In Bihar, many took home excess salary, HRA. Then a random audit blew the lid off ‘scam’

The Bihar education department has uncovered an alleged scam involving misused online Human Resource Management System (HRMS) that allowed officials to withdraw excess salary, house rent allowance (HRA), and other dues, amounting to approximately Rs 35 crore. The scam involved 7,202 cases of excess withdrawals across all 38 districts of Bihar.

Random audits in October detected three sample cases of excess withdrawals in Bhagalpur, Nawada, and Patna, prompting a statewide audit of salary, allowances, rent, and dues through the HRMS system. Education Department Director (Administration) Vijay Kumar Pandey issued a show cause notice to all District Education Officers (DEOs) demanding a detailed response with supporting evidence within seven days. Failure to respond may result in an ex-parte decision against the official.

The government described the illegal withdrawals as a "gross failure in administrative control and criminal omission," accusing DEOs of supervisory laxity and failure to prevent the misconduct. The education director stated that DEOs are primarily responsible for monitoring the HRMS process and preventing any illegal withdrawals. The HRMS, launched in August 2022, aims to modernize public administration by transitioning personnel management to a digital workflow.