Hindi English Translation || Editorial || A class for itself: On government pension and political patronage

A class for itself: On government pension and political patronage

Kerala must give up (छोड़ना, त्यागना, इनकार करना) using government pension as political patronage (संरक्षण, पक्षपात, भाई-भतीजावाद)

The Kerala Governor has stirred up (उत्तेजित करना, जमा होना) a hornet’s nest by demanding the discontinuation of a uniquely Kerala welfare (कल्याण, सामाजिक सुरक्षा) scheme that covers around 1,200 people who served on the personal staff of Ministers, leaders of Opposition and government Chief Whips (a member of a political party who is in charge of providing that written notice is called as “Whip”. (it also means that “a written notice provided by the party (Whip) to their members in in Parliament/Legislative Assembly to vote to support the act/policy”)). The number of people who are eligible for lifetime pensions from the exchequer (treasury, coffers; funds/resources/finances) is set (ready, prepared, organized) to swell to around 1,500 when the additional beneficiaries, who were recruited during the previous government, are added. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has called for an end to this practice, terming it unconstitutional (असंवैधानिक) and against constitutional (संवैधानिक) morality (नैतिकता, शुद्धता / औचित्य). The State spends around ₹8 crore every year on these pensions, according to estimates. The beneficiaries, mostly political activists, draw (obtain (money)) a minimum pension of ₹3,550 a month, and dearness allowance (महंगाई भत्ता). In 1959, the State allowed Ministers to have 20 members on their personal staff; over the years that number has risen to the current 30. In 1994, when the Congress-led United Democratic Front was in power, pensions were sanctioned (स्वीकृति देना, अधिकृत करना, अनुमति देना) through an executive order (कार्यकारी आदेश), with retrospective (पूर्वप्रभावी, बीते हुए पर लागू) effect from 1982. In the beginning, the eligibility for this cohort (group of people (within a particular category/classification)) was three years in service as opposed to 10 years for regular government employees. As the pension scheme for its regular employees in general (सामान्य रूप में, आम तौर पर, मुख्य रूप से) became tighter, the government made flagrant (blatant, glaring, shameless) exceptions (अपवाद, विशेष मामला, विचलन) for this class (कक्षा, समूह, श्रेणी). They are now eligible for pensions after two years. The CPI(M)-led ruling Left Democratic Front has said it would not heed (pay attention to, notice, care) the Governor’s demand, and that the pension scheme would continue.

The pension scheme for the personal staff has become a safety net (something which gives protection against misfortune or difficulty) for the fortunate (lucky, favoured, blessed) among the cavalry (cadre, small group; body, team (of people); warriors, soldiers) of political parties, but it is a cruel (terrible, dreadful, awful, harsh, ruthless) insult to the swelling ranks (group or class (of a people)) of the State’s unemployed and underemployed (relating to a person who is highly skilled but working in low-paying or low-skill job) youth. As the Governor has pointed out (identify, show, call attention to, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention), there is also a pattern of replacing one set of staff with another after two years, in order to cover (include, contain, subsume) more people under the pension scheme. Some recent controversies (disagreement, argument, debate) in Kerala also brought to the fore other innovative of nepotism (favouritism, patronage, partisanship, partiality, preferential treatment), such as arbitrary (discretionary, personal, unmotivated, unreasonable, unsupported, irrational, illogical, groundless, unjustified; authoritarian, draconian, anti-democratic) recruitment of consultants. Towards the end of the previous government, seven people were appointed to the CM’s personal staff with retrospective effect, making them eligible for pensions. All parties in Kerala had agreed to this arrangement, a source of political patronage in the resource-starved State. The Governor has now disrupted that comfort zone (safe situation, secure position) by not merely (only, just) challenging (question, disagree with, object to, dispute) it but also launching a public campaign (an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group) against it. The fact that Kerala is in a financial crisis only makes this pension scheme more unacceptable to the general public. All political parties must take note of (pay attention, take heed, heed, follow) the resentment (bitterness, indignation, irritation, displeasure, dissatisfaction, discontentment) that this preferential treatment to their protégés (pupil, student, trainee) can create against the political class in general. They must work together for a wealth-creating consensus (an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group. agreement, concurrence) in the State rather than (instead of) designing and defending (justify, vindicate, support, uphold, back) such indefensible (unjustified, baseless, illogical/irrational) schemes.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.class (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कक्षा, समूह, श्रेणी
English Meaning - group, category, grade, division.

2.patronage (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संरक्षण, पक्षपात, भाई-भतीजावाद
English Meaning - favouritism, nepotism, partisanship, partiality, preferential treatment.

3.give up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - छोड़ना, त्यागना, इनकार करना
English Meaning - abandon, forgo, renounce, relinquish, discontinue.

4.stir up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तेजित करना, जमा होना
English Meaning - give rise to, cause, produce, generate.

5.welfare (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कल्याण, सामाजिक सुरक्षा
English Meaning - social security, government/state benefit, public/government assistance.

6.unconstitutional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असंवैधानिक
English Meaning - illegitimate, unlawful, wrongful, forbidden, illicit, outlawed, prohibited; undemocratic, autocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian.

7.constitutional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संवैधानिक
English Meaning - relating to the constitution of a country; legal, lawful, legitimate.

8.morality (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नैतिकता, शुद्धता / औचित्य
English Meaning - ethics, rights and wrongs, correctness/propriety.

9.activist (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकर्ता, सक्रिय प्रतिभागी
English Meaning - a person who supports a political or societal change/cause.

10.dearness allowance (DA) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - महंगाई भत्ता
English Meaning - DA is an allowance that every government employee gets and it is calculated as a proportion of the basic salary. This DA is paid to compensate the rise in inflation (cost of living).

11.sanction (verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्वीकृति देना, अधिकृत करना, अनुमति देना
English Meaning - approve, accept, authorize, permit, support.

12.executive order (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकारी आदेश
English Meaning - an indisputable/unquestionable order issued by the government (or by the president)

13.retrospective (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्वप्रभावी, बीते हुए पर लागू
English Meaning - backdated, retroactive, backward-looking.

14.in general (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - सामान्य रूप में, आम तौर पर, मुख्य रूप से
English Meaning - generally, normally, mainly, mostly.

15.exception (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अपवाद, विशेष मामला, विचलन
English Meaning - special case, deviation, divergence, deflection.

16.stir up a hornet’s’ nest (phrase)

English Meaning - cause difficult situation; make trouble.

17.a hornets’ nest (phrase)

English Meaning - difficulty, issue, trouble, worry, complication, difficult situation.

18.whip (noun)

English Meaning - a member of a political party who is in charge of providing that written notice is called as “Whip”. (it also means that “a written notice provided by the party (Whip) to their members in in Parliament/Legislative Assembly to vote to support the act/policy”).

19.exchequer (noun)

English Meaning - treasury, coffers; funds/resources/finances.

20.set (adjective)

English Meaning - ready, prepared, organized.

21.swell (verb)

English Meaning - increase, expand, rise.

22.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

23.constitutional morality (noun)

English Meaning - the principle of constitutional morality basically means to bow down to the norms of the Constitution and not to act in a manner which would become violative of the rule of law or reflectible of action in an arbitrary manner.

24.draw (verb)

English Meaning - obtain (money).

25.cohort (noun)

English Meaning - group of people (within a particular category/classification).

26.tighter comparative adjective of tight (adjective)

English Meaning - strict, rigorous, stringent, tough, rigid, firm.

27.flagrant (adjective)

English Meaning - blatant, glaring, shameless.

28.heed (verb)

English Meaning - pay attention to, notice, care.

29.safety net (noun)

English Meaning - something which gives protection against misfortune or difficulty.

30.fortunate (adjective)

English Meaning - lucky, favoured, blessed.

31.cavalry (noun)

English Meaning - cadre, small group; body, team (of people); warriors, soldiers.

32.cruel (adjective)

English Meaning - terrible, dreadful, awful, harsh, ruthless.

33.swelling (adjective)

English Meaning - increasing, rising, greater in number.

34.ranks (noun)

English Meaning - group or class (of a people).

35.underemployed (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a person who is highly skilled but working in low-paying or low-skill job.

36.point out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - identify, show, call attention to, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention.

37.in order to do something (phrase)

English Meaning - with the purpose of doing something; with the intention of doing something.

38.cover (verb)

English Meaning - include, contain, subsume.

39.controversy (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, argument, debate.

40.bring to the fore (phrase)

English Meaning - to move forward something into a most important position; to make something more noticeable; draw/call attention to; highlight, accentuate, underscore.

41.mode (noun)

English Meaning - means, method, system, way.

42.nepotism (noun)

English Meaning - favouritism, patronage, partisanship, partiality, preferential treatment.

43.arbitrary (adjective)

English Meaning - discretionary, personal, unmotivated, unreasonable, unsupported, irrational, illogical, groundless, unjustified; authoritarian, draconian, anti-democratic.

44.resource-starved (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to something deprived of resources.

45.comfort zone (noun)

English Meaning - safe situation, secure position.

46.merely (adverb)

English Meaning - only, just.

47.challenge (verb)

English Meaning - question, disagree with, object to, dispute.

48.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.

49.take note of (phrase)

English Meaning - pay attention, take heed, heed, follow.