HYDERABAD: Telangana legislators would be the highest paid in the country and are likely to get 260 percent hike in salaries. They are set to exceed Delhi legislators, where the AAP government has recently hiked the salaries of its MLAs four times. They are now getting an overall monthly package of Rs 2.10 lakh.
The Bill, Telangana Payment of Salaries and Pension Removal of Disqualifications (Amendment) Bill 2016, paving way for hefty hike in salary and other allowances for the members of Telangana State Legislature and Council was introduced in the Assembly on Monday.
Legislative affairs minister T Harish Rao introduced the Bill on behalf of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. There will be a three-fold increase in the salary and allowances for the chief minister.
The legislators’ gross salary would go up to Rs 2.50 lakh a month from Rs 95,000 per month (including allowances) at present.
Senior Congress MLA from Wanaparthy G Chinna Reddy said they will now get a package of around Rs 2.80 lakh per month which includes salary, constituency allowance and other perks. “The same used to be around Rs 98,000,” the MLA said.
Chinna Reddy, who got elected in 1989 for the first time and used to get a salary of around Rs 10,000 then, said MLAs started getting a decent pay only after N Janardhan Reddy became the chief minister. Asked about the need for such a hefty hike, he quipped, “I am one among them (MLAs) and I will have to walk along with them.”
The Bill is likely to be debated on Tuesday and adopted unanimously cutting across party lines. After the bill’s passage, the salary hike will come into force from April.
According to the Amendment Bill, the CM’s salary will be increased from Rs 16,000 to Rs 51,000. The Constituency Allowance for the CM and all other members will be increased from Rs 83,000 to Rs 2.50 lakh. There will be no change in other allowances. It means that the CM will get a three-fold increase and the MLAs around 260 per cent increase in their salaries and allowances.
This means there will be an additional recurring expenditure of `42.67 crore per annum.
PENSION TOO HIKED: A pension of `30,000 per month for the first term or a part of it and a pension of `1,000 per mensem for each year of his service in subsequent term as such member, however, that in no case the pension payable to such person shall exceed `50,000 per mensum, the Bill states.
Hitherto, the widow of an MLA used to get half of the pension. The Bill seeks to replace the word ‘widow’ with ‘spouse’ to enable her to draw full pension.
The Members Amenities Committee has recommended a whopping pay hikes for the CM and his cabinet colleagues.
Pay Hike
Item Existing pay Proposed Hike