In what may evolve into one of the largest public salary frauds in India’s recent memory, nearly 50,000 government employees in Madhya Pradesh have reportedly not received their salaries for more than six months. These workers, comprising almost 9% of the state’s government workforce, remain on the books with active employee IDs, but their salaries have inexplicably stopped prompting concerns about “ghost employment,” systemic glitches, or deliberate fraud.
While the government maintains that no salaries were wrongfully disbursed to fictitious individuals, opposition leaders, notably TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, have alleged a ₹230 crore scam involving fake entries, payroll manipulation, and gross financial irregularities. The issue, first flagged internally during routine data audits, has sparked a full-blown administrative inquiry with more than 6,000 Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) now under scrutiny.
Official Inertia, Political Storm: Is a Cover-Up Underway?
The Finance Ministry’s response has only deepened suspicions. When Finance Minister Jagdish Devda was asked pointedly about the matter, his answers were vague and dismissive: “Whatever process is followed, it is done according to rules,” he said, before abruptly exiting the press conference. No formal explanation has been provided for why such a massive anomaly was left unflagged for six months.
Meanwhile, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam what she called a “washing machine at work,”hinting at the alleged leniency central agencies like the CBI, ED, and IT department show toward BJP-ruled states. Her tweet—“50 thousand ghost workers in ₹230 crore scam. ED sleeping, CBI sleeping…”—has gone viral, increasing public pressure on the Centre.
The silence from central investigating agencies, despite such large-scale fiscal irregularities, is being viewed by critics as selective enforcement and a breakdown of accountability mechanisms.
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Inside the Numbers: Real Workers or Fabricated Payroll?
Initial findings from the Treasury and Accounts Department suggest that of the 50,000 unpaid workers, nearly 40,000 are regular staff, while the remaining 10,000 are on temporary or contractual appointments. The total unpaid dues amount to ₹230 crore, affecting not just livelihoods but shaking faith in the financial integrity of the state.
Commissioner Bhaskar Lakshkar attempted to downplay alarm, stating: “We regularly conduct data analysis and this discrepancy stood out. The inquiry is meant to curb any potential embezzlement.” The department has now mandated manual re-verification of all employee records and instructed each DDO to submit a certified report verifying the authenticity of salaries disbursed in their departments.
Yet questions persist:
- If the employees are real, why haven’t they been paid for half a year?
- If they’re ghost entries, who created them, and for what purpose?
- And if it’s a technical glitch, why was it not discovered sooner?
The timing of the revelation—coinciding with increasing national scrutiny of state finances and administrative transparency—has only added to the urgency. Some civil society groups have even begun drafting RTIs and legal petitions demanding greater transparency and a court-monitored investigation.
System Failure or Structural Scam? The Path Ahead
As Madhya Pradesh faces a deepening political and administrative crisis, the focus now shifts to accountability. Will the state government move beyond optics and initiate real reform within its payroll systems? Will the Centre allow agencies like the CBI and ED to probe a BJP-ruled state with the same zeal shown elsewhere? And perhaps most importantly, will the 50,000 affected individuals ever receive their salaries—or justice?