Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government has issued an order to recover Rs 145 crores from salaries of the forest guards which was paid in excess. 

As many as 6,592 forest guards have been working in the department since 2006 and the excess amount paid in their salaries is to be recovered. The department had paid them salaries in the wrong pay grade.

Now, the department has ordered to recover the amount from their salaries. According to the orders, the forest guards working since 2006 will have to return Rs 5 lakh, while those working since 2013 will have to pay back Rs 1.50 lakh.  

Govt’s fault so it should bear the loss: Nath

Former chief minister Kamal Nath has criticised Auditor General Gwalior for sloppy audit. Nath stated that every year the AG Gwalior conducts the audit, but the AG failed to identify the wrongdoing in the department. If the AG made such a mistake in the forest department, they would have done in other departments too, said the Congress leader.

He further stated that whatever salary was given to the forest guards they had taken, now it is the responsibility of the government to bear the loss as it was the part of the government not forest guards, he added.