Salary hike of Telangana and Other State MLAs

Chief Minister of Telangana has announced last year that he would double the salaries of Members of Legislative Assembly.

He has fulfilled his promise and the Business Advisory Committee headed by Speaker of the Telangana Assembly S Madhusudana Chary has recommended that salaries of MLAs be increased from present Rs. 96,000 to Rs. 3.5 lakh.

The Members Amenities Committee has last week recommended a massive 400 percent salary hike for MLAs.

Other states to hike salaries of MLAs:

Andhra Pradesh too taking a clue from Telangana has proposed that salaries of its Assembly members be increased to at least Rs. 2 lakh per month. The reason given for the hike is rising inflation.

Haryana MLAs too are demanding hike in salary. Haryana MLA from BSP, Tek Chand Sharma has urged the Chief Minister to hike the salaries stating that since a year and half there has been no revision of salaries for MLAs while neighbouring states like Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan pay more to the members of their Assemblies.

Madhya Pradesh meanwhile has increased the salaries of its members of Assembly by 55 percent.

Delhi Assembly last December approved a 400 percent pay hike for MLAs and Ministers. Delhi MLAs now can avail allowance for foreign travels also.

Similarly Karnataka MLAs too had gifted themselves a generous salary hike of 75 percent last year. Karnataka MLAs last year allowed themselves Rs. 5,000 per night for each day of stay in a hotel with no fixed limit on the number of days for such an allowance.

In addition they have allowed themselves Rs. 1,500 per day as allowance for local transport. MLAs need to produce a bill for the same and claim the money.

Argument in support of salary hike of MLAs:

Ashutosh of Aam Aadmi Party had advocated the salary hikes of MLAs in his blog by writing that,

"A salary hike is important for honest politics and lean politics. A salary hike is important for an honest MLA if we want him to live with dignity and self-respect. A salary hike is important if we don't want an honest MLA from any party to have to make compromises due to financial constraints. So it's my humble request that this salary hike recommendation should not be seen from the old prism where it was linked with greed. This should be seen as part of the revolution. It's for clean politics. It's part of the new beginning. Debate is good but belittling the move will support those whom all of us want to uproot."

Salary hikes of lawmakers irks common man:

Most people get irked by such massive salary hikes of MLAs and MPs. Andhra Pradesh MLAs are demanding salary hike at a time when the state just declared 196 mandals in 13 districts as drought affected. Also this year over 1000 people have already died in the state due to heat wave.

Telangana too is witnessing suicides of hundreds of debt ridden farmers.

The only point that differentiates Indian MPs and MLAs from the world over is that they decide their own salaries. However, most of the countries pay many folds to their lawmakers than what Indian MPs and MLAs earn.