ASSAM: PROPOSAL FOR RAISING LAWMAKER’S SALARIES BY UP TO 50%

The Assam government has proposed hiking the salaries of all elected representatives, including the Chief Minister and the Assembly Speaker, by up to 50% with effect from April 1. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary introduced three Bills in the Assam Assembly in this regard. According to the Bill for raising the emoluments of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, their Salaries will be raised to 1.2 lakh and 1 lakh per month from the existing 80,000 and 75,000, an increase of 50% and 33.33%, respectively.

Besides the salary component, both will get 30,000 as parliamentary assistance and sumptuary allowances, it added. The Chief Minister’s salary will go up to 1.3 lakh from 90,000 at present, while his allowances for the two above mentioned categories will become 34,000 as against 17,000, a jump of 53.23% in the total takeaway at 1.64 lakh every month. For the cabinet ministers and the Leader of the Opposition, the salary has been proposed to be raised to 1.1 lakh from 80,000 at present, while the allowances have been doubled to 30,000 from 15,000.

After the passage of the Bill, a Minister of State will get a salary of 1 lakh as compared to the existing 75,000, while also drawing an additional 28,000 as parliamentary assistance and sumptuary allowances as against 14,000 a month. A Deputy Minister’s salary will become 95,000 in place of 70,000 and the allowances will increase to 26,000 from 13,000, the Bill said.

Mr. Patowary also proposed hiking the salaries of all MLAs in a separate Bill to 80,000 from the existing 60,000 a month, while doubling allowances for constituency, camp office and secretariat to 40,000.