Delhi Assembly clears 400% pay hike for legislators

“Left is of the view that there can be an independent mechanism to decide these things”, CPI national secretary D Raja said. The Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension) Amendment Bill 2015 will not be sent to Ministry of Home Affairs for the final nod. If it is approved, Delhi MLAs will become the country’s best-paid legislators with a monthly package of Rs 210,000 (roughly $3,150) as against Rs 88,000 ($1,320) at present. The Bharatiya Janata Party attacked the AAP government for bringing the bill and demanded its immediate withdrawal, with two legislators walking out in protest.

Gupta said that the Delhi government has not implemented recommendations of Fourth Finance Commission in toto. So that’s Rs 1 lakh a month.

Once the Bill is approved, the legislators will be entitled to a communication allowance of Rs 10,000 per month as well as Rs 30,000 as monthly conveyance allowance for each MLA.

Unfazed by criticism over the proposed hike in the salaries of Delhi MLA, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should get a “salary hike” as well.

On 27 August 2010, Members of Parliament had also voted to increase their salaries threefold from Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000 and double their constituency and office expense allowances. The three-member committee of experts had finalised its 21-page “unanimous report” in October.

When Parliament is in session, they get a daily allowance of Rs 2,000. “The bill to increase Delhi legislators’ salaries was introduced – and passed – on Thursday in the face of opposition from BJP MLAs who said this was probably not the right time for legislators to take an increment”.