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Commission to review salaries of ministers, legislators in Kerala
The government appointed a commission under justice (retired) Ramachandran and asked him to submit a report in six months, the official quoted above said. In Kerala remuneration of legislators, ministers and other representatives were raised in 2018.
The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to appoint a one-man commission to review salaries and perks of the people’s representatives, a senior government official aware of the development said.
The government appointed a commission under justice (retired) Ramachandran and asked him to submit a report in six months, the official quoted above said. In Kerala remuneration of legislators, ministers and other representatives were raised in 2018.
In the cabinet meeting many ministers pointed out that the salaries of the government employees and others were hiked substantially and they also need a jump to meet the ever-increasing cost of living.
In 2018, monthly salaries of the ministers were increased from ₹55,000 to ₹80,000 and of legislators from ₹40,000 to ₹70,000. Besides this travel allowance of ministers was raised from ₹10 to ₹15 per km. Many states including Karnataka and Delhi had revised salaries of ministers and legislators recently. In July first week, the Delhi assembly had passed a bill allowing a 66% hike in salaries and allowances of its members, first raise in 11 years.
Social activists, however, deplored the move to hike salaries of people’s representatives especially when the state is undergoing severe economic crisis. “The government tells everyone to cut down flab and reduce expenditure. But it is spending money ostentatiously. We heard official vehicles of many ministers will be replaced,” said activist Dijo C Kappan adding that people’s representatives should turn role models for others.
The state’s cumulative debt had crossed ₹3.32 crore in March and its debt to gross state domestic product (GSDP) ratio witnessed an abnormal increase in last two years.
State finance minister K N Balagopal had sent a letter to the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman two days back requesting her not to consider liabilities of state entities while determining the net borrowing capacity of the state.
He said combining the debt of statutory bodies and companies with that of the state government was contrary to the provisions of the Constitution and would imperil the borrowing powers of the state and jeopardise its developmental plans. He said the state’s annual revenue was dropped by ₹23,000 crore due to various measures of the Union government. Recently, the Centre had slashed ₹14,000 crore worth off-budget borrowing in the net borrowing ceiling of the state citing loans availed by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board and Kerala Social Security Pension Limited.
