THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Accountant General's audit has found that VP Joy, who was reappointed as the chairman of the Kerala Public Enterprises Recruitment Board after retiring as the Chief Secretary, simultaneously received dearness allowance and relief for pensioners along with his salary, which is against the rules. It is estimated that the state government has suffered a loss of about Rs 20 lakh. It is learnt that the findings are in the biennial audit report on the functioning of the General Administration Department.
The Kerala Public Enterprises Recruitment Board is the body that selects the heads of public sector enterprises. In addition to benefits, Joy is receiving a basic monthly salary of Rs 2.25 lakh in his new job. He also has a monthly pension of Rs 1,12,500. He is also receiving a monthly dearness allowance of Rs 56,250 in his new job. In addition to this, he received this amount as dearness relief along with his pension. It is estimated that his monthly income is about six lakh rupees including benefits. The appointment was approved in a cabinet meeting after fixing the new salary along with the pension. Hence, the Finance Department did not conduct a detailed examination in this regard. This is the reason why the CAG audit made such a finding that shows a lapse from the government. The government has not yet responded to the error pointed out by the CAG.
The rule is that if an officer who retired from the All India Service is reappointed under the state government, the combined amount of pension and salary in the new job must be less than the salary drawn in the last month of service.