GUWAHATI: Assam Assembly on Friday passed “The Assam Legislative Assembly Members’ Salaries, Allowances, Amenities and Pension Bill, 2018” thereby paving way for substantial hike in monthly salary and allowances of legislators and ministers of the state as well as pension and medical allowances for former MLAs.
The salaries of the legislators and ministers have been increased in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000. This is the second salary raise for members of the Assembly since 2014.
A pay commission was set up by the Assembly Speaker this time replacing the earlier practice of legislators recommending hike of their own salaries.
The recommendation of the three-member pay commission, headed by former Chief Secretary PP Verma, was approved by the state cabinet on Wednesday and was tabled in the house on Thursday in the form of a Bill which was passed on Friday.
The chief minister’s basic salary is set to reach the six-figure mark, at Rs 1.3 lakh per month (excluding allowances), after a Rs 40,000-jump from the present salary of Rs 90,000 per month. The biggest increase in the chief minister’s salary came in 2010, when it went up from Rs 16,000 to Rs 65,000.
Basic salary of the Assembly Speaker will increase to Rs 1.2 lakh from the present Rs 80,000 per month. The leader of the Opposition and Cabinet ministers are set to get Rs 1.1 lakh per month, an increase of Rs 30,000 from the present Rs 80,000. The salary for ministers of state has been increased to Rs 1 lakh per month from Rs 75,000 while all other legislators are set to receive Rs 80,000 per month, a hike of Rs 20,000. A deputy minister’s salary has been raised from Rs 70,000 to Rs 95,000.
Apart from restructuring the basic salary, the various allowances for both present and former MLAs have also been increased substantially. These allowances will also be applicable for the chief minister, speaker, deputy speaker and all ministers. Moreover, monthly pension and medical allowances of former MLAs have also been increased substantially.