66 per cent hike, but Delhi MLAs are still among the lowest paid
According to official figures, an MLA currently draws a monthly salary of Rs 12,000 which will go up to Rs 30,000 after the bills get approved by the President.
FollowA day after lawmakers in Delhi gave themselves a 66 per cent hike in salaries and allowances, it has emerged that the MLAs continue to draw lower salaries when compared to their counterparts in Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. In fact, according to data accessed by news agency PTI, Delhi MLAs might still be among the lowest paid in the country.
The bill, which will go for President's approval, seeks to enhance the monthly salary of an MLA in Delhi from Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000 and along with allowances, it will go up from Rs 54,000 to Rs 90,000.Â
To recall, the Delhi assembly on Monday passed five different bills seeking to revise the salaries of MLAs, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, ministers, MLAs, chief whip and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. The last time, the salaries and allowances of Delhi MLAs were increased was in 2011.
An MLA's bills need to get approved by the President. According to official figures in the new Bill, the MLA's constituency allowance will go up from Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000 while the conveyance allowance will be hiked from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000.
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The telephone allowance will see a hike from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000, while the secretarial allowance will increase to Rs 15,000 from Rs 10,000.
In comparison, according to figures quoted by non-profit organisation PRS Legislative, MLAs in Himachal Pradesh draw a salary of Rs 55,000 besides a constituency allowance of Rs 90,000, a daily allowance of Rs 1,800, a secretarial allowance of Rs 30,000 and telephone allowance of Rs 15,000.
MLAs in Kerala earn much lower that their colleagues in Delhi with a meagre salaray of Rs 2,000. Their constituency allowance stands at Rs 25,000, according to PRS.
MLAs in Telangana earn Rs 20,000 but the constituency allowance stands at Rs 2.3 lakh.Â
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Let's take a look at the salaries of MLAs in some other states:
Andhra Pradesh: Rs 12,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 1.13 lakh
Tamil Nadu: Rs 30,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 25,000
Uttarakhand: Rs 20,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 1.5 lakh
Chhatisgarh: Rs 25,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 30,000
Mizoram: Rs 80,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 40,000
West Bengal: Rs 10,000
Constituency allowance: Rs 4,000
Chhatisgarh lawmakers get allowances like orderly allowance to the tune of Rs 15,000 and medical allowance of Rs 10,000.
The cumulative salaries of Uttarakhand MLAs is over Rs 1.82 lakh while those of the AAP-ruled Punjab is near Rs 95,000. The Mizoram MLAs draw close to Rs 1.5 lakh.
(With PTI Inputs)
