Guidelines for Presenting Bills at Treasury/ PAO, 2016-2017

Government of West Bengal
Finance (Audit) Department
NABANNA, Howrah- 711 102

No. 1142-F(Y) Dated, Howrah the 23rd February 2017

MEMORANDUM

It has experienced that during the final months i.e. the February and March of the financial year large numbers of bills are presented before the Treasuries/ Pay & Accounts Offices leading to huge accumulation of bills in those Offices and extreme pressure of the staff concerned. There is likelihood of committing mistakes resulting in complications when the Officers and Staff are to work under high stress. Such a situation is avoidable if submission of bills are made in the systematic and phased manner. Finance Department issues guidelines every year in this respect and these are reiterated in the following manner for the financial year 2016-2017 for adherence.

1. All Sub-Allotting Officers shall distribute the fund to the DDOs for drawal and disbursement well ahead without holding them unnecessarily in hand.
2. The Treasuries as and when necessary, may immediately be strengthened temporarily by deputation of Staff from other sections of the District or Sub-Divisional Offices till the end of Financial Year. District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Officers shall look into the matter well ahead.
3. No new bills shall be received by the Treasury/ Pay & Accounts Offices after 4 p.m. on 31.03.2017.
4. Bills returned/ objected before 16.03.2017 shall be submitted by 17.03.2017 and bills returned/ objected during the period 17.03.2017 to 21.03.2017 must be submitted by 24.03.2017. Bills returned between 22.03.2017 to 29.03.2017 must be resubmitted by very next day. Bills returned on 30.03.2017 and 31.03.2017 must be re-submitted by 4 p.m. on the same day of objection.
5. No bill shall be passed under any head of account for which no allotment has been received during the entire current financial year.
6. No advance shall be drawn without specific concurrence of the Finance Department, (GroupT). U.O. No. of the Finance Department shall invariably be quoted in all orders sanctioning advance.
7. No amount shall be transferred to the PL/LF deposit account unless specific authorization is given in the Government order except where there are standing orders authorizing such transfer with the concurrence of Finance department.
8. Treasury/ Pay & Accounts Offices shall dispose of all the bills received prior to 17.03.2017 by 20.03.2017 by way of generation of Payment mandate/ delivery of cheques. Bills received during 17.03.2017 to 29.03.2017 shall be cleared by Treasury/Pay & Accounts Offices on day to day basis with an aim to start with nil pending bills on 30.03.2017.
9. Treasury Officer/Pay & Accounts Officer/Additional Treasury Officer/Additional Pay & Accounts Officer shall arrange for the generation of Payment mandate/delivery of cheques/Nil Bill Statements/PL Transfer Statements, if any, as soon as bills are passed and ensure that no mandate/cheque/Nil Bill/PL transfer statements are pending for delivery through system at 11:00 PM on 31.03.2017.
10. Closing of March, 2017 accounts shall be completed by 11 PM of 31.03.2017. Cheques remaining undelivered up to 11 PM on 31.03.2017 should be cancelled forthwith so that no cheque is delivered on the next day under any circumstances.
11. On 31.03.2017 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. midnight, the Treasury Officer/Pay & Accounts Officer shall confirm from the Computer record as well as by physical verification that all the bills have been disposed of properly. TO/ATO/PAO/APAO shall ensure from computer system at regular interval that no payment mandate and cheque/Nil Bill Statement/PL transfer statements are pending for delivery. In no case any request for back end delivery of cheque/ Nil Bill/ PL Transfer statements would be entertained.
12. Monthly accounts for the month of March, 2017 must be submitted to the Office of the Accountant General (A&E), West Bengal by 13.04.2017.
13. Salary for the month of March, 2017 in respect of State Government employees, Employees of Non-Government aided educational institutions, Libraries, Primary Schools, Employees of Panchayat Bodies; Employees paid out of deposit accounts/ Grant-in-aid etc. shall be paid on 03.04.2017. Monthly Wages, Honorarium, Remuneration, Stipend shall also be paid on 03.04.2017.Treasury/ Pay & Accounts Offices shall generate mandate on RBI for credit into the Bank Account on 3rd April, 2017 and deliver all the cheques through system mandatorily within 31.03.2017 with specific instruction for non-encashment before 01.04.2017.
14. District Magistrate and Sub-divisional Officer in the outlaying sub-division shall issue necessary instructions on the above lines to the DDOs so that the work in the treasuries can be completed smoothly at the close of the financial year.
15. In partial modification of G.O No. 51-F(Y) dated- 03.01.2017, the revised date of submission of Pay Bill for the month of March, 2017 of all offices under the 11 merge departments shall be 17.03.2017 under the new Demand of 2017-18 as per G.O No. 1505-F.B. dated- 06.02.2017. The revised date of submission of employee related claims for those offices shall be 15.03.2017 by the existing DDOs.

Sd/- P. A. Siddiqui
Secretary
Government of West Bengal
Finance Department

No. 1142-F dated 23.02.2017, Source