MPs’ salaries bill likely this week
The government is likely to bring a bill on salary, allowances and pensions of members of Parliament in the next week for introduction, consideration and passing. According to the well-placed sources, the government may not accept a report of the joint committee on the salaries and allowances of MPs headed by Dr Charan Das Mahant “completely”.
Interestingly, political parties are sending conflicting signals on it. While the ruling Congress is speaking in different voice on this issue perhaps deliberately, the BJP is against joining with the SP, BSP, RJD and other regional parties in raising their voice. The Left, however, is firm on a principle that MPs should not increase their own salary. Though the a section of the Congress Union ministers had earlier opposed to a proposed “increase” in a Cabinet meeting, a section of the Congress officials in Parliament is giving an impression that the party chief Sonia Gandhi is not against the “increase” by referring to her reported comment which she was said to have made in a lighter vein at a PAC meeting.
Now the question is that if the Congress leadership is all for the increase of salary, allowances and pension then who can the party ministers oppose it in the Cabinet. Meanwhile, the joint committee has suggested a salary to be fixed at Re 1 more than that of secretary to the government of India and it may include dearness allowance as per the Central government rates effective from time-to-time.
They said the salary can be increased from Rs 16, 000 to Rs 50,000.
The committee recommended the quantum of air journeys to be enhanced from 34 to 50 per annum, office expense allowance to be increased from Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000, constituency allowance to be increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per mensem, existing limit of free telephone calls to be enhanced to two lakh in a year, conveyance advance to be enhanced rom Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and interest at the rate of five per cent may be pegged to it.
The committee also recommended increase in the pension from Rs 8,000 to be at par with the pension of former secretaries.
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