary hike. It has now issued notices to these teachers directing them to reimburse the excess amount.
This could not be good news for a Department , which, for the last few months, has been consistently beset by controversies ranging from question papers leakage, to involvement of teachers in rigging a scholarship attempt to delays in the supply of the school textbooks.
The latest oversight at the Department came to light when it served notices to some teachers directing them to return a portion of the sum released to them as salary arrears following the 4th Pay Commission salary hike.
The total sum involved or the number of affected teachers is not known yet as HRDD officials denied to disclose the exact figures, claiming that this was still being processed and rechecked. But the number can be surmised from the fact a School Mother, who is at present engaged in teaching senior citizens, was notified to refund a sum of Rs. 1.82 lakhs. Of course, in some cases, the excess amount in only a few hundreds or a couple of thousands.
The School Mother referred to here was attached with a primary school when she received her arrears. At the same school of 11 teachers, the School Mother along with two other primary teachers have been informed of having received excess arrears.
When contacted, the HRDD Secretary, R. Telang, confirmed the incident, but stressed that this was not a ‘clerical mistake’ or miscalculation.
“This happened because of the manner in which the notification issued by the Department of Personnel on arrears was drafted which confused us with its language which offered dual interpretations,” Mr. Telang said.
On the other hand, a senior official at the DoP contradicted this statement saying, “If this was the case, why did mistakes take place only in East District.”
According to this officer, no complaints were received from other districts even though the same notification was sent to all.
The HRDD Secretary also claimed that the DoP eventually issued a re-notification, following which the HRDD office here had re-calculated the amount and discovered that some teachers had been released excess payment while settling the salary arrears.
On this, the DoP official clarified, “The re-notification was the same as the original. A minor modification was done and it was clearly mentioned that the Department summed out other meaning from the earlier notification.”
It was further clarified by the DoP official that the mistakes might have occurred because of the concerned personnel at the HRDD [East] office, who took the training on behalf of the Department from the AATI, did not understand the modes of calculation.
“Though the Government had fixed the salaries of the teachers higher than that of other civil servants, the concerned officials who worked out the fixation amounts after trainings, failed to understand the ‘Fitman Table’, which clearly guides how to calculate the new salary figures and arrears.”
Here, at the ground level, teachers have already served with notices directing them to return the excess amounts. These teachers were found confused in other aspects as well.
“Some say it has to be returned in 36 installments and some others want it in 12 installments,” said a primary teacher, who had received a notice stating that she had to return a sum of Rs. 6,020 to the Department.
In this regard, the HRDD Secretary said, “Employees had signed an undertaking with the Department stating that they were liable to return excess amount,” adding that the mode of payment can be fixed by the individual in consultation with the concerned drawing and disbursing officer, which is the Joint Directors of the districts.
The State government had, in December 2009, directed all HoDs to ensure that there was no excess or underpayment made to employees in arrears disbursement. The 4th Pay Commission came into effect from 26 November, 2009 through a Gazette Notification under Sikkim Government Services [Revised Pay Rules, 2009].
GANGTOK: The Human Resource Development Department has done it again- made an embarrassing blunder. It is now official that the Department miscalculated salary arrears for a section of teachers posted in East Sikkim and disbursed excess amounts following the 4th Pay Commission salary hike. It has now issued notices to these teachers directing them to reimburse the excess amount.
This could not be good news for a Department , which, for the last few months, has been consistently beset by controversies ranging from question papers leakage, to involvement of teachers in rigging a scholarship attempt to delays in the supply of the school textbooks.
The latest oversight at the Department came to light when it served notices to some teachers directing them to return a portion of the sum released to them as salary arrears following the 4th Pay Commission salary hike.
The total sum involved or the number of affected teachers is not known yet as HRDD officials denied to disclose the exact figures, claiming that this was still being processed and rechecked. But the number can be surmised from the fact a School Mother, who is at present engaged in teaching senior citizens, was notified to refund a sum of Rs. 1.82 lakhs. Of course, in some cases, the excess amount in only a few hundreds or a couple of thousands.
The School Mother referred to here was attached with a primary school when she received her arrears. At the same school of 11 teachers, the School Mother along with two other primary teachers have been informed of having received excess arrears.
When contacted, the HRDD Secretary, R. Telang, confirmed the incident, but stressed that this was not a ‘clerical mistake’ or miscalculation.
“This happened because of the manner in which the notification issued by the Department of Personnel on arrears was drafted which confused us with its language which offered dual interpretations,” Mr. Telang said.
On the other hand, a senior official at the DoP contradicted this statement saying, “If this was the case, why did mistakes take place only in East District.”
According to this officer, no complaints were received from other districts even though the same notification was sent to all.
The HRDD Secretary also claimed that the DoP eventually issued a re-notification, following which the HRDD office here had re-calculated the amount and discovered that some teachers had been released excess payment while settling the salary arrears.
On this, the DoP official clarified, “The re-notification was the same as the original. A minor modification was done and it was clearly mentioned that the Department summed out other meaning from the earlier notification.”
It was further clarified by the DoP official that the mistakes might have occurred because of the concerned personnel at the HRDD [East] office, who took the training on behalf of the Department from the AATI, did not understand the modes of calculation.
“Though the Government had fixed the salaries of the teachers higher than that of other civil servants, the concerned officials who worked out the fixation amounts after trainings, failed to understand the ‘Fitman Table’, which clearly guides how to calculate the new salary figures and arrears.”
Here, at the ground level, teachers have already served with notices directing them to return the excess amounts. These teachers were found confused in other aspects as well.
“Some say it has to be returned in 36 installments and some others want it in 12 installments,” said a primary teacher, who had received a notice stating that she had to return a sum of Rs. 6,020 to the Department.
In this regard, the HRDD Secretary said, “Employees had signed an undertaking with the Department stating that they were liable to return excess amount,” adding that the mode of payment can be fixed by the individual in consultation with the concerned drawing and disbursing officer, which is the Joint Directors of the districts.
The State government had, in December 2009, directed all HoDs to ensure that there was no excess or underpayment made to employees in arrears disbursement. The 4th Pay Commission came into effect from 26 November, 2009 through a Gazette Notification under Sikkim Government Services [Revised Pay Rules, 2009].
HRDD.....one of the most important Departments...and mired in one goof up after another ...is it the Minister, is it the Secretary , is it the officers who are so inept and not able to give proper direction??? .............and the award goes to Sikkim........how does it happen again and again..despite everything!!!
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