Salaries cut: What MPs and Ministers will earn now

New Delhi, Sep 16: In view of austerity measures following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government pushed two bills to temporarily reduce the salaries of lawmakers and ministers.

Under Article 106 of the Constitution, Indian lawmakers fix their own salaries. On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha passed a bill to reduce the salaries by 30 per cent for one year. The allowances bill cuts the salaries by 30 per cent for a period of one year. As a result of this the monthly sumptuary allowance is also cut, effective April 1 2020. The sumptuary allowance is equivalent of a visitor's entertainment reimbursement.

This would mean that an MP's salary now stands at Rs 70,000 a month as opposed to Rs 1,00000 earlier. The constituency allowance has also been revised to Rs 49,000 from Rs 70,000. The office expense allowance is now at Rs 54,000 from Rs 60,000.

The Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill 2020 cuts the sumptuary allowance. The Prime Minister's sumptuary allowance is now at Rs 2,100 from the earlier Rs 3,000 a month. For a Cabinet minister this allowance now stands at Rs 1,400 from the earlier Rs 2,000. For a minister of state or junior minister, this allowance now stands at Rs 700 from the earlier Rs 1,000.