Told to recover employees’ Diwali bonus, PGI to seek clarity from health ministry

On October 29, the Union health ministry issued the order directing PGIMER to desist from paying Diwali bonus for 2018-19 to its employees, and recover those paid since 2015.

In a short breather for some 5,000 PGIMER employees, on tenterhooks since the Union health and family welfare ministry asked the hospital to recover Diwali bonuses paid to them since 2015, the hospital has decided to seek a clarification first.

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PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram said after deliberations with officials of the institute, it was decided that they will write to the Union ministry before taking any step in this regard. “We will seek clarification regarding health ministry’s October 29 order, which has directed us to recover the non-productivity linked bonus,” Dr Ram said.

In September, a governing body meeting, headed by the health minister, too, had rejected PGIMER authorities’ request for regularising bonus payment, and had referred the matter to the finance ministry for consideration.

A month later, on October 29, Sunil Kumar Gupta, under secretary in the health ministry, issued the order directing PGIMER to desist from paying bonus for 2018-19 to its employees.

The institute was also directed to initiate recovery of the amounts already paid in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, and furnish a compliance report to the ministry.

Since 2015, around ₹15 crore have been paid to approximately 5,000 category Group B (non-gazetted), C and D employees as non-productivity linked bonus. Group B includes nursing officers, office superintendents and personal assistants; Group C includes clerical staff on different pay scale levels; and Group D employees are hospital and sanitation attendants.

Orders on similar lines were also given to the director, AIIMS, New Delhi.