Thiruvananthapuram: Transfer norms of government employees should not be altered for 10 years once they are finalised, the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) has recommended to the government.

Though most departments have guidelines for employee transfers, decisions are mostly taken at the political level.

Transfer applications should be made online and linked to the Service Payroll and Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK).

Further, all service rules and regulations should be compiled with and a civil services code should be prepared, the fourth report of the commission, headed by former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, submitted to the government. It has also sought a Malayalam version of the service rules.

Key proposals

• The number of working days of government offices should be reduced to five days a week.

• To offset the time lost due to moving to a five-day week, the weekly duty time should be increased from 9 am to 5.30 pm. Lunch break should be for half-an-hour between 1 pm and 2 pm.

• Retirement age should be raised to 60 in a phased manner.

• The number of casual leaves should be reduced to 12 from 20.

• Schools should begin one hour before office time.

• The maximum age limit for applying for PSC tests should be reduced from 40 to 32 and the minimum age should be increased from 18 to 19.

• The general category should get only four chances for appearing for the exams and other backward communities five. There should be no limit on the number of chances for SC/ST candidates.

Govt indifference

After spending over Rs 6 crore on the ARC, the government has not considered any of the reports submitted by the commission.

The commission has so far submitted four reports.

The first report had proposed the setting up of a vigilance commission on the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission.

The second report recommended legal amendments needed to enforce a ban on dowry, children's welfare and several other issues.

The third report proposed guidelines to improve the efficiency of government employees.

The fourth report has been submitted even though the government has not considered any of these earlier reports.

The commission was set up in August 2016. Most of the Rs 6 crore spent on the commission went for salaries.

The monthly salary of the commission is Rs 8.4 lakh. The commission has 30 employees, including an additional secretary.

Out of the 30, 14 staffers are attached to the chairman alone.

As the commission chairman, Achuthanandan has a private secretary, an assistant private secretary, two personal assistants, a stenographer, four clerks, two drivers, a cook and two security personnel.