Union minister entitled to fifteen private employees, Kerala minister 25!

Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The jumbo crew of non-public employees of Kerala ministers would go away even central ministers envious, not to mention ministers in different states. At the Centre, a cabinet minister is entitled to fifteen employees members as towards the 25 in Kerala.

Only a set variety of individuals could be appointed to every publish and the appointment to the top-most publish of personal secretary requires the PMO’s clearance.

A cabinet minister on the Centre can rent one non-public secretary and an extra and assistant non-public secretary every. Other appointments could be first private assistant, second private assistant, Hindi stenographer, LDC, driver, jamadar (a junior staffer like a sweeper) and 4 peons.

A minister of state within the Centre, whose publish is equal to a state minister’s publish as per the protocol, is entitled to 13 private staffers in 10 posts. An MoS can rent a personal secretary, extra non-public secretary, assistant non-public secretary, first private assistant, Hindi stenographer, LDC, driver, jamadar, two second private assistants and three peons.

An MoS with unbiased cost can have the posh of another assistant PS.

In comparability, the 19 ministers within the first Pinarayi Vijayan authorities, excluding the CM, had 304 straight recruited staffers. They have been within the ranks of personal secretary, particular non-public secretary, extra non-public secretary, assistant non-public secretary, part officer, confidential assistant, private assistant, extra private assistant, assistant, graduate clerk, clerk, pc assistant, chauffeur, prepare dinner and workplace attendant.  

At the Centre, there is no such thing as a criterion requiring a set variety of deputations although many of the ministers want an IAS officer as a PS. While all direct recruits of non-public employees in Kerala are entitled to pension upon completion of two years and 6 months, not one of the straight recruited private staffer is entitled to pension on the Centre. 

Former Union minister and BJP chief Alphons Kannanthanam mentioned it was ridiculous for the state ministers to maintain an enormous crew of non-public employees. “It’s sheer extravagance when a Kerala minister appoints 25 staffers while a cabinet minister at the Centre manages his office with 15 staffers. And compare the workload of a minister serving the whole country and another serving just one state,” he mentioned.

During his IAS profession, Kannanthanam had labored because the non-public secretary to Ram Jethmalani who was a cabinet minister within the Vajpayee authorities. According to him, a state minister requires solely as much as a most of 5 staffers. 

“I wonder why so many people are given cabinet rank and the luxury of personal staff. For instance, why does a chief whip or administrative reforms commission chairman require personal staff?” he asks. 

PLAN TO ADD MORE

Growing criticism over growing wage expenditure doesn’t appear to have moved the state authorities. The authorities is learnt to have determined to create two extra cabinet rank posts.

Sources mentioned one publish can be for a veteran chief who held numerous positions within the occasion and the opposite for the chief of a constituent occasion who couldn’t make it to the cabinet. Both these posts will in flip create 50 new private employees positions.