THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Raj Bhavan has started scrutinizing the pension details of the personal staff of the ministers presented by the government. At the request of the Governor, Chief Secretary VP Joy submitted the information on a pen drive.

The Chief Secretary has handed over the details of the pension recipients, government orders for payment of pensions and amendments. According to the government, pensions will be paid to those who have worked for two and a half years and above. It also stated that there was nothing illegal in the current pension scheme. After reviewing the documents, the governor may assess the situation in other states and submit a detailed recommendation report to the government. The report will be handed over only after the governor returns from Delhi on Friday, Raj Bhavan sources said. Files may also be forwarded to the CAG for review.

The governor had said that it was illegal and unconstitutional to pay a lifetime pension to ministers' personal staff after two years of service. "Ministers have more than twenty personal staff. The staff are being changed every two years. Party recruitment is taking place in the name of the appointment of staff. The state is incurring a huge financial burden, including pensions and salaries," the governor said.