RIMS coffer runs dry, unable to pay employees
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 02 2010: The account of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) has literally dried up, with even the salary to its employees being put hold.

According to a reliable source, apart from the failure of keeping aside the amount for payment of monthly salary to the employees from the grant-in-aid provided by the Union Health Ministry, the income taxes deducted from the employees during 2009-2010 have been spent on meeting 60 percent of the 6th Pay arrears, thus leaving the account of the medical institute literally dry.

When the Union Health Minister visited Imphal last time, instruction was issued to the RIMS authority that the salary of the employees should be paid on the first day of each month.

However, salary for the month of May is in fact till pending and the month of June is already over.

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It is said that Rs 6.5 crores is spent every month on payment of salary to the employees of RIMS.

Though the amount for payment of salary to the employees was included in the grant-in-aid provided by the Centre, a huge amount of fund had been expended in in the installation of pipelines for administering Oxygen to the patients in the wards of the hospital as and when required, purchasing Oxygen cylinders, construction of RIMS Gate and development of library.

After all these expenditure, nothing has been left in the account of the Institute to meet the salary demands of the employees.

Interacting with The Sangai Express in connection with the financial condition of RIMS, an official of the institute promptly stated that there is no money in the account even for payment of salary to the Grade-IV employees.

The official, however, hastened to add that efforts are being made to urge the Health Ministry for providing fund and if luck favours then the salary may be paid within one week.

The official explained that in the efforts to meet the remaining arrear of the 6th Pay, the amount that had been highlighted in the budget was not even sufficient.

This is because, the pay scale of the employees has been revised on UGC pattern in January last.

In case the revised estimate had been submitted at the time of pay scale revision, then the amount of the 60 percent arrear of the 6th Pay could have been easily managed from the deducted income taxes of the employees, he explained.

According to another reliable source, numerous instances of financial mismanagement from the grant-in-aid amount in connection with developmental works of the institute have also surfaced.

DPR proposals of these developmental works have been submitted to the Ministry but sanctions are still awaited.

Talking to The Sangai Express in this office chamber, Prof W Gyaneshwar, who has been given the charge of officiating director of RIMS after its former director Prof L Fimate retired from the post, informed that his first priority is to clear the pending salary of the employees.

If RIMS which is not only the premier medical institute in Manipur but also in whole of Northeast, is to be developed, then timely payment of salary to the employees must be ensured, he added.

He also assured development of the infrastructures in the institute so as to ensure proper services of the employees to the people and providing secular hostel environment for the PG students during his stint as the officiating director of RIMS.