PARRIKAR says if MLAs don't get proper funds, they will have reason to be corrupt
the goan I network
PANAJI
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday announced that the Goa State Legislative Assembly ‘may' approve a pay hike for all MLAs and ministers in the upcoming winter session of the legislative assembly scheduled to begin on December 13.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the National Press Day the chief minister said that it is important that politicians are paid well in tune with inflation simply because one needs to ensure that they do not have an additional reason to be corrupt.
A four-day winter session of the assembly is scheduled to begin on December 13.
"I always insist that if MLAs don't get proper funds, they will have a reason to start corruption," Parrikar said.
"You don't know what kind of pressure the MLAs face. They are constantly under pressure people ask for donations, there are other demands. Not many people know that the politician in current situation has to be 24 hours on duty so he hardly gets time to devote to his business. That is why they should be paid reasonably well," the chief minister said.
"We may do it in the upcoming winter session of assembly. Salaries will be increased to keep them in tune with inflation," Parrikar said.
Earlier during the monsoon session of the Assembly, chief minister Manohar Parrikar hinted that the MLAs who currently earn a total of ` 90,000 per month could be in for a hike since it is more than five years since their salaries have not changed.
In 1994 when I first became an MLA the salary was ` 1800 and you could employ only two staff paying them ` 500 each. Today the gross is 90,000. It was 2012, now in 2017, we have to revise it again. The value of money halves every two years," Parrikar said.
Since 2012, the chief minister draws a salary and sumptuary allowance of ` 45,000, deputy chief minister ` 39,000, a minister ` 33,000 and minister of state or deputy minister ` 27,000.
MLAs receive a basic salary of ` 10,000 per month and in addition receive ` 50,000 as constituency allowance. Besides this, MLAs and ministers also receive ` 2,000 per day for every assembly session they attend and a similar amount for each day of the house committee meetings they attend. In addition, the MLAs also receive monies to be paid to the staff they maintain including personal assistants, drivers and other staff.
Besides this, all MLAs receive 250 litres of petrol/diesel per month. Other benefits include money for buying vehicles, up to ` 15-lakh and up to ` 25-lakh for buying a house. Ex-MLAs receive a pension of ` 50,000 to ` 70,000.
The previous hike in salaries was also brought forth by Manohar Parrikar who back in 2012 when he was Chief Minister had introduced huge hikes in the salaries of MLAs through an amendment bill.
The Chief Minister has also suggested that increments in MLA and ministers salaries should be made automatic in order to avoid moving a separate amendment each time the government seeks to hike MLA and minister salaries.
SALARY: THE PRESENT SCENE
CM draws salary and sumptuary allowance of
` 45,000 per month
Deputy chief minister gets ` 39,000
Minister ` 33,000, minister of state or Dy minister ` 27,000
MLAs get ` 10,000 monthly salary &
` 50,000 as constituency allowance
MLAs & ministers also get ` 2,000 per day for every Assembly session they attend
MLAs also receive money for staff they maintain
