Government finally gives green signal to MLAs’ salary hike

The AAP government has finally approved proposals to hike salary and allow-ances of chief minister Ar-vind Kejriwal, his Cabinet colleagues and all the legislators of the Delhi Assembly.

This decision was taken on the basis of the proposal of salaries and allowances committee headed by AAP MLA Vishesh Ravi. As per norms and convention, the MLAs’ salary bill has to have prior approval from the Centre as it is a money bill.

The salary of the city’s legislators was last increa-sed by 100 per cent in Sept-ember 2011 by the then Sheila Dikshit government, citing inflation and the rise in cost of living. There are reportedly two proposed bills — one is related to salary and allowances of legislators and the other to the salaries of the CM and his Cabinet colleagues.

A source said that these proposals were being sent to L-G Najeeb Jung for his approval. The bills would also require approval from the Union home ministry before they are tabled in the Assembly. The source said there was no change in the proposal of basic salary structure but some changes have been effected in the allowances and perks of the MLAs.

The committee on MLAs’ salary and allowances, headed by Mr Ravi, has accepted the recommendations of the three-member committee led by former Lok Sabha secretary-general P.D.T. Achary to hike salary and allowances of the city legislators. The committee had favoured a 400 per cent hike in basic salary of the MLAs from Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 per month. The overall hike recommended is to the tune of 138 per cent.

In July, a group of AAP legislators had demanded a significant hike in their salaries as they claimed their earnings were not enough to run their households and offices. The committee had recommended an increase in the existing salary of MLAs from Rs 12,000 per month to Rs 50,000 per month. Also, the total salary and allowances of the MLAs were recommended to be enhanced from the present Rs 88,000 to Rs 2.10 lakh per month. Apart from basic salary, the committee had also recommended increase in the constituency allowance from current Rs 18,000 to Rs 50,000.