Thiruvananthapuram: Following the decision to hike the salary of Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) members, the state government has now proposed an increase in the travel allowance of its Delhi representative K V Thomas. The General Administration Department has recommended raising his annual travel allowance to Rs 11.31 lakh, a matter that was discussed in the Subject Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Initially, the state budget had allocated Rs 5 lakh for K V Thomas’ travel expenses. However, since the actual expenditure last year reached Rs 6.31 lakh, the General Administration Department’s Protocol Wing has suggested increasing the allocation to Rs 11.31 lakh, citing insufficiency of the previous allocation. This is in addition to the honorarium worth lakhs that K V Thomas already receives annually.

K V Thomas, who defected from the Congress to align with the CPM after being denied a Lok Sabha ticket, was appointed as the Special Representative of Kerala in Delhi in January 2023. He has a personal staff of five, including a private secretary, assistant, office attendant, and driver. Earlier, his honorarium of Rs 12.50 lakh was sanctioned by relaxing treasury restrictions, drawing criticism amid the state’s ongoing financial crisis. The opposition has continuously questioned the necessity of his Cabinet-rank appointment, terming it an unjustifiable expense.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the state Cabinet approved a salary and benefits revision for PSC members. The PSC chairman's salary has been revised in line with the maximum super-time scale of district judges, increasing from Rs 2.60 lakh to over Rs 4 lakh. PSC members' basic pay has been raised to Rs 2,19,090, with total benefits reaching RS 4 lakh, up from the current Rs 2.42 lakh. The hike has been granted with retrospective effect from 2016, after being delayed multiple times due to the state's financial crisis. The Kerala PSC currently has 21 members, including the chairman.

Disparity amid ASHA workers' protests

The state’s financial crisis has repeatedly been cited to delay payments and deny increases for various essential workers. ASHA workers, who play a crucial role in healthcare, are currently on strike for their pending honorarium and incentive hike. Despite their low wages and irregular payments, the government has proceeded with lavish increments for bureaucrats and political appointees, exposing the stark disparity in priorities.