After identifying over 28000 government employees of different departments for committing fraud in filing Income Tax returns, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have singled out some female employees in the Education Department for fraudulently availing child-care leave and maternity leaves.
Taking serious note of such action of these erring employees who have availed or some of them availing the child-care and maternity leaves through fraudulent documents Director School Education Jammu issued warnings to such employees.
Director School Education Ashok Kumar Sharma on Wednesday issued a circular and warned the concerned Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) against sanctioning such leaves through fake documents. It was also warned that DDOs would be responsible for any such laxity.
"It is enjoined upon all the DDOs to sanction Child Care Leave or Maternity Leave in favour of female teaching/non-teaching staff or School Education Department, Jammu strictly in accordance with SR0 232 dated: 22.07.20 15 and SR0-353 dated: 06.10.20 15 read with SO·l54 Dated: 06.04.2022 and other instructions issued by the Government in this behalf from time to time", the circular reads.
It was further mentioned in the circular that it has come to the notice of the authority that some employees have availed or availing the Maternity Leave or Child Care Leave in violation of the rules.
"Non-Compliance or these instructions shall lead to strict action against the concerned ODO as per employee conduct rules. It may even lead to the recovery from the salary of the concerned ODO. If the sanction above leaves in violation of rules", the circular further reads.
Furthermore, all DDOs have been directed to provide lists of all employees who have availed the child care leave or maternity leave. And also list all such employees who are availing of these leaves.
Female employees are entitled to 730 days CCL and 60 days of special maternity leave.
As per the provision, an employee can avail of a maximum period of 730 days of childcare leave during her entire service.
During the period of child care leave, a woman employee and a single male employee shall be paid one hundred percent of the pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave for the first three hundred and sixty-five days, and at eighty percent of the pay for the next three hundred and sixty-five days.
Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to grant a special maternity leave of 60 days to a woman employee in case of the death of a child soon after the birth or stillbirth with some conditions.
A Special Maternity Leave of 60 days may be granted from the date of expiry of a child soon after birth or stillbirth in case the maternity leave has not been availed by a woman employee.
Over 28,000 employees are already under scanner for Income Tax fraud.
As reported earlier, the Income Tax Department has singled out over 28,000 government servants for claiming bogus refunds worth crores of rupees.
These employees have reportedly attached fake documents while filing their income tax returns to claim refunds.
Those under the scanner of the Income Tax Department included police and paramilitary force personnel deployed in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports said that these frauds were detected during the analyzing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filing seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The alleged irregularities came to light sometime back after the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) wing of the department located in Srinagar found that a number of people who are assessed in the Union Territory of J-K had claimed excessive and ineligible deductions.
