The Haryana Assembly on Thursday passed a Bill rationalising the pension and allowances of former elected members.
“The wrongdoings by the previous regimes while fixing their pension and dearness allowance at the cost of people’s money, has been rectified now. It appears that they were rewarding themselves only,” said the Chief Minister while speaking on the Haryana legislative Assembly (Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, 2018, passed by the House on the concluding day of the budget session.
He said that as per the amendment, a member who completed first term after January 1, 2016 and became a pensioner would be entitled to draw Rs 50,000 per month as pension for his first term, and Rs 2,000 for each year or part thereof subsequent to the first term. He would be entitled to dearness relief at the rates prescribed by government from time to time for the state government’s post-2016 pensioners.
At present, former MlAs of the state are being given a pension of Rs 50,000 per month with effect from October 1, 2013 plus Rs 1,500 for each additional year, subsequent to first term, and 50 per cent as dearness pension, said he.
In spite of revision of pension four times after January 1, 1996, they are drawing dearness relief at the rate of 245 per cent on the above emoluments that is equal to the rate of dearness relief which would have been admissible to the state Government pensioners had their pension not been revised after January 1, 1996, said the Chief Minister
The former MlAs would now be entitled to draw either dearness relief (fixed) or dearness relief at the rates prescribed by the government from time to time for their post-2016 pensioners, whichever is higher, he added.
On the request of ex-MlAs to allow them the facility of special travelling allowance for themselves and members of their families, the Chief Minister said they would be allowed the facility of special travelling allowance of up to Rs 10,000 per month provided their monthly pension plus dearness relief does not exceed Rs 1 lakh.
On the concluding day of budget session, the State Assembly passed 15 Bills.
The House passed University of Health Sciences, Karnal (Amendment) Bill 2018 to change the name of University of Health Sciences, Karnal to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayaya, University of Health Sciences, Karnal.
The Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran Bill 2018 has been passed to establish the Haryana Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran to formulate and undertake a humanistic and holistic welfare based approach to address the difficulty faced by the farmers of the state and to provide relief to distressed farmers in varying and challenging situations.
Apart from this, Haryana Urban Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2018 has been passed for adopting the Hindi version of Haryana Urban Development Authority as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran in both English and Hindi versions.
The State Assembly also passed Maharishi Balmiki Sanskrit University, Kaithal Bill 2018 to establish and incorporate a teaching-cum-affiliating University at Kaithal to facilitate and promote higher education with special emphasis in Sanskrit literature, vedas, philosophy, Indian culture and indic languages and also to achieve excellence in these and connected fields.
Haryana Group D Employees (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Bill 2018 has also been passed to regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of Haryana Group D employees in the state and for the matters connected therewith.