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Punjab MLAs’ salaries to go up by 57%
House panel also recommends hike in allowances, pensions
Ruchika M Khanna/TNS

Chandigarh, November 1
The Punjab MLAs, cutting across party lines, have recommended to the state government to raise their salaries by a whopping 57 per cent.

Clearly, the Punjab Government may be dithering on meeting its committed liabilities and the Opposition MLAs may be crying hoarse seeking a “white paper” on the state’s economy, but when it comes to their own benefits, the government-Opposition divide suddenly vanishes.

The report regarding the salaries, allowances and pensions of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha members was tabled on the last day of the session today. It recommends that the salary of the MLAs be increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, besides increasing their allowances from Rs 44,000 to Rs 68,000.

The report was submitted by a 14-member committee having the Speaker as its chairman. MLAs from the Opposition Congress, Ashwani Sekhri (Batala)and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot (Nabha), also formed part of the committee.

After the coming into force of these provisions, the total salary and allowances of Punjab MLAs would go up from Rs 59,000 to Rs 93,000 per month.

The committee has also recommended that the dearness allowance of the MLAs be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500, the free travel facility from Rs 2 lakh per annum to Rs 3 lakh per annum and the ex gratia from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.