Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi addresses people at his janata darbar in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, April 5: The state government has decided to notify officers of all its departments, whose sole task would be to ensure complete adherence to the provisions of Bihar Finance Rules. Earlier, the responsibility was entrusted with the departmental heads.

Sharing the information today, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today said at a post-janata darbar news meet that the decision had been taken in the wake of the points raised by the office of the accountant-general (AG) in which it was mentioned that several of the detailed contingent (DC) bills submitted by different departments didn’t have the counter signature of the controlling officers.

“The point raised by the AG office is valid and we have decided to notify special officers for such works as the departmental heads are already burdened with other work,” Modi said, adding that while notifying any official to carryout such work it would be ensured that he/she holds a rank higher than that of drawing and disbursing officers.

Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio, recently held a high-level meeting with senior officials of the finance department to discuss the points raised by the AG at different points of time and the corrective steps taken by the state government to address those issues.

The AG office had recently released reports stating that DC bills worth more than Rs 15,000 crore had not been submitted by the state government.

Asked to clarify the state government’s stand on the point raised by the AG office, Modi said a large number of DC bills had not been accepted by the AG office because it didn’t have the counter signature of the controlling authority.

“After notification of officers who would be entrusted with the sole task of complete adherence to the finance rules the pending bills would be corrected in accordance with the points raised by the AG office and would then be submitted to the AG office,” he said.

The deputy chief minister said the state government has also decided to strengthen the offices of internal financial advisors in all the departments and now it would be ensured that those getting this responsibility are not transferred frequently.

“We have decided to provide a dedicated team to assist the financial advisors and if required, the government would engage services of professionals like chartered accountants for these teams,” Modi added.

The financial advisors would be given all the responsibilities related to audit and accounts of the department including submission of abstract contingent (AC) bills, DC bills and utilisation certificates.

Modi said the state government had taken many steps to inculcate financial discipline in functioning of government departments and computerisation of all the treasuries had proved to be a major help in maintaining discipline.

Modi returned to the janata darbar after the month-long Assembly session. On Monday, chief minister Nitish Kumar, too, attended the darbar after a break. Most of the applicants visiting the weekly meet at Nitish’s official residence at 1 Aney Marg shed copious tears before articulating their problems, said a source.

A source said most applicants started crying before explaining their grievances. Sometimes, it was so difficult for the government officials that they stopped listening to the applicants. Nearly 2,000 applicants came to the darbar yesterday.

Those who visited Nitish’s janata darbar yesterday found a new rule: no applicant was allowed to carry anything inside the chief minister’s official residence, except their applications.

Wallets, wristbands, medicine, refreshments, handkerchief, pen, paper, belts — just anything that the security personnel felt was “unsuitable” had to be left outside.

The applicants had to pass through a metal detector and were also frisked manually.

Security personnel at Nitish’s official residence had said it was a normal procedure.

He added: “There is no threat to the chief minister. Everything is smooth. If that was so even the bags of press photographers would have been kept outside.”

It was Modi’s first janata darbar after the Assembly session.