THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Just after approving a Rs 1.5 lakh salary hike for the PSC chairman and members, the Kerala government has once again extended substantial financial benefits to political appointees. Government pleaders will now receive a 25% salary hike — an increase of up to Rs 30,000 — while a proposal has been made to more than double the annual travel allowance for the state’s Special Representative in Delhi, K.V. Thomas, from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 11.31 lakh.
This decision comes at a time when several social welfare schemes for the poor, including Asha Kiranam and Karunya medical aid, are struggling with significant arrears. The pleaders’ salary hike is retroactive from January 2022. Although the Finance Department had recommended a 17% increase, the Cabinet raised it to 25%.
Kerala currently has 133 government pleaders, categorized into three groups. Following the revision, the salaries of 22 special pleaders increased from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh, 54 senior pleaders saw their pay rise from R s1.1 lakh to Rs 1.4 lakh, and 57 pleaders’ salaries went up from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.25 lakh. The pay revision was approved to maintain parity with the dearness allowance provided to court staff.
In the case of K.V. Thomas, the General Administration Protocol Department has recommended raising his annual travel allowance for 2025-26 to Rs 11.31 lakh, more than double the Rs 5 lakh allocated in the budget. The justification: Thomas’s current travel expenses exceed the allocation by Rs 6.31 lakh. The final call on this rests with the Finance Department. This increase is in addition to the Rs 1 lakh honorarium Thomas receives.
Including this honorarium, Thomas received Rs 24.67 lakh in the last budget, up from Rs 17 lakh the year before. Since his Cabinet-rank appointment in January 2023, his honorarium and allowances have totalled Rs 57.41 lakh as of 2024.
Pleaders’ arrears to cost Rs 13.33 crore:
Double pension and additional perks:
When appointed as Special Representative, K.V. Thomas had initially stated that an honorarium would suffice instead of a salary, as receiving a salary would disqualify him from drawing other pensions. He currently receives two pensions — as a former MLA-MP and a former college lecturer. Recently, approval was also granted for him to have a private secretary.