ALAPPUZHA: The legal battle of a former government official led to the state cabinet decision of a rule change on appointments under the compassionate employment scheme. K Chandra Das, a retired revenue inspector from Pazhaveedu, Alappuzha, started the fight in 2018.
If anyone lands a government job on compassionate grounds following the death of a relative, and that person failed to protect dependents, 25 per cent of their basic salary will be deducted and that amount will be given to their dependents, as per the new rule.
“When I was a senior clerk at Alappuzha collectorate, I handled the section on compassionate employment. Many people approached me with petitions to the collector for a directive to children to look after their wards,” said Chandra Das.
“One day an elderly woman visited the office with a complaint against her son, a senior official, who refused to look after her after he got a job following the death of her husband. After marriage, he abandoned his aged mother and lived with his wife and children. So she sought the collector’s assistance to get an amount for her daily needs. Many such complaints were received. It forced me to think about a change in the system. So, I prepared a draft of the rule and prepared a ‘mathru-pithru samrakshna sammatha mozhi’ (dependent protection bond) for a person who gets a job in government service on compassionate grounds to sign.
“That draft was submitted to then collector T V Anupama. She also took personal interest and forwarded it to the personnel and administrative reforms department (P&ARD). It then reached the desk of the chief secretary, who forwarded it to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He understood the need for such a rule and it was approved. It was ratified on February 25, 2018, in what was the first victory for my cause,” he said.
“Later, I realised that it was insufficient to get justice for dependents. So, I drafted an amended rule and suggested a 20 per cent cut in salary of employees. It was also submitted to the P&ARD and the state cabinet approved the suggestions in Wednesday’s meeting. However, the state cabinet enhanced the suggestion to 25 per cent. The CM also added a condition that ensured that a handicapped dependent above 17 years old is also eligible for protection,” Chandra Das said.
Chandra Das has forwarded the suggestions to the PM’s office and is awaiting a reply.