Chief Accounts Officer and Health officer after examining documents submitted by Agency/NGOs reported vide No.MCJ/H/10496-98 dated 25.01.2023 and No.MJ/Accts/5806-08 dated 28.01.2023 that M/s talent Club, M/s Multiple Action Research and M/s National Development Society and M/S Manmeet Consultancy are defaulters on account of non-deposit of EPF/ESIC
JMC Commissioner instead of handing over the case to Anti Corruption Bureau/ Crime Branch to prove these serious allegations instead wrote to eleven NGOs to produce record of EPF and ESI for the period of 2020-2021, 2021-2022 vide No.JMC/Estt/9039-42 dated 9-12-2022 after one month of letter received from Anti Corruption Bureau highlighting serious huge discrepancy in the amount released by JMC and the amount actually deposited in EPF & ESIC office
GY CORRESPONDENT
jammu, Dec 29
Jammu Municipal Corporation engaged eleven NGOs/Agencies vide No. MJ/PS/Com/226-28 dated 11-4-2020 for deployment of labour /sanitation workers in addition to nearly 2000 permanent employees of JMC and nearly 1312 employees engaged through 13 NGOs including skilled and unskilled for various works in 75 Wards for two years and the wages to be paid were prescribed by Govt.The NGOs engaged by JMC includes Talent Club, Jagriti Mahila Udyog Kender, Swarangan Meditation Charitable Trust, National Council for Urban and Rural Development Society, M/S Sai Baba Society, National Development Organization J&K, M/S Urban and Rural Sanitation Club, National Youth Child and Women Empowerment Society, JK City Sanitation Society, Society for Scheduled Caste and Backwards, JK Public Welfare and Development Society, Association for Social economic and Environment Development, Multiple Action Research Group continuing with JMC since 2019. These NGOs were also given one year extension to eleven NGOs as two NGOs quit. Health Section of JMC was given the task of supervise the various works to be done by 13 NGOs in 75 Wards including their daily attendance of Highly Skilled,Skilled and Unskilled workers and also paying monthly wages on the basis of monthly attendance including EPF/ESIC funds.
However as a confidence building measure to secure future of Safaikaramcharis engaged by NGOs, JMC announced EPF/EPS/EDLI/ESIC benefits of these Safaikaramcharis Jammu Municipal Corporation in order to ensure proper management of funds under EPFO @ 12.5%, ESIC @3.25% and administrative charges 5% in a order issued by then Municipal Commissioner Anvy Lavasa vide order No.JMC/Estt/Order/2020/3/27-40 dated 13-7-2020 pursuant to decision of Central Purchase Committee accorded sanction to engagement of M/S Manmeet Consultancy for ESIC,EPF of Safaikaramcharis engaged through NGOs on monthly salary of Rs 33000. It deserves mentioning here that the amount which JMC pays in addition to monthly wages to Safaikaramcharis,same amount was to be paid by Proprietor of NGOs monthly for EPF/EPS/EDLI/ESIC and the same jointly to be deposited in PF account of Safaikaramcharis.
Worthwhile to mention here that there is huge discrepancy in the amount released by JMC and the amount actually deposited in EPF & ESIC office. Numerous complaints were received in JMC against Ms. Manmeet Consultancy but no action has been taken at all because of the close proximity with JMC officers who always shed him because of the reasons best known to him only. Mr. Jodh Singh Soni Owner of M/S Manmeet Consultancy who is also running one of the NGO empanelled with JMC is the criminal conspirator behind the EPF & ESIC mismanagement. As per the documents available with this Newspaper JMC in three months of 2022 that is January,February and March released Rs 17414980,13946294 and 16366599 respectively making it total 477227863 and on the basis of three months figure it becomes nearly 429550767 for 9 months which yearly becomes 477278630 during the year 2021-2022, in addition to this JMC paying EPFO @ 12.5%, ESIC @3.25% and administrative charges 5%. In this way an amount worth crores swindled off by M/S Manmeet Consultancy as the JMC deposited its shared amount but the amount which was to be paid by 11 NGOs was not paid till August 31st 2022 and out of them two NGOs had quit and after that five new NGOs were engaged .
But despite all this NGO workers deployed through different empanelled NGOs approached JMC Commissioner alleging that they are not being paid wages by or before 5th of each month and also unaccountable deduction is being made from their wages by concerned NGOs ranging from Rs 20 to Rs Rs 30 per day besides there are ambiguities in the deposit of ESIC and EPF in favour of NGO Labour/workers which is against relevant provisions of law in vogue. JMC which is habitual of taking only eyewash action released a circular vide No.JMC/Estt/3408-10 dated 8-7-2022 signed by then Joint Commissioner(A) asked NGOs to pay wages before 5th of every month and also there shall be no deduction from minimum wages. But despite serious allegations against consultancy firms, no enquiry was ordered by JMC which smells wrong doings and undue patronage to NGOs going and doing against contracts signed.It is pertinent to mention here that JMC itself is neither registered on EPF or ESIC portal and nor JMC have any EPF or ESIC number then how they are drawing EPF & ESIC contribution from Govt. chest and providing it to the NGO’s. JMC authorities and NGO’s are not deducting EPF/ESIC in respect of Skilled and Highly skilled laborers is also a big question mark on the working of JMC administration. The reasons for these administrative blunders are only known to JMC authorities.All NGO’s of JMC are deducting 12.5% employee share from engaged laborers and JMC also released the matching share from JMC Government funds whereas NGO’s and Sh. Jodh Singh Soni of M/s Manmeet Consultancy not even default the Govt. share but also fraudulently grasped poor NGO laborers share. Jodh Singh Soni never deposited either employees deduction or Govt. share. He fraudulently grasped all the money of the poor laborers and which is very much in the knowledge of the JMC officers but they never take any action.
It deserves mentioning here that Senior Superintendent of Police, Anti Corruption Bureau vide No.SSP/DS/Misc-Matter/22/2022/ACBJ/7635 dated 12-11-2022 shared various allegations against JMC and the NGOs engaged by it with departmental Vigilance Officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation and the same received by JMC vide No.Misc-Matter No.ACB-E-241102-Misc-JSK-22/2022-2351 dated 19-10-2022 highlighting various complaints as mentioned in this story of Golden Yug Daily English Newspaper. Surprisingly in spite of all these serious allegations, JMC Commissioner instead of handing over the case to Anti Corruption Bureau/ Crime Branch to prove these serious allegations instead wrote to eleven NGOs to produce record of EPF and ESI for the period of 2020-2021, 2021-2022 vide No.JMC/Estt/9039-42 dated 9-12-2022 after one month of letter received from Anti Corruption Bureau. Simultaneously, the chief Accounts Officer/Health Officer were also directed vide letter No.MJ/Estt/9524-22 dated 22.12.2022 followed by another communication No.JMC/Estt/10519-22 dated 17.01.2023 to get the verification/checking done in respect of documents submitted by existing NGOs who had provided labour/sanitation workers to JMC during the period 2020-2021.
The chief Accounts Officer and Health officer after examining the documents submitted by Agency/NGOs reported vide No.MCJ/H/10496-98 dated 25.01.2023 and No.MJ/Accts/5806-08 dated 28.01.2023 that M/s talent Club, M/s Multiple Action Research and M/s National Development Society NGO’s/Agencies are defaulters on account of non-deposit of EPF/ESIC for 5 to 8 months. All the three NGO’s/Agencies and one Sh. Jodh Singh Soni Prop. M/s Manmeet consultancy who were declared defaulters and committed breach of terms and conditions of empanelment orders of JMC were directed to explain their position within 5 days from issuance of final notice to them under reference No.JMC/Estt/11420-11423 dated 06.02.2023, JMC/Estt/11416-11419 dated 06.02.2023, JMC/Estt/11408-11411 dated 06.02.2023 and JMC/Estt/11112-11415 dated 06.02.2023. The NGO’s did not respond and one Mr. Jodh Singh Soni submitted unsatisfactory details which are not in consonance with the terms and conditions laid down for deployment of labour and subsequent deposits required to be made on account of EPF/ESIC.
The matter while taken into consideration by placing reliance on reports of controlling officer and drawing disbursing officer i.e. Health officer and Chief Accounts Officers prima-facia, it appears suspected and warrants registration of FIR and action against all the four above mentioned parties i.e. NGO’s/M/s Manmeet consultancy on account of breach of laid down terms & conditions.As such, in view of above stated position, Commissioner JMC requested Senior Superintendent of Police ,Crime Branch Jammu vide his letter No. JMC/Estt/12119 dated 24-2-2023 to get the matter investigated and FIR/case registered against the above mentioned defaulter three NGOs and M/s Manmeet consultancy who have breached the terms and conditions of the contract and did not comply with the notices issued with malafide intentions at the earliest.
Anti corruption Bureau should not take this issue lightly as worth crores has been swindled off and the worst suffers are poor Safaikaramcharis who are already been paid meager amount on monthly basis to run their family affairs and whatever little protection they had in shape of EPF/ESIC to meet any untoward incident has been dashed due to high level corruption involved in this whole episode. The present case deserves high level investigation as worth crores of poor Safai Karamcharis has been looted by corrupt system and the same should be restored henceforth and those found culprits should be punished adequately failing which the credibility of JMC will be at stake and also poor Safai Kramcharis won’t be able to perform their duties effectively.
