New Delhi: Members of a parliamentary panel on Wednesday pushed for establishment of a "permanent mechanism" on the lines of Pay Commission to ensure that salaries and allowances of MPs are raised on a regular basis.
At a meeting of Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament, its members are learnt to have told the government that there is an urgent need to constitute a "permanent mechanism at the earliest" for review of the salary and allowances of parliamentarians.
The government was represented by officials of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Some members are also learnt to have sought a clarification on reports that a Parliamentary Affairs Ministry proposal to hike the basic salary of MPs from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh is pending with the Finance Ministry.
The proposal, currently with the Finance Ministry, also suggests that basic pension should be raised from Rs 20,000 per month to Rs 35,000.
The Committee also reminded the ministry of its recommendation to hike the monetary ceiling for furniture at MPs' residence from the present Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh -- Rs 1.20 lakh for durable and another Rs 30,000 for non-durable furniture.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister had earlier rejected most of the proposals made by the committee. An MP gets a salary of Rs 50,000 per month.
In addition, Rs 2,000 per day is paid as daily allowance when the MP signs the register while attending Parliament sessions or House committee meetings. The MP is entitled to Rs 45,000 constituency allowance every month -- Rs 15,000 for stationery and Rs 30,000 to employ secretarial assistance staff.
MPs are also entitled for a government accommodation, air travel and train travel facilities, besides three landline telephone connections and two mobile phones. They also get a loan of Rs 4 lakh to buy a vehicle. Amid demands that MPs should not be allowed to decide their salaries, the government had in September proposed to set up a three-member panel to recommend pay and perks of lawmakers.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs had proposed a three-member independent Emoluments Commission to recommend salaries and other allowances for the Members of Parliament. The Delhi Assembly had recently passed Members of Legislative Assembly of Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension) Amendment Bill 2015.
The bill provides for hike in basic salaries of legislators from current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and rise in their overall monthly package from existing Rs 88,000 to around Rs 2.1 lakh.
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