KOCHI: Amid controversies over alleged irregularities in the PSC examinations and recruitment, experts have called for insulating the constitutional body from political influence and reducing its board strength from 21 members to eight or nine.
K V Joseph, a member of the board of directors of International Institute of Migration and Development, said PSC should function independently, without political considerations influencing selection of its members or government personnel.
“Government employees should be politically neutral. Those who serve citizens should not be seen as representatives of any party. This is seen only in Keralam, as far as I know,” Joseph said.
He said PSC members should be selected on merit and suggested inducting experienced, politically unaffiliated personnel from public service into the PSC. Its size also warrants reconsideration, he said. With around six lakh government staff in Keralam and nearly 20,000 retiring every year, Joseph questioned the need for a 21-member board to oversee recruitment.
Economist and former member of Kerala Public Expenditure Review Committee, Mary George, also called for reducing the number of PSC members, citing the strength of similar bodies elsewhere.
“The UPSC, which conducts exams for 22 important posts across the country, has only eight members, excluding its chairman. Even states with much larger populations have only four, five or six members,” she said.
George alleged that political parties use appointments to the commission to accommodate party members who could not be given other positions. She questioned the expenditure on members’ salaries and perks, arguing that public money could be put to better use.
According to her, each member receives a monthly salary exceeding Rs 2 lakh, apart from housing allowance, a separate car and a driver, taking the total monthly compensation to over Rs 4.10 lakh.