15,000 Ghost Employees detected

Data Collection reveals major discrepancies

To mitingate the issue, the government has issued directives to link all the contract and outsourcing employees’ details with Adhaar cards

In a significant development aimed at enhancing transparency and curbing irregularities in public employment, the Finance Department of the Telangana Government has announced the completion of a comprehensive data collection exercise for contract and outsourcing employees across various departments.

Principal Secretary of Finance, Sandeep Kumar Sultania, revealed during an informal interaction with the media has stated that the verification process has uncovered large-scale duplicates and fake entries among contract and outsourcing personnel. Notably, a discrepancy of approximately 15,000 employees (referred to as "gaps") has been identified in the state's records, he said.

Sultania stated that certain agencies and corrupt officials in some departments have facilitated the inclusion of fictitious employees, leading to substantial financial losses to the state exchequer through unauthorized monthly salary disbursements.

To address these malpractices and ensure accountability, the government has issued directives mandating the linking of all contract and outsourcing employees' details with their Aadhaar cards. This biometric integration is expected to eliminate duplicate and fake entries, streamline payroll processes, and safeguard public funds.

Metro India highlighted Forensic Audit initiative

In its edition last month, Metro India highlighted that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had ordered a forensic audit to identify "ghost workers" and curb multimillion-rupee leakages caused by fictitious employees.

The audit addresses scams where contractors inflate payrolls with fake names, often using Aadhaar details of acquaintances to siphon salaries. It mandates verification of Aadhaar-linked bank accounts to ensure direct payments to genuine workers. Contractors found misusing funds will face recovery under the Revenue Recovery Act.

The exercise covered approximately 1.4 lakh contract staff in 42 government departments (paid directly by the government) and over one lakh outsourcing employees in key corporations like GHMC, TGSRTC, and electricity utilities (paid via intermediaries).