Now, Telangana MLAs are Highest Paid State Legislators
This is the highest monthly package in the country for state legislators overtaking Delhi.
advertisement
Lawmakers in Telangana will now get a monthly package of Rs 2.50 lakh against the existing Rs 95,000 with the state assembly on Tuesday unanimously passing a bill hiking their pay and allowances.
Members of both the houses of the state legislature will get a hike of 163 percent in the package which includes both the monthly pay and the allowances.
The monthly pay has been revised from Rs 12,000 to Rs 20,000 but the constituency allowance has witnessed a huge jump to Rs 2.30 lakh from the present Rs 83,000.
The Telangana Payment of Salaries and Pensions and Removal of Disqualifications (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed effecting the hike in the salaries of legislators, legislative councillors, chief minister, ministers, chief whip, whips and presiding officers of both the houses.
The hike for the chief minister and others ranged from 60 to 72 percent.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Justifies the Hike
Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao tabled the bill, which was passed with a brief discussion which saw members cutting across party lines hailing it and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao justifying the hike.
The chief minister’s gross salary has gone up from Rs.2.44 lakh to Rs.4.21 lakh. The pay has been increased from Rs.16,000 to Rs.51,000 while the constituency allowance has gone up steeply to Rs.2.30 lakh from Rs.83,000.
Ministers, chief whip and whips will get a monthly package of Rs.4 lakh against the existing 2.42 lakh. Assembly and council chairman will now get Rs.4.11 lakh instead of Rs.2.42 lakh.
For the state legislators, this is said to be the highest monthly package in the country, overtaking Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party government increased the package of the lawmakers to Rs.2.10 lakh last year.
Members from both the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed the hike.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)