STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: District Election Officer (Deputy Commissioner) Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu on Tuesday convened a meeting of all bankers of Jammu District to brief about the directions of Election Commission of India applicable to the banks with respect to opening of the bank accounts, cash transactions and movement of cash.
As per directions of Election Commission of India and as part of curbing malpractice and bribery and misuse of money by the candidates and political parties during the elections, a full-fledged expenditure monitoring system has been put in place in the district which is headed by Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu who is Nodal Officer for the expenditure monitoring of all assembly segments of Distinct Jammu. Complaint monitoring cell has already been established to keep monitoring of various complaints regarding violation of Model Code of Conduct as well as illegal expenditure etc.
To keep a check on misuse of money all the candidates have been directed to open a bank account prior to notification of the election in any of the bank of the State either in their personal name or jointly with their election agent and communicate the said bank account details to the Returning Officer while filing the nomination papers.
All the bankers have been asked to facilitate the respective candidates to open their bank accounts and also provide them other facilities i.e. check books etc. However banks have been asked to mandatory inform on the un-usual transaction of more than Rs 1 lakh from any bank account either deposited or withdrawal in cash or through RTGS to the District Election Office on daily basis. Even withdrawal or deposit of cash exceeding Rs.1 lakh has also been informed to the District Election Officer on daily basis.
In order to keep vigil of suspicious transaction that may use for bribing electors District Election Officer may be intimated accordingly. All the transactions more than Rs 10 lakh informed to the Nodal Officer for Income Tax Department appointed for the purpose details of which has been provided to the bankers.
Bankers were also asked to follow SOP prescribed by Ministry of Finance regarding transportation of cash through ATM vans or otherwise. Bankers shall ensure that cash vans of outsourced agencies/companies shall not any circumstances carry cash of any third party or agency or individual except the banks. The outsource agency/company carrying cash shall also carry authorization letter and other necessary documents provided by the banks failing which amount shall be taken on interception of said ATM van by the Flying Squad and other Executive Magistrates. All the persons in the van have been asked to carry proper identify cards issued by the banks or concerned agency.
Banks have also been asked to provide information about suspicious or foreign currency and fake currency found during election to the concerned enforcement agency with intimation to this office.