Para 20.12 — MSO (A&E)
Original Rule Text
20.12 If in the course of scrutiny of claims an Accounts Officer notices that something more is due to a Government Servant than has actually been claimed he should bring the short payment or over deduction (unless the amount be insignificant) to the notice of the disbursing officer, or to that of the Government Servant direct if he draws his own bills. The Accounts and Entitlement office will have done
General or the Senior Deputy Accountant General/Deputy Accountant General may subject to the limits laid down by the State Government forego recovery on their behalf if he is satisfied that it was drawn by the Government Servant concerned under a reasonable belief that he was entitled to it.
its duty when it has warned the Government Servant that he has a further claim and it cannot compel him to prefer it.
What This Means
If an Accounts Officer notices that a government servant has been underpaid or over-deducted, the officer must proactively bring this to the attention of the disbursing officer (or the government servant directly if they draw their own bills), unless the amount is insignificant. However, the A&E office cannot force the government servant to claim the amount — it has fulfilled its duty by issuing the warning.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1Accounts Officers must notify underpayments and over-deductions when detected
- 2Notification goes to the disbursing officer or the government servant directly (if self-drawing)
- 3Insignificant amounts may be excluded from this requirement
- 4The A&E office cannot compel the government servant to prefer a claim
- 5Duty is discharged once the warning has been communicated
Practical Example
While checking a Gazetted Officer's salary bill, the accountant notices that the officer's dearness allowance has been calculated at the old rate for the past three months, resulting in an underpayment of Rs. 4,500. The accountant writes to the officer informing him of the short payment and advising him to submit an arrear claim, but the officer must initiate the claim himself.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AG obligated to help recover underpayments for government servants?▼
What if the underpayment amount is very small?▼
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.