Centre notifies 24 per cent hike in salaries for MPs

The Centre on Monday notified a 24 per cent hike in the salaries of Members of Parliament MPs with effect from April 1 2023 on the basis of the Cost Inflation Index With the notification the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha lawmakers will now receive Rs 124 lakh as salary every month besides certain allowances and perks news agency PTI reportedA notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs also increased the daily allowances for sitting members as well as the pension and additional pension for former members for every year of service beyond five yearsHowever some parliamentarians expressed dissatisfaction with the salary increase and called for an increase in the MP Local Area Development Fund MPLADS reported PTIThis is a normal process conducted at regular intervals However considering the inflation I feel this is not enough said Samajwadi Party MP Anand BhadauriyaBharat Adivasi Party MP Raj Kumar Roat also said that while he welcomes the move to hike salaries of MPs the members had demanded an increase in MPLADS fundsMalvika Devi from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party BJP also expressed satisfaction with the salary hike but stated that she would have been even happier had there been an increase in the MPLADS as wellDaily allowance of MPs increased to Rs 2500The daily allowance too has been increased from Rs 2000 to Rs 2500 the notification said MPs can draw daily allowances while attending Parliament sessions and meetings of parliamentary committees PTI reportedThe pension for former members of the Parliament has been increased from Rs 25000 per month to Rs 31000 per month The additional pension for every year of service in excess of five years has been increased from Rs 2000 per month to Rs 2500 per monthIn 2018 thenfinance minister Arun Jaitley had raised MPs salaries from Rs 50000 to Rs 1 lakh The late minister had also introduced a mechanism for the automatic revision of salaries and allowances every five years linking them to inflation This removed the practice of MPs recommending their own salariesOf the Rs 124 lakh per month that each MP is set to receive Rs 87000 will comprise the constituency allowance up from the Rs 70000 they used to receive previously and office expenses of Rs 75000 up from Rs 60000 The office expenses of Rs 75000 include Rs 50000 for hiring a computerliterate person and Rs 25000 for stationery PTI reportedMPs are also entitled to purchase durable furniture worth Rs 1 lakh and nondurable furniture worth Rs 25000 during their tenure This is an increase from the previous caps of Rs 80000 for durable furniture and Rs 20000 for nondurable furnitureApart from these allowances they also receive accommodation ranging from a hostel at Vitthalbhai Patel House to twobedroom flats and bungalows in central Delhi PTI reported The lawmakers are also reimbursed for electricity water telephone and internet charges along with 34 oneway air tickets for travel between their constituencies and the national In addition they enjoy benefits on rail travelDuring the Covid19 pandemic in 2020 the government had reduced the salaries of MPs and ministers by 30 per cent for one yearThe salary increase has been notified under the powers granted by the Salary Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act based on the Cost Inflation Index specified in the Income Tax Act of 1961 PTI reportedWith PTI inputs