Government not willing to accept majority of recommendations on MP's salary hike

NEW DELHI: Government is not willing to accept majority of recommendations related to the hike in salary and allowances of MPs and pension of ex-MPs made by a Parliamentary panel.

Sources said the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry in its comments (Action Taken Report) sent to the panel headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath on June 24 made it clear that it won't be able to consider a number of recommendations made by the panel, while it decided to send some others to concerned ministries to take an 'appropriate' view.

Representatives of the Ministry, who appeared before the panel on June 25, also told the panel members that a large number of their recommendations like increasing MPs' Daily Allowance from Rs 2000 to Rs 5000, increasing the number of their air travel from 34 to 48, allowing free air travel to ex MPs, extending health care facilities to their married children and grandchildren, could not considered, the sources said.

The panel is likely to submit its report after a meeting on July 13.

The panel had pitched for 100 per cent hike in salary, constituency allowance and office allowance to MPs and around 75 per cent raise in pension of ex-MPs apart from facilities for their "companions" in place of "spouses".

Currently an MP gets a basic salary of Rs 50 thousand added by Rs 45 thousand each for constituency and office expenses, which makes it to Rs 1.4 lakh per month. They wanted to double it to Rs 2.8 lakh per month, the sources said.

Besides they get Rs two thousand as Daily Allowances per day when they attend Parliament or any committee. They wanted it to be raised to Rs five thousand.

The panel also recommended that their furniture allowances should also be doubled from the existing Rs 75 thousand and their air travel should be increased from 34 to 48 annually. They also wanted that the facilities extended to their wife should be extended to any "companion".

While the government expressed its readiness to consider their demand for hike in salary, constituency and office allowances and raising the expenditure limit on furniture, it did not find favour with other ones, sources said.

The panel also wanted that the pension of ex MPs to be increased to almost double from existing Rs 20 thousand. Currently an ex MP, who had served for less than five years gets Rs 20 thousand as pension. Besides he gets Rs 1500 more for each extra year he served as an MP beyond five years.

Some other demands that the panel made was to increase the quota of MPs for admission in Kendriya Vidyalaya to 15 from existing five, allowing their personal assistants to see them off at airport and separate budget for MP's recommended works in Central government programmes.

The panel also noted that since MPs are considered above the rank of Cabinet Secretary, their privileges should also match their status. It also pitched for health care benefits to married children of MPs.

The salaries and perks of the MPs were last revised in 2010. Once the current panel submits its recommendations, the next revision will be carried out after another five years.

The government has also not found favour with the panel's recommendation of official vehicles to MPs, guest houses for MPs in each state capital, providing cars to chairpersons of parliamentary committees for travel outside Delhi, first AC facility to MP's companion, local telephone when an MP is abroad, exemption from toll to former MPs and providing canteen facility to MPs for purchase of items of daily needs.

Since some other demands by the MPs fell outside the purview of Parliamentary Affairs Ministry, the government has referred them to HRD Ministry, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Niti Ayog, the sources said.