Recruitment of party workers and loyalists as members in the personal staff of the Chief Minister, ministers and opposition leader and making them eligible for life long pension from the cash strapped Kerala exchequer has once again come up for discussion. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has termed it as abuse of power and misuse of public money.
The major political parties in Kerala, ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front, are setting aside their political differences to jointly oppose the Governor over the matter as they have been widely providing employment and life long pension to party men and loyalists over these years by recruiting as personal staff.
It was from 1984 onwards the provision for pension to members in the personal staff of the Chief Minister and ministers were being given. Even as the term of a government is five years, personal staff members are eligible for life long pension on completion of just two years service.
There even used to be a tendency of replacing personal staff members on completion of two years of service so that more party workers and loyalists could be inducted to personal staff and make them eligible for life-long pension. The state allegedly also witnessed a minister trying to recruit own family members as personal staff so as to enjoy the service benefits like medical reimbursement and travel charges apart from the salaries on par with government employees and life-long pensions.
Government sources said that so far around 1,300 were learnt to be drawing a lifelong pension for serving as personal staff members. In the current left-front government in Kerala, there were around 350 members as personnel staff were recruited directly. There are no selection criteria. Even as the statutory pension for government employees was replaced with a contributory pension scheme for government employees in the state in 2013, the personal staff members still enjoy statutory pension. Pension to personal staff ranges from Rs 3,500 to Rs 80,000 depending upon the post and years of service.
Kerala Governor has taken up the issue after he got agitated over the dissent not made in a government order appointing a BJP state leader to the Governor's personal staff as per Raj Bhavan's proposal. Khan said that he would move against the gross violation. In no other states or centre there was provision for pension for personal staff members.
Check out latest videos from DH:
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks