(87)

APPENDIX I

(See PARAGRAPH 14)

Rules for securities of Forest Subordinates

Section 1

1. All members of subordinate services in the department who have the custody of government monies or stores or valuables or who deal with the collection of Forest revenue must furnish security except where exemption may be made under the general or special orders of the Government. The general principal to be observed in regard to the requiring of security is that no government servant should be entrusted with money, stores, or valuables who does not furnish security. The security taken in respect of cash or valuables should be equal to the maximum amount which the government servant concerned ordinarily has in his hands at one time and the amount of cash or valuables left in the hands of a government servant should not save in very special circumstances be more than the amount of security taken. In respect of stores in the custody of a government servant, the amount, of security shall be a suitable percentage of the maximum value of stores determined by the conservator according to the circumstances in each case.

NOTE—The provisions of note 3 to paragraph 69 and of paragraph 69-A and 69-B of Volume V of the Handbook are also applicable to the department.

1-A. Subject to the conditions laid down in rule 1, the amount of security shall be regulated by the conservator according to the circumstances and local conditions in each case.

2. Immediately any member of the subordinate service is called upon to furnish security he must sign an agreement in department form no. A-11, which lays down the conditions under which the security may be confiscated or returned to the depositor. The forms in which security may be furnished are laid down in paragraph 71, Volume V of the Handbook.

NOTE 1—Full details regarding the nature of the security furnished should be entered in the schedule appended to the agreement. If, however, the executant is permitted to change the nature of the security from one form to another it is not necessary to alter the schedule every time a change is made, but a copy of the order permitting the change should be annexed to the agreement.

NOTE 2—The security bond of a Forest subordinate should be returned to the depositor or his legal representative as soon as the security has been refunded to him.

NOTE 3—The surety bond should be returned when asked for if any of the following events occur:

(a) the surety gives notice of withdrawal from any further surety ship, provided that the amount of the security for which he originally stood surety has been deposited in full by the forest employee concerned;

(b) the forest subordinate quits service, provided that before quitting he has deposited the whole of the security which he was required to furnish, and

3. (a) If the security is given in cash the depositor should be advised to deposit the money in the Post Office Savings Bank indicated by the divisional officer, and pledge it to the divisional officer as a security deposit in accordance with the Post Office Savings Bank security deposit rules. If, however, the amount of security furnished exceeds the maximum limit for a Post Office Savings Bank account, the money may be invested in any other prescribed forms of security. In investing the money the provisions of paragraph 71 of Volume V of the Handbook should be kept in view.

(b) If the security is given in any of the forms of government paper permitted by paragraph 71 of Volume V of the Handbook, it must be deposited with the Government in accordance with the rules laid down in Chapter VIII of the Government Securities Manual and in the Post Office Guide.

NOTE—Five-year Post Office Cash Certificates may be deposited in the treasury or kept in the iron safe of the head clerk or the head assistant as the conservator may direct.

4. If a subordinate cannot furnish the whole amount of the security in one instalment he will be required to deposit such portion (if any) as he is able to furnish in one instalment, either in cash or in any other form prescribed in rules 2 and 3 above. He will deposit the balance in the Post Office Savings Bank indicated by the divisional officer by monthly instalments, which will be deducted from his salary and paid into the Savings Bank, at the following rates:

(a) Government servants drawing up to and including Rs.19 per mensem at six paise in the rupee (i.e. 6 per cent.).

(b) Government servants drawing above Rs.19 per mensem at a flat rate of 10 per cent:

Provided that the deductions will be rounded off to the nearest rupee, the minimum deduction being a rupee and the first instalment not being less than two rupees.

5. (a) Every government servant, who under rule (4) pays a portion of the whole amount of the security due from him by instalments, shall give a security bond in departmental form no. A-11 (a) for the full amount due, deducting such amount as he may have already deposited at the time these rules come into force.

(b) In all cases the sureties must be approved by the divisional officer in consultation with the district officer.

6. On opening his deposit account in the Post Office Savings Bank, each depositor must fill in and send to the Post Master, through the divisional officer, a letter pledging the amount of his deposits, past and future, to the divisional officer in the form prescribed for pledged security deposit according to the Post Office Savings Bank Rules.

7. A register of security should be kept in the divisional office in departmental form no. A-12.

8. Security bonds or mortgage-deeds given as security in connexion with the employment of treasurers, cashiers or clerks charged with the disbursement of money or the custody of securities may be executed by the head of the office.

NOTE—The provisions of paragraphs 72 and 73 of Volume V of the Handbook are also applicable to the department, and should be observed.

II—Rules regarding deduction and adjustment of money on account of security furnished by forest subordinates, Uttar Pradesh.

1. The divisional officer shall be responsible that the monthly security deductions are regularly made and entered in the departmental form no. A-13, an abstract of which for the current year in form no. A-13 (a) will form part of the tour records.

2. The divisional officer will every month exclude from the amounts of the cheques, which he issues for salaries, all the deductions to be made on account of security deposits and will then remit the aggregate amount of such deductions, minus those referred to in rule 5 to the Post Office Savings Bank by a cheque payable to the Post Master and forwarded with a nominal list of the various deposits to be made. Any portion of the amount of the cheque, which cannot for any reason be accepted in deposit and is in consequence returned by the Post Master, will be at once entered on the debit side of the divisional office daily cash-book and added to the divisional office cash balance. Simultaneously, the amount will be entered in form no. 23 vide paragraph 198 of the Forest Account Rules.

3. The divisional officer will each month compare the savings bank pass-books with the register of deposits and submit a certificate in departmental form no. A-13 (b) to that effect to the conservator along with the monthly account.

4. Once a year, on 1st August, or as soon as practicable after the pass-books have been balanced by the *Post Office, a return in departmental form no. A-13 (a) will be sent to each range officer, showing the amount standing to the credit of each individual serving in the range from whom cash security is taken. Should any one question the correctness of his account, the range officer will at once make the necessary reference to the divisional officer.

5. In regard to those men whose pass-books, owing to recent transfer, have not yet been received from their previous division usual deduction for security deposit will not be made from the salary cheque.

On the receipt of the pass-books, the deposits in arrear will be deducted from the next pay bills and sent to the post office in addition to the deductions on account of the current month.

*NOTE—The pass-books should be sent annually to the post office for this purpose on 15th June.

6. In the case of men absent on leave, the several deductions overdue from them on account of security will be made on the first occasion on which their arrears of pay are disbursed.

7. When the pass-book of any depositor is complete, the Post Master will be asked officially in writing to open a new one, transferring to it the amount of the used up book. On no consideration whatsoever will the amount of the latter be withdrawn and then paid back into the post office in order to start a new account. There will thus be no handling of money in beginning a new pass-book. No individual will have more than one security deposit account and consequently a new paas-book will not be started until the pass-book in use is quite filled up.

8. In the event of a depositor being transferred to a post to which no responsibility in respect of money is attached, further deductions from salary will cease, but the amount in deposit will continue to be pledged to Government.

9. As soon as the amount in deposit is sufficient the depositor may, at his option let the money remain in the Post Office Savings Bank, or request that government paper to the extent of as many hundreds of rupees of stock as the sum at his credit admits shall be purchased on his behalf.

The balance of the deposit after purchase of the promissory notes shall remain in the Post Office Savings Bank. Such governments paper shall be left in the custody of the Reserve Bank of India. The depositor will receive the interest accruing on his paper. The procedure to be followed in the purchase and custody of government paper is fully described in Chapter VIII of the Government Securities Manual.

10. All correspondence and other papers connected with the subject of security deposits will be signed by the divisional officer alone, never under any circumstances by any clerk.