Kerala Raj Bhavan clarifies Governor's letter to CM on regularisation of contractual workers

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 21 (PTI) Days after the Kerala Governor took on the Left government over providing pension to the personal staff of ministers, a letter purportedly written by Arif Mohammed Khan seeking to regularise the jobs of 20 contractual workers at Raj Bhavan surfaced on Monday, prompting his office to clarify that they were engaged many years before he assumed office.

The Raj Bhavan also responded to some media reports that the Governor had made certain appointments to his personal staff.

"With reference to the media reports on the number of Personal Staff of Hon'ble Governor, it is clarified that not a single person more than the sanctioned strength has been appointed as Personal Staff to the Hon'ble Governor and that these posts have been in existence prior to the Hon'ble Governor's assumption of office in September 2019," a Raj Bhavan release said.

Earlier in the day, a letter dated December 29, 2020, surfaced in which the Governor has purportedly requested the Chief Minister to regularise the employees.

"The letter addressed to the Chief Minister, written by the Governor on December 29, 2020 had clearly mentioned that the workers engaged through Kudumbashree to work against the sanctioned vacant posts in Kerala Raj Bhavan had been engaged many years before the Governor assumed office," the Raj Bhavan said.

In Khan's letter to the Chief Minister, he had said that 20 casual workers engaged through Kudumbashree on daily wage basis have a continued service ranging between four and nine years, and sought to regularise them against the sanctioned posts of various categories like waiter, gardener, sweeper, female attendant and telephone operator.

The letter also recommends that a person, working as photographer at Raj Bhavan for years on contract basis, should be made a regular employee.

The Raj Bhavan said the person who had been providing services as photographer in Kerala Raj Bhavan for 23 years, was recommended to the Government for regularisation, not by creating a new post, but in the existing vacant post of Cypher Assistant.

"Besides, the letter was written in the light of the general practice of the State Government in regularizing temporary hands who have put in a minimum of ten years of service," it said.

The Governor's office also said that the personal staff of the Governor do not enjoy any pension benefits at any stage.

"Moreover, the Hon'ble Governor had never placed any suggestion for pension either for his personal staff or for the people who were sought to be regularized," his office said.

Khan, who is at loggerheads with the Left Democratic Front-led government in the state over various issues, including the appointment of Vice Chancellors at various universities.

On November 18, Khan had termed as "atrocious" the Kerala government granting pension to the personal staff of state ministers, and said he would take it up as a national issue as it was a "mockery of law".

It is nothing but "fraud and deceit" which is being played out on people of Kerala, Khan had said. PTI RRT TGB HDA