Thiruvananthapuram: Gripped by a financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kerala Government has frozen the leave surrender benefits of its employees for the current fiscal year.

State government employees can surrender 30 days’ leave every year and encash a month’s salary.

Incidentally, the Kerala Government is resorting to cancelling leave surrender for the third time after the global pandemic struck.

Earlier, last-grade staff and part-time employees were given an exemption.

On one occasion, the government merged the amount encashed by surrendering leave in the provident fund (PF) of employees.