Administrative Reforms Committee Report; wasteful appointments in Finance Department; 107 appointments should be cancelled immediately

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Allegation in the report of the administrative reform expert committee appointed by the public administration department that there are wasteful appointments in the finance department, which is supposed to maintain moderation in expenditure when the state is facing a severe financial crisis. 107 temporary appointments incurring an additional expenditure of more than Rs 60 lakh per month should be cancelled immediately. 11 posts in Section Office Cadre and 41 posts in Assistant Cadre including temporary appointments should be re-evaluated.

107 appointments were made from 2014 to 2021 in 13 posts on temporary basis for various purposes like Pay Revision Commission, Finance Commissions, Anomaly Rectification Cells etc. After completing the needs, the government issued an order to eliminate these posts, but it was not followed. Due to this, the government incurs an additional cost of Rs 60,31,685 per month.

When such proposals come from other departments, the finance department, which examines them meticulously, usually rejects them all. However, temporary posts were created in the finance department in the name of record digitization without even the approval of the cabinet. The order issued by the Finance Department on April 17, 2018, as part of cost control, applies only to other departments.

Can find more if checked further

Before creating new posts considering the workload, the Finance Department does not seek the opinion of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Division under the Public Administration Department. More redundant posts and appointments in the Finance Department can be found if checked further. The existing additional posts should be discontinued immediately.

Not practical, says Finance Department

The finance department is of the view that the implementation of the recommendations in the report is not feasible due to the excessive workload in the finance department. The report has also led to a dispute between the Public Administration Department and the Finance Department.