The Public Service Commission (PSC) has submitted a letter to the government demanding that the salaries of the chairman and members should be raised. Considering the petition, the government is mulling increasing the monthly salary of the chairman from the present Rs 2.26 lakh to Rs 4 lakh and those of members from Rs 2.23 lakh to Rs 3.75 lakh. The file concerning this is being scrutinised by the Finance Department.
Similarly, the monthly pension payable to the chairman is likely to be raised from Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh and that of members from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2.25 lakh. The rationale for this significant hike in benefits is that since the Public Service Commission is a constitutional body, the perquisites of its office bearers should be on par with those given by the central government. However, in stark contrast, there are only 7 or 8 members in the Public Service Commissions in other states, while there are 21 members in Kerala. Even the Union Public Commission has only nine members.
The increase in the salaries of all the members during a period of severe financial crisis in the state will bring on a huge financial burden for the government. The demand put forth by the PSC was that the basic salary of the members should be raised four-fold. At present, the basic salary of the chairman is Rs 76,000 and those of members Rs 70,000. The chairman and members are paid a monthly salary of Rs 2.26 lakh and Rs 2.23 lakh respectively inclusive of various allowances.
