KOCHI: The recent controversy over bribery and cheating in the appointment of a Public Service Commission (PSC) member has once again triggered a heated debate about whether the state, amidst a severe financial crisis, needs a 21-member PSC when appointments are dwindling.
Worse, the members of the PSC — a constitutional body expected to be impartial — are selected on a quota basis by political parties. The quotas are divided among the ruling coalition’s allies and members chosen based on their party affiliation.
Even the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has only a chairman and 10 members while Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, has just eight members in its PSC. Given all that, the need for so many members in Kerala has been questioned for a long time, with many alleging that the state’s coalition politics is a contributing factor to this anomaly.
K V Joseph, a former member of the Kerala Public Expenditure Committee, stated that there is no need for 21 members in the state. “Of the about five lakh government employees in the state, 15,000 retire yearly. Why do we need this many people to recruit 15,000 replacements?” he asked.
Joseph, who submitted a report to the government during his tenure in the Public Expenditure Committee, also urged that there should be no political involvement in the appointment of the PSC chairman and members.
However, the ruling LDF claims that its government has not increased the number of posts. Recently, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in the assembly that, in 1982, there were nine PSC members, which increased to 13 and then 15 in the subsequent years.
“In 2005, the number was increased to 18, and in 2013, it was further raised to 21. All these years, the UDF was in power. The LDF governments never increased the number of posts,” the CM said in reply to a submission moved by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on the PSC member appointment row.
“With the formation of the state of Kerala on November 1, 1956, as a result of the reorganisation of states, the Travancore-Cochin Public Service Commission was transformed into the Kerala Public Service Commission. The number of members of the commission increased to five in 1959, to seven in 1971, to eight in 1981, to nine in 1982, to 13 in 1983, to 14 in 1984, to 15 in 1984, and to 18 in 2005,” according to the Kerala PSC website.
Currently, the state PSC has 18 members, with half of them appointed from government service. A former member of the commission, who requested anonymity, told TNIE that, according to the new system, the interview board consists of only one PSC member.
“As per the directive of the Union government, interviews have been exempted from the selection of several posts. After written tests, aptitude tests, and practical examinations, a ranked list should be prepared. Since there is a decline in the number of posts requiring interviews, there is no need for so many members. Only a commission with a chairman and 10 members is required in the current scenario,” he said.
Interestingly, the lucrative nature of the positions of the chairman and members of the commission stems from the salary, pension, and other benefits. The chairman’s salary is `2.51 lakh, and members earn `2.42 lakh each. Amid the financial crisis, a recommendation to hike these salaries to `4 lakh and `3.75 lakh, respectively, is under the consideration of the state government.
In addition to a pension, they are entitled to travel allowance, an interest-free loan to buy a car if they do not have one, an official residence for the chairman, personal staff including a driver, confidential assistant, and dafedar, lifetime medical expense reimbursement, and more. What other government job offers such a generous package for a maximum tenure of six years (with 62 as the upper age limit), asked the former member.
“Compared to other states, the number of non-governmental appointments in the commission is higher in Kerala. If a young person is appointed, they could receive a pension for about 40 years or more, causing a heavy burden on the state’s exchequer. A unified pattern of salary and pension should be fixed for the chairman and the members,” he pointed out.
The pension for governmental appointments in the commission is fixed considering the years of service, while non-governmental nominees receive a pension based on their basic pay. Interestingly, while candidates applying for government posts must possess the qualifications to attend the examinations conducted by the PSC, the members selecting them do not require any specific qualifications.
The UPSC — which perhaps conducts tests for the largest number of candidates in the world — comprises senior academicians and retired officers from the civil, military, and other services. However, in Kerala PSC, the members are representatives of the employees’ unions and student organisations of the ruling party.
However, an official source said the Kerala PSC is among those that recruits the highest number of candidates in the country and the members are selected as per Article 315 of the Constitution.
REGULATORY LAW
Regulations to determine the number of members of the commission and their conditions of service, and to make provisions with respect to the number of members on the staff of the commission and their conditions of service is as per the Kerala Public Service Commission (Composition and Conditions of Service of Members and Staff) Regulations, 1957
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