Panneerselvam criticises DMK government over move to appoint cook assistants on consolidated pay

The ADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Saturday criticised the DMK government for its decision to appoint 8,997 cook assistants on the basis of consolidated pay of ₹3,000 per month under the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme.

In a statement, Mr. Panneerselvam pointed out that it had been the practice of recruiting cook assistants on the basis of special time scale pay, which was much lower than what was being adopted for regular government employees. Calling the move “unacceptable,” the former Chief Minister said this would only serve the purpose of the DMK government getting publicity for having appointed nearly 9,000 persons but nothing else. He also doubted the efficacy of appointing persons on such a pay, when private individuals and firms were hiring persons for ₹10,000 to ₹15,000.

Besides, there were doubts whether the recruitment would be carried out in a transparent manner. “If the DMK regime is sincere about providing employment to the lowest strata in the society, it should recruit persons for the post on the basis of special time scale pay, apart from being transparent about the recruitment process,” he observed, adding that the ruling party had not yet fulfilled its electoral promise of absorbing staff of noon-meal and anganwadi centres as government employees. In another statement, the former Chief Minister expressed concern over the law and order situation in the wake of the murder of a youth on the campus of Tiruneveli court.

Meanwhile, AIADMK organisation secretary and former Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that his party’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had exposed the “pathetic” state of law and order in the State. It was for this reason that out of “frustration,” Law Minister S. Regupathy had spoken against the AIADMK chief, Mr Jayakumar said, wondering whether the Minister did not run shy of going against the party that had made him originally a legislator and a Minister. The former Minister cautioned Mr. Regupathy of having to face stronger repulsion in the event of causing trouble to the AIADMK.