Odisha Assembly increased the salary of MLA from Rs 1.11 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh, which is the highest package in the country. By passing 4 bills, the pension of the Chief Minister, Ministers, Speaker and Ex-MLA was also increased three times. The new provisions include Rs 25 lakh assistance and revision every five years.
Bhubaneswar. A big decision was taken on Tuesday regarding the salary of MLA in Odisha. The state assembly increased the salaries of MLAs, Chief Ministers, ministers and former MLAs by almost three times by passing four big bills in a single day. Earlier, a common MLA used to get around Rs 1.11 lakh per month, now it has increased to Rs 3.45 lakh. It is being counted among the most available packages in the entire country. But the question is, why was such a huge increase made? Is the MLA’s “old demand”, increasing responsibilities or some hidden political strategy working behind this? This is the reason why this decision has become a topic of discussion among the people.
When will the increased salary of MLA be implemented?
The government says that this change has been made keeping in mind the current economic situation and the increasing responsibilities of public representatives. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that this increase will be considered applicable from June 2024, i.e. from the time of formation of the last assembly. All parties passed this bill unanimously, and every MLA called it a necessary decision.
How did MLA’s salary become Rs 3.45 lakh? What benefits are available in the package?
The complete package that MLAs will get after the new changes is as follows:
- Basic salary: Rs 90,000
- Constituency/Secretarial Allowance: Rs 75,000
- Conveyance Allowance: Rs 50,000
- Books and Journals: Rs 10,000
- Electricity Allowance: Rs 20,000
- Traveling Allowance: Rs 50,000
- Medical Allowance: Rs 35,000
- Telephone Allowance: Rs 15,000
Adding all this, the total package becomes Rs 3,45,000 per month.
Is this why MLA salary was increased? Did responsibilities increase or politics?
MLA says that since 2007 he was continuously demanding increase in salary. His argument is that
- Inflation has increased significantly,
- Electoral and public pressure has increased tremendously.
- The cost of work in the area has become many times higher than before.
How much pension will Ex-MLA get now?
The entire package of former MLAs has also been changed.
- Basic pension: Rs 80,000
- Medical Allowance: Rs 25,000
- Traveling Allowance: Rs 12,500
- Total pension: Rs 1.17 lakh per month
Apart from this, an additional pension of Rs 3,000 will be available every term.
What was the salary of the Chief Minister, Speaker and ministers?
- Chief Minister: Rs 3,74,000
- Assembly Speaker and Deputy Chief Minister: Rs 3,68,000
- Cabinet Minister and Leader of Opposition: Rs 3,62,000
- Deputy Speaker and Minister of State: Rs 3,56,000
- Chief Whip: Rs 3,62,000
- Deputy Chief Whip: Rs 3,50,000
Apart from this, there is also a provision which allows the government to increase the salary in future through an ordinance, which means there will be no need to bring a new bill for this.
Will the family get financial help on the death of MLA?
Yes. Another major change in the bill is that if a sitting MLA dies, the government will provide financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to his family.
Is this decision in the interest of the public or just for the convenience of the leaders?
All parties supported these four bills, which shows that there was complete political consensus on this issue. MLAs say that their responsibilities have increased and the economic circumstances have also changed a lot, hence a review of salaries had become necessary. At the same time, according to Opposition Chief Whip Pramila Malik, “The pension increase will provide relief to old and former MLAs suffering from illness.”