In what may emerge as one of the biggest salary scams in Madhya Pradesh’s history, nearly 50,000 government employees, accounting for almost nine per cent of the state’s workforce, have not received their salaries for over six months. While the employees exist on paper with names and official employee codes, their payment status has mysteriously been in limbo—raising serious concerns about possible financial irregularities and “ghost” employment.
Opposition demands probe
Targeting the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose questioned the inaction of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI, and Income Tax Department over what she described as a “massive salary scam.”
Taking to social media, Ghose wrote on X:”MASSIVE SALARY SCAM in @BJP4India-ruled Madhya Pradesh. 50 thousand ‘ghost’ workers in Rs 230 crore scam. ED sleeping, CBI sleeping, IT sleeping… Washing machine at work??”
What the CTA data revealed?
The issue came to light after NDTV accessed internal communications from the Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts (CTA) dated May 23. The letter was sent to all Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) across departments, alerting them to the anomaly. It stated that despite the presence of valid employee codes in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), salaries have not been processed since December 2024 and the exit process for these employees has not been initiated either.
This raises the possibility that some of these employees may be suspended, on unpaid leave, or, most worryingly, may not exist at all.
MP’s Rs 230 crore and 6,000 officers under lens
With an estimated Rs 230 crore in unpaid wages, the issue has now triggered a state-wide probe. More than 6,000 DDOs have been asked to respond within 15 days, with that deadline ending today.
“We regularly conduct data analysis and this discrepancy stood out. I want to clarify that it’s not about salaries being paid to these accounts; the inquiry is meant to curb any potential embezzlement,” said Bhaskar Lakshkar, Commissioner of Treasury and Accounts as quoted by NDTV.
To mitigate further risk, the treasury has ordered manual verification of all employee records, mandating DDOs to certify that no unauthorised personnel are drawing salaries in their respective departments.
Finance Minister dodges questions
When asked about the delayed payments and the large number of affected employees, Finance Minister Jagdish Devda offered a vague response: “Whatever process is followed, it is done according to rules.” Pressed further on the potential for systemic fraud, the minister merely repeated the same line before walking away.
According to officials, of the 50,000 affected workers, 40,000 are regular employees, while 10,000 are temporary or contractual staff. Their cumulative dues amount to Rs 230 crore.
This raises several critical questions — If these positions are truly vacant, how have departments continued to function without nearly 9% of their workforce? If they are ghost entries, who created them, and why did the system fail to detect them earlier? And if it’s merely a technical glitch, why did it take over six months to come to light?