THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the CPM state secretariat met here 10 days ago, there were rumours that the leaders would reach a consensus to reduce the number of personal staff members of ministers, owing to the state’s financial crisis and the pandemic situation. But, the CPM secretariat decided to allow 25 personal staff members for each of the 21 ministers and for three other cabinet-rank public servants — speaker, deputy speaker and chief whip.
As per convention, the Opposition leader will also be eligible for the same number of personal staff. The reason cited by leaders was that there was a reduction, from 30 to 25 personal staff members, made in 2016 when the LDF came to power after being in the opposition for five years. Not just the ministers who handle heavyweight portfolios, but those in charge of namesake depart - ments are also eligible for the same number of personal staff. The practice is continuing unchallenged as appointment of personal staff is the one bait used by major political parties to woo fulltime workers.
Every five year, a batch of dedicated party workers who are armed with recommendation letters from local party units, get into the personal staff. Apart from salary for five years, the personal staff are eligible for pension benefits proportional to their years of service till their death.
Dr J Prabhash, political scientist and former provice- chancellor of the Kerala University, said it is high time the state limited the number of personal staffers of ministers and of those holding cabinet rank. Considering the state’s strained finances and Covid pandemic, the upper ceiling on personal staff appointments should be brought down, he told TNIE. He, however, does not support the call to make all personal staff appointments by way of deputation.
‘Personal staff appointment should not be mere cost-benefit analysis’
“It should not be a mere cost-benefit analysis. The minister is into policy making and requires trusted people linking him with the people. Appointments should be a happy blend of political appointments and deputations,” Prabhash said.Going by previous tenures, it can easily be observed that over 90% of appointees are sympathisers of the ruling party or nominees of senior leaders. The CPM even deploys its activists in the personal staff of ministers of weaker constituent parties. Last time, half of the staff of Congress (S) nominee Ramachandran Kadannappally was appointed by the CPM. During the 2006 V S Achuthanandan government, the then health minister P K Sreemathy landed in a controversy by appointing her daughter-in-law Dhanya Nair as a cook in her official residence. Later, CPM directed the minister to sack her after TNIE reported about the appointment.
The previous Pinarayi Vijayan-led government alone made at least 325 appointments (other than deputation appointments) in the offices of the chief minister and 19 other ministers, as per the records available with the government.
The previous LDF government had spent at least Rs 25 crore per annum for paying salaries to personal staff members of ministers who were recruited directly. In the last five years, the government had spent around Rs 125 crore for maintaining large teams of personal staff members of each minister. According to an estimate based on the budget records and revised salary scale of personal staff, the government spent Rs 1.82 crore every month for the salary of 304 persons directly appointed by the 19 ministers. If the salary expense of direct recruits in CMO is added, this figure will cross Rs 2 crore. The estimated figure is only for salary while personal staff members are entitled for reimbursement under various heads, the details of which are not available.
Similar personal staff postings were made by the Opposition leader, speaker, deputy speaker, government chief whip and persons holding cabinet status. Going by the budget records, at least Rs 6 crore might have been spent by other leaders with cabinet rank per year to pay personal staff members. The five-year burden created by them will be at least Rs 30 crore. That means the total burden on exchequer caused by direct recruits to personal staff from 2016-21 is at least Rs 155 crore!
During the tenure of the previous government, cabinet rank was conferred on Achuthanandan (chairman of administrative reforms commission) and R Balakrishna Pillai (chairman of Welfare Corporation for Forward Communities). While Achuthanandan appointed around 20 staffers, Pillai restricted the number to less than 10.
In April, the government revised the salary of personal staffers in line with the revision made for government employees. As per the order issued by general administration department, ministers and Cabinet-ranked persons can make appointments to 15 posts ranging from private secretary to confidential assistant and cook. The highest paid is the private secretary (scale of pay
Rs 1.07 lakh-Rs 1.6 lakh) and the lowest were the office attendant and cook categories which shared the salary scale of Rs 23,000-Rs 50,200. All are eligible for 7% DA, house rent allowance and other perks available to government employees. The minimum monthly salary of a PS would be Rs 1.48 lakh and a cook Rs 26,910.
The order also hints at the quality of appointments made so far. It says persons with required qualification can only be appointed as computer assistant and confidential assistant from the date of that order. The tenure of a personal staff member ends with the tenure of the administrator who appointed him. The staffer will get lifelong pension though the amount is less when compared to that of a normal government officer of his rank. In case of the pensioner’s death, his spouse will get a family pension benefit.