PGI discontinues allowance after RTI exposes wrongful payments

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has discontinued payment of Learning Resource Allowance to its accounts officers with immediate effect, following revelations made through an RTI application earlier this year.

The move comes after Ashwani Munjal, RTI activist, filed an RTI on February 13, seeking clarification on the allowance of Rs 30,000 per year that had been paid to Accounts Officers since 2010–11.

In its reply dated March 3, the Central Public Information Officer of PGI admitted that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had never approved payment of LRA to accounts officers. Rather, it was a provisional office order subject to Ministry approval.

On April 11, a formal complaint was lodged with the Ministry of Health, urging it to either regularise the allowance through proper approval or withdraw it.

Acting on the matter, PGI issued an office order, discontinuing the payment . The order reads, “Reference earlier decision of the Competent Authority dated October 4, 2011 vide which Learning Resource Allowance was provisionally sanctioned to accounts officers, it has been decided that the reimbursement of Learning Resource Allowance (LRA) to the post of ‘Accounts Officer’ at this Institute is hereby discontinued with immediate effect.”

Munjal said, “The RTI response exposed that a provisional office order issued in 2010–11 continued unchecked for 14 years, causing huge financial losses to the exchequer. While payments havebeen stopped, there has been no mention of recovery of allowance disbursed over the years.”