As many as 51 individuals appointed to the personal staff of ministers, the Government Chief Whip, and the Leader of the Opposition in Kerala have vacated their posts during the nine-year tenure of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, enabling successors to qualify for pension benefits from the same position.

The revelation, accessed through an RTI filed by Manorama News, shows that of the 125 personal staff members granted pensions since 2023, 51 had served for less than three years. The practice, long criticised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) when in opposition, has continued under its own rule—raising questions about misuse of the system and the growing burden on the state exchequer.

Under the current arrangement, staff appointed at the start of a government’s term often resign after completing the two-year minimum service required to qualify for pension. Their replacements serve the remaining years of the tenure, also becoming eligible for pension by the time the term ends. This results in two individuals receiving pensions for the same post. The minimum pension under this provision is ₹3,350.

The government, in its response to the RTI, claimed it could not provide data prior to 2023 due to poor record-keeping. Had full records been available, the number of such ‘double pensioners’ could have been much higher.

In stark contrast, candidates selected through the Public Service Commission (PSC) must complete at least 15 years of service to qualify for pension. Despite the short tenures, personal staff continue to receive other benefits such as Medisep health insurance, even after their resignation.

Currently, the state cabinet employs 557 personal staff, with the Chief Minister’s Office alone accounting for 32 members—the highest among all ministers.

When asked to comment, CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan denied that appointments were made solely to secure pension benefits. “Some may have left, and replacements were made. But it wasn’t the LDF that introduced pensions for personal staff,” he said.

Pay Commission flagged misuse
The practice continues despite objections raised by the Pay Revision Commission headed by K. Mohandas. The commission had flagged the appointment of two people to the same post, both drawing pensions, as a misuse of rules. It recommended revising the eligibility criteria by increasing the minimum service requirement to four years.