The Hindu Business Line : Pension benefits for Kerala Govt staff restored

The latest employee-friendly gesture from the Government means that all long-term benefits put `temporarily' on hold due to a financial crisis three years ago are restored in their entirety.

Thiruvananthapuram , Aug. 25

PENSION commutation benefits for State Government employees will be restored to the original 15-year period, the Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, has said.

Announcing this to newspersons after a routine meeting of the State Cabinet, the Chief Minister said the latest employee-friendly gesture from the Government would mean that all long-term benefits put `temporarily' on hold due to a financial crisis three years ago are restored in their entirety.

The austerity measures announced in 2001 had taken away the leave surrender facility, apart from cutting down maximum pension commutation period allowed to 12 years.

Restoration of the commutation period to the original would entail an outgo of Rs 56.81 crore from the exchequer during the current year. This is likely to go up to Rs 70 crore next year.

The Chief Minister said he had redeemed his pledge to revisit the issue once the finances improved. This had also come to figure among the list of demands frequently raised by unions.

According to the Chief Minister, the Government was willing to consider new benefits for employees `in a phased programme'.

Rural service for doctors: The Cabinet has decided to make it mandatory for fresh MBBS graduates passing out from the Government medical colleges in the State to put in at least one year in service in rural areas.

According to the Chief Minister, it was the severe shortage of doctors volunteering for service in rural areas that entailed the decision.

It would be made applicable to qualified doctors passing out from this year onwards.

Grading not this year: The existing ranking system for 10th class students in the State would continue to hold this year also, the Chief Minister said.

This effectively puts paid to the earlier announced plans to introduce what is called the grading system for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination from this year. Stating that introduction of the new system would require much more ground work, the Chief Minister said the Government wanted to doubly make sure that there was no scope for foul play.

Negligence ruled out: The one-man enquiry commission that went into the circumstances surrounding the death of former Governor, Sikander Bakht, had concluded that there was no lapse on the part of the doctors attending on him at the Government Medical College here.

Stating this, the Chief Minister said the Cabinet had since approved the report submitted by the Dr K. Mohandas Commission.

Mr Bakht had died at the hospital on February 23 while convalescing after undergoing an intestinal surgery.

More Stories on : Pension Plans | Human Resources | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page