LS introduces salary hike bill
The government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha seeking more than double hike in salaries of MPs from `16,000 to `50,000 and doubling two of their key allowances to `40,000 each. The bill proposes to raise the daily allowance for members from `1,000 to `2,000 and the constituency and office expense allowances each from `20,000 to `40,000.
Parliamentary affairs minister P.K. Bansal introduced the bill which also enhances pension of former members from `8,000 to `20,000 with effect from the constitution of the 15th Lok Sabha on May 18, 2009.
Though the day’s order paper did not mention about the introduction of the proposed legislation, the minister introduced the bill shortly before the House took up for consideration the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.
The joint committee on salaries and allowances of MPs headed by Congress MP Charandas Mahant had recommended a hike in salary from `16,000 to `80,001 — one rupee more than that of the secretary to the government of India.
The government’s decision had brought protests in Parliament from a section of MPs led by Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav who had dubbed it an “insult”.
to members by organising a mock Parliament. The government then raised the constituency and office allowance by `5,000 each.
The minister said the provisions for raising salary, daily allowance and minimum and additional pension would involve a recurring annual expenditure of `103.76 crores.
One-time expenditure of `118 crores would be incurred on account of arrears of salary and pensions from May 18 last year to July this year.
He said doubling of the constituency and office expense allowances would involve an annual recurring expenditure of `38.50 crores. The bill also seeks to provide for the rail travel facility of spouse of a member to travel any number of times by rail in first-class AC or executive class in any train from the residence of a member to Delhi and back.
The spouse can also travel by air whenever Parliament is in session subject to a maximum of eight trips in a year. It also has a provision to enhance the repayable advance for purchase of conveyance from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakhs.
Post new comment