CES Reform
The Compassionate Employment Scheme in Kerala underwent a major reform through the introduction of the Dependent Protection Bond (DPB), replacing the earlier system where job appointees had no legal obligations to the family of the deceased. The new system thus made a remarkable changes in many people's lives.
In Detail
The compassionate employment scheme in Kerala underwent a significant change following a legal initiative by K Chandra Das, a retired revenue inspector from Pazhaveedu, Alappuzha, who began advocating for reform in 2018. Until then, compassionate job appointments granted to family members of deceased government employees lacked safeguards, an oversight highlighted by numerous cases—such as dependents receiving employment and then neglecting elderly relatives.
ChandraDas first drafted a proposal known as the Dependent Protection Bond (DPB), which required appointees to sign a bond committing to providing for their dependents.
The draft was endorsed by the local collector, forwarded through the Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department, and ultimately approved by the state cabinet. The bond rule took effect on February 25, 2018. Later, he proposed an amendment introducing a 20% salary deduction from the appointee’s basic pay in cases of neglect, which the cabinet increased to 25% and included a provision extending protection to handicapped dependents over 17 years of age.
In effect, if a compassionate appointment holder fails to uphold their responsibility toward dependents, a quarter of their basic salary can now be redirected to those dependents—marking a move toward greater accountability and fairness in the scheme
