The State Printing Department has violated budgetary circulars and spent 69.39 per cent more than the approved allocations for the payment of overtime and other allowances to its staff last year, said the National Audit Office.
For the entirety of 2023 and in the first two months of 2024, it had paid more Rs. 1,591 million as allowances, lankadeepa.lk quoted a latest audit report as saying.
The finance ministry, in a circular on 27 January 2023, stressed that there should be a minimum six per cent reduction in OT and other allowance payments.
Furthermore, the Department paid without approval more than Rs. 814 million as piece-rate payments in 2023, whereas its director had approved such payments up to 2018 only.
Also, monthly incentive payments of between 102 pc and 352 pc had been paid although the approved percentage up to 2018 was only 65 pc of the salary.
Also, more than Rs. 17 million had been paid in 2023 as the commercial printing allowance despite a cabinet decision that it should be paid upon meeting three conditions only.
