Thiruvananthapuram, June 11: Kerala Cabinet today decided to partially restore the benefits of government employees curtailed as part of austerity steps in January 2001 due to the financial crunch faced by the state at that time. Leave surrender has been re-introduced for ten days, in place of 20 days previously. The changes made in pension commutation have been reversed in favour of the employees. The pension commutation period has been restored at 12 years.
The curtailed DA and other benefits for new recruits has been restored and the new pay-scale would come into effect from this month, Chief Minister A K Antony told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The government would have a commitment of Rs 100 crore per year by reinstating the benefits, he said adding the government resolved to concede the demands as all service organisations have asked for it.
He said the government fulfilled the promise it gave to employees during the strike in 2001 that benefits would be re-introduced as and when the financial position improved.
In the matter of protected teachers case, Antony said it has been decided to give salary to all of them.
To a question, he said there was no ban on recruitment and on an average nearly 15,000 jobs were given in government services per year.
Bureau Report