Kerala government employees to get pay hike from April 1, but conditions apply

BENGALURU: The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to distribute the revised salaries and allowances as per the recommendations of the 11th Pay Commission effective April 1.

The revised dearness allowance will be implemented with retrospective effect from July 1, 2019. The allowances recommended by the Commission will come into effect from March 1, 2021, the government said in a press release.

The scale recommended by the Pay Commission will be allowed only in the health sector. As for the other sectors, a detailed order on the scales recommended by the Pay Commission and other issues like the career advancement scheme will be issued after scrutiny by a Secretary-level Committee, the release said.


The Cabinet has asked the Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Additional Chief Secretary of the Personnel & Administrative Reforms and Principal Secretary ,Public Administration, to examine issues related to the pay and submit its report within a month.

BUILDING PERMITS
The Cabinet also decided to recommend to the Governor to notify an ordinance to amend the Panchayat-Municipal rules to expedite the issuance of building permits.

The law is being amended so that the construction of a building can commence based on the self certification of the land/building owner and the empanelled licensee authorised to prepare and submit the plan (Architect, engineer, building designer, supervisor or town planner are the empanelled licensees). Upon receipt of the plan, the Secretary of the local body (Local Self Government) must issue a certificate within five working days. The draft bill includes provisions that would consider this document as building permit with permission to start construction of the building, the press release said.

The proposed law provides for fines and revocation of the license of the licensee, if the information in the self-certification provided by the landowner or licensee is found to be incorrect at a later stage. The fines will be about Rs 2 lakh for buildings with an area of up to 100 sq metre, Rs 4 lakh up to 200 sq metre and Rs 6 lakh for up to 300 sq metre.

The proposed amendment will apply to houses less than seven metres in height, up to two storeys and less than 300 sq metres in area. It will also be applicable to hostels, orphanages, dormitories, old age homes, seminaries and religious buildings with a height of less than 7 m and a floor area of less than 200 sq m. Construction of commercial buildings less than 7 m in height, up to 2 storeys and less than 100 sq. m in area, and also the construction of non-hazardous industrial buildings can be started on the basis of self-certification.

The Cabinet also decided to amend the Panchayat/Town building rules requiring the Local Government Secretary to take a decision within 15 days after receiving the application for the construction of the building as against the present 30 days.