Parliament passes bill enhancing MPs salaries

New Delhi, Aug 24: Parliament today increased salaries and allowances of its members, with an utterly divisive Rajya Sabha passing in a jiffy the amendment bill, amid feeble protest from the Left.

The bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday, would raise the MPs' salary from Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000 a month and double pension to Rs 6,000, daily allowance to Rs 1,000 and family pension to Rs 3,000.

Barring the sole protest from CPM Deputy Leader in the House, Mr Prasanta Chaterjee, the Rajya Sabha passed 'The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2006' by voice vote.

The bill, with prospective effect, would provide a life-long family pension of Rs 3,000 a month to the spouse or dependent of deceased former MPs.

The proposed hike would be for five years from September 14, 2006.

Registering his party's protest, Mr Chatterjee suggested that there should be a mechanism, a committe, to be precise, for the fixation of salaries and allowances of MPs.

Like Pay Commissions for different sections of workers, the proposed committee could be mandated to determine the cost index in case of MPs, he suggested.

UNI