Austerity given a go-by in CMO, staff strength touches 350

The chief minister’s office (CMO) is witnessing a steady increase in the number of staff, despite the austerity measures imposed by the finance department being still in force. 

The CMO is overfilled with the employees on OOD (on official duty from various departments) and those on contract basis. When Siddaramaiah assumed office in May last, there were totally 212 employees, including all grades of employees. The present strength has crossed 350, it is said. Of these, the contract employees are 100. The list of aspirants to get into the CMO is ever increasing, sources said.

At present, there are two IAS officers in the CMO, while in the past the number used be three. Ajay Nagabhushan, who was the joint secretary to the chief minister, was transferred recently as the deputy commissioner of Mandya. There are 16 employees in ‘A’ grade. Of these, two special officers have not been alloted work. There are 12 employees in ‘B’ grade. 

During the S M Krishna and H D Kumaraswamy regimes, the CMO had about 160 employees. There were three IAS officers. As many as six ‘A’ and ‘B’ grade employees were on deputation to the CMO. In all, there were 152 employees belonging to the ‘C’ and ‘D’ group. While 80 were on OOD, 30 were contract employees. 

The trend to increase the staff at the CMO began when B S Yeddyurappa was the chief minister. The number had touched 200. Now, it has crossed 350. 

According to official sources, the government would be spending not less than Rs 10 to 15 lakh a month towards salaries to these employees. The chief minister has no less than two dozen personal assistants.

There is no proper seating arrangement for the new staff due to lack of space. Fifty to 60 employees would be sufficient to run the CMO, sources said.