New Delhi : A joint parliamentary committee is understood to have endorsed the demand of the MPs for increasing their salary, so that it is at par with the secretaries to the Government of India.
The committee has before it a petition signed by 40 MPs cutting across party lines demanding an increase in their emoluments, pointing out that the lawmaker should be at par or rather better paid than the bureaucrats.
Notwithstanding criticism of the lawmakers deciding on their own emoluments, the MPs say there is no mechanism except a representation to the Lok Sabha Speaker to let an all-party parliamentary committee of MPs from both the Houses decide the matter.
The petition noted that the MPs were better paid than the bureaucrats earlier, but they now get two-thirds of what a secretary at the Centre gets.
In the last pay hike effected in 2008, the monthly salary of an MP was fixed at Rs 1.10 lakh — Rs 50,000 as pay, Rs 45,000 as constituency allowance and Rs 15,000 as office allowance.
Secretaries at that time used to get Rs 80,000 per annum. The inflation-based dearness allowance (DA) has, however, now shot up to Rs 90,000 and, as such, the secretary draws Rs 1.70 lakh — Rs 80,000 as pay and Rs 90,000 as DA.
The MPs’ petition also points out that their salaries are not linked to inflation either and they do not get any DA. Hence their salary should be not only fixed keeping in mind the present price index but a provision be also made for giving them DA.
The committee is believed to have not agreed to the inclusion of DA but suggested some mechanism for periodic revision of salary to take care of inflation.
The MPs sought better emoluments not only for themselves but also for their staff. For instance, they have demanded a substantial increase in the office allowance they get to take care of inflation and enable them to appoint three PAs — one in Delhi and two in their constituencies.
