Inquiry marked as PGI kept paying NPA to non-medical faculty

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, kept on paying non-practising allowance (NPA) to four retired and families of the deceased faculty members who were not entitled to the same. Taking strong view of the irregularities, the institute has marked an inquiry to be conducted by the PGI’s vigilance wing.

The beneficiaries, of them two have died and two have retired, were non-medical faculty and were not eligible for the NPA. The non-medical faculty members don’t have a MBBS degree and are BSc, MSc or PhD holders. The NPA, 25% of the basic pay, is an incentive paid to the doctors to discourage private practice.

Sources reveal that of the four non-medical faculty members, two have died and their families were getting family pension, including the NPA. The deceased faculty members included Dr CK Nain of the gastroenterology department and Dr Anil Malhotra of the psychiatry department. Dr Malhotra died in 2007 and Dr CK Nain passed away in 2011.

The institute has also marked a vigilance inquiry and a committee under chairmanship of Dr SK Singh of the urology department is investigating the matter.

The two other faculty members are from the research departments, who retired from the service long back.

Sources said the institute had also conveyed the same to the families of the dead and retired faculty members. A senior functionary from the accounts branch also confirmed that some of them have already deposited the overpaid amount in the institute’s treasury.

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