Parliament adjourns following uproar over MPs’ ‘poor’ salary hike
By ANIFriday, August 20, 2010
NEW DELHI - The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m on Friday after lawmakers from various parties stalled house proceedings seeking more money.
Members of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and other parties protested over the “minimal” hike and demanded that the proposed increase by the Cabinet be taken back.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav triggered the protest, demanding that the salary of MPs be upped to Rs.80,001.
Speaker Meira Kumar repeatedly pleaded that the issue could be raised during Zero Hour, but the protesters didn’t relent.
Kumar then adjourned the house till 2. p.m.
The Rajya Sabha was also been adjourned on the same issue.
The Union Cabinet today approved a bill to hike MPs’ salary from current Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000.
The decision comes few days after the Cabinet deferred its decision on the proposed three-fold increase.
The Bill will now be placed in Parliament for final approval.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Salaries, Allowances and Pensions, headed by Congress MP Charan Das Mahant, had proposed a salary of Rs 80,001, arguing that an MP”s salary should be at least a rupee more than that of an officer of the rank of Secretary (Rs 80,000), whom an MP outranks in the list of protocol.
The recommendation to hike the salary was made taking into account the consumer price index and the wage index for skilled urban labour.
Apart from the base salary, an MP gets a daily allowance of Rs 1,000 for each day when Parliament is in session or a sitting of a House committee is scheduled.
A member is entitled for constituency allowance of Rs 20,000 per month and office expense allowance of another Rs 20,000 per month.
Every MP can avail 34 single air journeys during a year with spouse or any number of companions or relatives.
The last hike in salaries and allowances of 795 MPs — 545 members of Lok Sabha and 250 members of Rajya Sabha-came into effect about 10 years ago. (ANI)
