Durga Puja Bonanza For MLAs: Mamata Banerjee Announces Salary Hike Of Rs 40,000

West Bengal MLAs' salaries have been increased by Rs 40,000 per month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced. The new salary will be Rs 50,000 per month. Banerjee also clarified that she will not be taking a salary as the Chief Minister, as she has not drawn a salary for a long time.

"The current salaries of West Bengal Assembly MLAs are considerably lower than those in other states. As a result, it has been decided to raise their monthly salaries by Rs 40,000. Previously, MLAs received Rs 10,000, state ministers received Rs 10,900, and ministers in charge received Rs 11,000. These figures will now be increased to Rs 50,000, Rs 50,900, and Rs 51,000 per month," she stated.

Following this significant announcement, the chief minister did not provide a detailed breakdown of the new salaries of lawmakers after the hike, including all allowances and additional pay for serving on various standing committees.

The chief minister emphasized that the salary of the West Bengal Chief Minister would remain unchanged under the new structure. West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee, however, expressed concern that the "salaries of MLAs have been increased, but the chief minister's salary remains the same."

He urged Banerjee to reconsider the decision regarding the chief minister's salary. Despite the Speaker's request, the chief minister politely declined. Subsequently, several ministers and MLAs expressed their appreciation for the salary increase.

Senior TMC Minister Manas Bhunia expressed gratitude to the chief minister for addressing the concerns of MLAs and ministers, noting that the salary of a minister or MLA is among the lowest in the country.

According to TMC ministers, an MLA's total income, including all allowances and additional pay for attending standing committee meetings and House sessions, is approximately Rs 81,000. A minister's total income, including allowances, is approximately Rs 1.10 lakh. BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga mentioned that the BJP legislative party would have been pleased if the state government had announced a salary increase for state government employees, ASHA workers, and tea garden workers.