Thiruvananthapuram, March 7 (IANS) At a time when Kerala is grappling with a severe fiscal crisis, the Accountant General (AG) has flagged a serious violation involving two state ministers allegedly drawing “double benefits” in contravention of rules.
The audit authority has found that Local Self-Government Minister M.B. Rajesh and Archaeology Minister Ramachandran Kadannappally have been receiving their full ministerial salaries while also drawing their parliamentary pensions.
In a communication sent on January 19 to the Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department, the AG directed the government to immediately calculate the excess amount received and recover it to the State treasury.
The matter, however, is alleged to have remained undisclosed within official circles, raising questions about possible administrative lapses.
Under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, a person who receives a salary as a minister must draw only the balance amount after deducting the MP pension component. In effect, the pension amount should be proportionately adjusted against the ministerial salary.
The AG’s inspection report (Part II B, Para IV) states that both ministers allegedly violated this rule by drawing both the pension and the full salary simultaneously.
The AG has also sought documents from the General Administration Department, including correspondence from the Rajya Sabha Pay and Accounts Office specifying the parliamentary residual pension payable and the extent of deduction required from ministerial salaries.
The development could potentially have political implications as well.
Candidates contesting Assembly elections are required to produce a non-liability certificate. If a financial liability to the government is established, it could complicate the process of obtaining the certificate required during nomination scrutiny.
Both leaders had earlier served in Parliament. Kadannappally, now an MLA from Kannur, was elected to the Lok Sabha after defeating former Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar, while Rajesh represented Palakkad in the Lok Sabha before becoming MLA from Thrithala.
--IANS
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