THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If worked in the personal staff of ministers and opposition leader for two years and a day, then you will get a good amount as pension for the rest of your life. The job of the personal staff in gazetted post will earn up to Rs 1.60 lakh and it needs no special educational qualifications. The government has not accepted the recommendation of the pay commission that only those who had worked for at least four years should be given pension.

The chief minister’s staff consists of an SSLC qualified additional private secretary. An amount of Rs 1.42 crore is needed for the salaries of the present 21 ministers, chief whip and the 362 personal staffs appointed on their own. There is a 7% DA, 10% HRA and medical re-imbursement benefit. Quarters are also available. The opposition leader has appointed 14 members to his personal staff. There were 623 personal staffs during the tenure of Oommen Chandy government. An order was issued on September 23, 1994 granting pensions to the personal staff of ministers. The maximum pension is 30 years of service and minimum is three years. If has a service of more than 29 years, it will be considered as 30 years and if has more than two years, it will be considered as three. Those who work for two years and one day will be given a pension considering as three years. The minimum pension is Rs 2400 and DR. A minister in his tenure can appoint two each and get them pensions.

The private and additional private secretaries draw the highest salaries among the staffs. Their pay scale is 1,07,800- 1,60,000. The lowest salary is drawn by the chef and their scale is 23,000 – 50,200. Those drawing a salary up to Rs 70,000 will get a first class AC train ticket and those drawing above Rs 77,000 will get flight tickets.

The directly appointed personnel are Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-26, Ministers Roshi Augustine-15, Antony Raju-18 and G R Anil-17, P Rajeev-12, P A Muhammad Riyaz-19, V Abdurahman-16, V N Vasavan-15, K N Balagopal-13, K Rajan-17, K Krishnankutty-15, Chinchurani-17, A K Saseendran-13, P Prasad-15, M V Govindan-16, Saji Cherian-16, Veena George-16, Ahmed Devarkovil-17, V Sivankutty-17, K Radhakrishnan-16, R Bindu-17, Chief Whip M Jayaraj-19.