THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The jumbo team of personal staff of Kerala ministers would leave even central ministers envious, let alone ministers in other states. At the Centre, a cabinet minister is entitled to 15 staff members as against the 25 in Kerala.
Only a fixed number of people can be appointed to each post and the appointment to the top-most post of private secretary requires the PMO’s clearance.
A cabinet minister at the Centre can hire one private secretary and an additional and assistant private secretary each. Other appointments would be first personal assistant, second personal assistant, Hindi stenographer, LDC, driver, jamadar (a junior staffer like a sweeper) and four peons.
A minister of state in the Centre, whose post is equivalent to a state minister’s post as per the protocol, is entitled to 13 personal staffers in 10 posts. An MoS can hire a private secretary, additional private secretary, assistant private secretary, first personal assistant, Hindi stenographer, LDC, driver, jamadar, two second personal assistants and three peons.
An MoS with independent charge can have the luxury of one more assistant PS.
In comparison, the 19 ministers in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, excluding the CM, had 304 directly recruited staffers. They were in the ranks of private secretary, special private secretary, additional private secretary, assistant private secretary, section officer, confidential assistant, personal assistant, additional personal assistant, assistant, graduate clerk, clerk, computer assistant, chauffeur, cook and office attendant.
At the Centre, there is no criterion requiring a fixed number of deputations though most of the ministers prefer an IAS officer as a PS. While all direct recruits of personal staff in Kerala are entitled to pension upon completion of two years and six months, none of the directly recruited personal staffer is entitled to pension at the Centre.
Former Union minister and BJP leader Alphons Kannanthanam said it was ridiculous for the state ministers to keep a big team of personal staff. "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 said.
During his IAS career, Kannanthanam had worked as the private secretary to Ram Jethmalani who was a cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government. According to him, a state minister requires only up to a maximum of five 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 increasing salary expenditure doesn’t seem to have moved the state government. The government is learnt to have decided to create two more cabinet rank posts.
Sources said one post will be for a veteran leader who held various positions in the party and the other for the leader of a constituent party who couldn’t make it to the cabinet. Both these posts will in turn create 50 new personal staff positions.