Thiruvananthapuram: When the CPM state secretariat assembled here 10 days ago, there were rumors that the administrators would reach an agreement to decrease the number of personal staff members of ministers, due to the state’s financial disaster and the pandemic circumstances. But, the CPM secretariat determined to let 25 personal staff members for each of the 21 ministers and three other cabinet-rank public servants, speaker, deputy speaker, and chief whip respectively.
As per law, the Opposition leader will also be eligible for the corresponding number of personal staff. The cause indicated by leaders was that there was a reduction, from 30 to 25 personal staff members, enacted in 2016 when the LDF came to the government after being in opposition for five years. Not just the ministers who manage heavyweight responsibilities, but those in charge of a few departments are also qualified for the same number of personal staff. The system is proceeding unchallenged as the appointment of personal staff is the one attraction used by major political parties to solicit full-time workers.
Every five years, a group of dedicated party workers who are prepared with recommendation from local party units, get into the personal staff. Apart from wages for five years, the personal staff is fit for pension bonuses equivalent to their years of duty till their death.Dr. J Prabhash, political scientist and former pro-vice-chancellor of the Kerala University, said it is great time the state restricted the number of personal staffers of ministers and those enduring cabinet rank. Regarding the state’s difficult finances and Covid pandemic, the upper ceiling on personal staff appointments should be taken down, he told. He does not back the request to make all personal staff appointments by way of appointment.
“It should not be a mere cost-benefit analysis. The minister is into policymaking and requires trusted people to link him with the people. Appointments should be a happy blend of political appointments and deputations,” Prabhash said. Advancing by previous tenures, it can simply be noted that over 90% of appointees are supporters of the ruling party or nominees of senior leaders. The CPM even deploys its workers in the personal staff of ministers of more vulnerable constituent parties. Last time, half of the staff of Congress (S) nominee Ramachandran Kadannappally was designated by the CPM. During the 2006 V S Achuthanandan government, the health minister P K Sreemathy landed in controversy by selecting her daughter-in-law Dhanya Nair as a cook in her official residence. Later, CPM ordered the minister to dismiss her after TNIE reported about the incident.
The Pinarayi Vijayan-led government solely executed at least 325 appointments (other than deputation appointments) in the offices of the chief minister and 19 other ministers, as per the reports available with the government.
The former LDF government had given at least Rs 25 crore per year for giving salaries to personal staff members of ministers who were hired directly. In the last five years, the government had paid around Rs 125 crore for managing large units of personal staff members of each minister. According to an assessment based on the budget reports and updated salary scale of personal staff, the government paid Rs 1.82 crore every month for the salary of 304 persons straightly appointed by the 19 ministers. If the salary amount of direct recruits in CMO is calculated, this value will cross Rs 2 crore. The calculated figure is only for a salary while personal staff members are allowed to compensation under different administrators, the particulars of which are not available.
Related personal staff postings were executed by the Opposition leader, speaker, deputy speaker, government chief whip, and persons holding cabinet status. Going by the budget reports, at least Rs 6 crore might have been given by other leaders with cabinet rank per year to pay personal staff members. The five-year burden formulated by them will be approximately Rs 30 crore. That suggests the total burden on the exchequer made by direct recruits to personal staff from 2016-21 is at least Rs 155 crore!
While the occupancy of the previous government, cabinet rank was conferred on Achuthanandan (chairman of administrative reforms commission) and R Balakrishna Pillai (chairman of Welfare Corporation for forwarding Communities). While Achuthanandan designated around 20 staffers, Pillai curbed the number to less than 10.
In April, the government updated the salary of personal staffers in line with the review executed for government employees. As per the order stated by the general administration department, ministers and Cabinet-ranked persons can make appointments to 15 posts varying from a private secretary to private assistant and cook. The highest-paid is the private secretary (scale of pay Rs 1.07 lakh-Rs 1.6 lakh) and the lowest was the office attendant and cook sections which shared the salary scale of Rs 23,000-Rs 50,200. All are qualified for 7% DA, house rent allowance, and other grants available to government employees. The least monthly salary of a PS would be Rs 1.48 lakh and a cook Rs 26,910.
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The mandate also indicates the nature of appointments done so far. It states persons with necessary qualifications can only be designated as computer assistants and private assistants from the date of that order. The period of a personal staff member finishes with the tenure of the administrator who elected him. The staffer will receive a lifelong pension though the amount is less when related to that of a normal government officer of his rank. In case of the pensioner’s death, his spouse will receive a family pension benefit.
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