Kerala cadre will stay, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday told representatives of secretariat staff associations that the government would go ahead with the decision to implement Kerala Administrative Service (KAS).

The chief minister had called the secretariat employees associations for discussions in the wake of apprehensions raised by them regarding KAS. During the meeting Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government had taken a decision in principle and it would go ahead with it to improve the efficiency of the government machinery and also inject fresh blood into the administration.

The left led associations said despite the government decision there were enough avenues to discuss the matter and get the apprehensions allayed. “There are various possibilities. The CM told us that we could raise our concerns before the Rule Formulation Committee. They can examine these issues,” said M A Bijukuttan, general secretary, Kerala Secretariat Employees Association.

The associations countered the argument that other states had implemented state civil service. They pointed out that the structure of state civil services in other state was not the same as the one proposed under KAS.

Since the matter required detailed examination, scrutiny and discussions, they believe that  it should be sent to the Administrative Reforms Commission which is now functioning in the state.

Meanwhile, the Congress led associations have decided to intensify their agitation against the unilateral decision of the government to implement KAS.

Cabinet on December 28, 2016 had decided in principle to implement Kerala Administrative Service (KAS) in 30 departments including Secretariat's General Administration Department (GAD) and Finance Department.

All those posts which are one grade above the first gazetted post in the selected 30 departments would be included in the deputy collector cadre and made equivalent to deputy collector under KAS. Fifty percent of those from this category will be selected to the Kerala Administrative Service and the remaining 50 percent from the civil services recruitment conducted by the PSC.

The Bharat Bhushan Committee which submitted a detailed report on the KAS in 2014,  had recommended a ratio of 1:1 in recruiting officers to the KAS through direct recruitment by PSC and by promoting gazetted officers from the State Civil Service through transfer appointment.

The Cabinet in 2014 had approved setting up KAS pegging the upper age limit for recruitment at 28 years with three years relaxation for SC/ST candidates.