Chandigarh, July 4 -- The investigation into the fraudulent diversion of over Rs.1.14 crore from PGIMER's Private Grant Cell, meant for needy patients, has revealed that the bulk of the funds - Rs.88.12 lakh - were transferred to pharmaceutical vendors for medicines requisition without any doctor's prescription slips. These transactions were made for 75 patients who had not even requested reimbursements, reveals the Prof Arun Kumar Aggarwal committee report, which investigated misappropriation of funds in the cell. The funds were meant to cover treatment under government schemes, but the necessary prescriptions, which are a mandatory requirement for releasing such payments, were missing. According to the report, these irregularities took place between 2017 to 2021, with five employees of the cell implicated in the scam. However, no senior officials have been named in the report. PGIMER had earlier this year handed the case to the CBI, which is now reviewing the matter, although no FIR has been filed yet. The misappropriation was first discovered in October 2022, but the inquiry committee wasn't formed until February 2023, and the report was only handed over to PGIMER in late 2024. Sources also highlight delays in bringing the matter to the CBI's attention, with the case only transferred in February 2025. Ashwani Munjal, chairman of the PGI Contractual Workers' Union, obtained the report via RTI on July 1, 2025, bringing the fraud to light. Despite the shocking findings, five of six employees involved in the fraud are still employed at PGIMER, including three contractual workers Sunil Kumar, Pardeep Singh, Chetan Gupta, and an employee on deputation Gaganpreet. A permanent employee, junior administrative assistant Dharam Chand, got retired in 2020. PGIMER medical superintendent Vipin Kaushal said, "The case has been formally handed over to the CBI by the vigilance department. Meanwhile, the directives issued by the vigilance department are being duly implemented by the Private Grant Cell."...