The storm raging over the UPA government’s fresh austerity measures has had serious fallout for the country’s lawmakers who were eagerly awaiting a better pay packet. The proposal to increase their salaries and allowances has been put on hold for the time being.
The matter has now snowballed into a major controversy following reports that External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and his junior Shashi Tharoor had been staying in five-star hotels for three months as their official bungalows were under renovation.
Given the public outcry on this matter, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry has quietly buried its proposal on raising the salaries and allowances of MPs.
UPA sources said since the salaries were last increased in 2006, another hike was overdue for long, especially after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report which provided for a substantial raise in the salaries of government officials.
A bill approving such a hike was being drawn up and would had been presented in the winter session of Parliament, had the present controversy not erupted.
The new proposals, it is learnt, included a substantial hike in the constituency allowance and a provision for the recruitment of researchers by MPs.
The sources confirmed that the proposal has now been put in cold storage for at least another year.
“Given the current mood of the people, this is certainly not the right time to give ourselves a pay hike...it will not go down well with the public ,” remarked a senior Cabinet minister.
At present, Lok Sabha MPs are paid a monthly salary of Rs 16,000, which was revised from Rs 12,000 in 2006. In addition, they are entitled to a host of allowances for travel, medical facilities, accommodation and telephones.
They also get constituency allowance and office expenses’ allowance amounting to Rs 20,000 a month, a sum of Rs 1,000 daily for attending a parliamentary committee meeting and travel concessions.
Not only does a lawmaker get accommodation in Delhi’s prized Lutyen’s Zone but it also comes with free supply of water up to 4,000 kl a year and electricity up to 50,000 units. An MP is entitled to 50,000 local calls from his telephone during a year.
The UPA government was also planning to consider former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s proposal that a permanent commission or a similar body be set up to fix the salaries and allowances of MPs.
The Union Cabinet had considered the proposal last year but left the final decision to the next Lok Sabha.
It was felt that such an independent mechanism would have would have insulated MPs from facing flak for deciding their own salaries.
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