Kerala CM calls PSC recruitment scam cheating of the public, vows reforms
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Wednesday termed the revelations emerging in the Public Service Commission recruitment controversy alarming and pledged to restore public trust in the state’s main recruitment body.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, he said complaints were surfacing almost daily in connection with several PSC examinations and described the reports as dangerous. He alleged that appointing party workers and relatives through the commission amounted to cheating the common people.
“Our task is to restore the credibility of the PSC, and we will do that,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he could not share further details as the investigation was still under way. He said all facts would be placed before the public at the appropriate time.
Satheesan also acknowledged differences of opinion within the PSC board and urged everyone to await the completion of the probe.
On the controversy over power purchases from private companies, he rejected the criticism levelled by Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, calling his statements baseless. The Chief Minister said the previous LDF government had also bought power from the same company with which the current government was negotiating, and accused it of failing to anticipate the state’s electricity needs or place orders in time.
Hitting out at the Left’s approach to development, Satheesan cited its opposition to the Vizhinjam port project and said Kerala would have lost a major opportunity had the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yielded to the CPI(M)’s campaign against it.
The government, he said, also plans to launch an educational programme for children from fishing communities to prepare them for jobs expected to arise from the expansion of port-related activities.
On the proposal to sanction new bars, Satheesan said the previous government had framed rules permitting officials to issue fresh licences, but his government would not follow that path. A new liquor policy would be announced shortly, he added.
The Chief Minister also announced that draft proposals for two major tourism projects — an oceanarium and a maritime museum — had received government approval. The next step, he said, would be signing a memorandum of understanding.
Responding to questions on the recent transfer of IAS officers, Satheesan described it as a routine administrative exercise carried out across departments, insisting that all rules had been followed and that such decisions were the government’s prerogative.
(Inputs from IANS)