NEW DELHI: With Tamil Nadu MLAs getting a 100 percent salary hike, parliament MPs on Wednesday also demanded fee hike, saying that the government secretaries and MLAs in states are being paid better than them.
The matter was raised in Rajya Sabha by Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal and he got support from the senior Congress leader Anand Sharma.
Agarwal said that there was no harm in asking for a salary hike for MPs.
“We have demanded what we deserve under 7th pay commission and it has been due for long. Even MLAs in states and government secretaries are paid more than us,” said Agarwal.
Sharma soon joined him saying Indian MPs are worst paid in the world.
The matter was also raised last year when the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs had made a recommendation to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). It was proposed to double MPs salaries.
The Salaries and Allowances of members are governed by the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954.
As per Act, the monthly salary of each parliament member is Rs 50,000 per month during the whole term of office.
They get a daily allowance of Rs 2,000 per day for each day of residence on duty and daily allowance is paid only when a member signs the register maintained for the purpose.
Besides, they get a constituency allowance of Rs 45,000per month and an office expense allowance of Rs 45,000 per month.
Out of these, Rs 15,000 for meeting expenses on stationery items and postage, and Rs 30,000 is paid by the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariat to the persons as may be engaged by a member for obtaining secretarial assistance provided that one such person must be computer literate as certified by the member.