Credit-debit faux pas: Erroneous data entry causes govt embarrassment

A screenshot of the 'Help extended to Nagaland Citizens outside the State as of 27/04/2020' on the website iamstranded.nagaland.gov.in, a dedicated online portal launched by the Nagaland government to assist citizens of the state who are stranded outside. (Screenshot/Morung Photo)

 

SBI's Nagaland Secretariat Branch, Kohima issues clarification  explaining the cause of the faux pas

 

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 28

 

The Nagaland state government landed itself in another embarrassing situation, all thanks to erroneous data entry. This time, it was in connection to the monetary benefits (direct to account transfer) extended by the state government to working professionals stranded outside Nagaland.

 

Late on April 27, social media fluttered with beneficiaries posting about their bank accounts getting credited with Rs 4000 only to be debited later.

 

With no official explanation forthcoming from the government authorities, theories abounded as to what must have caused it. The theories ranged from link failure and hacking to even misappropriation.

 

It was only on April 28 that the State Bank of India's Nagaland Secretariat Branch, Kohima issued a terse message explaining the cause of the faux pas.

 

Issued by the Branch Manager, the message explained that it was a case of "same accounts with different names." But it did not explain how.

 

"We have consulted the State Government on this issue and working on the list. The verified beneficiary list from the State Government will be credited on 28/04/2020," was all it said.

 

Other SBI officials said that there was erroneous data entry in the beneficiary list that resulted in some of the beneficiaries being credited more than once.

 

"The list of beneficiaries, alongwith their account numbers was provided by the government to the bank," a senior bank official at the SBI Regional Branch Office said.

 

While stating that the funds were transfered to the accounts as given in the list via the bank's "bulk transfer software," the official added that it was later discovered, "multiple credits had gone to single accounts."

 

According to the official, the error was tracked to the government's beneficiary list, which had some acount numbers attributed to multiple different names.

 

"Due to some typos or clerical mistakes, different names were found entered against the same account number. Because of that multiple credits have gone into the same account."

 

The official said that the erroneous credits were being reversed.