Haryana Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues on Thursday went back home taking a salary and allowances hike of around 53 percent.
The State Assembly during the one-day special session passed three Bills effecting hikes in the salary and office allowances of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, leader of the Opposition, Ministers and Ministers of State.
The salary of the Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and leader of Opposition, will increase from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per month and their office allowance Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.
The hike will put an additional burden of Rs 55. 46 lakh on the State exchequer, the House was informed.
Apart from monthly salary and office allowance, the Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and leader of Opposition are also entitled to get Rs 60,000 monthly constituency allowance, sumptuary allowance, conveyance allowance, daily allowance, telephone allowance, among other facilities.
The Bills, which were moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, will come into force from April 1, 2016.
Sharma said that keeping in view the rise in cost of living, it was proposed to increase salary and office allowance.
The hikes were made under the Haryana legislative Assembly Speaker's and Deputy Speaker's Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, the Haryana Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill and the Haryana legislative Assembly (Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, 2017.
Independent MlA Jai Prakash and INlD legislator Zakir Hussain also demanded hike in pension and allowances given to the former legislators.
Replying to this, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar said that he had held a meeting with former MlAs and the Government is completing some formalities including working out how much Dearness Allowance should be given to them.
He added that if needed, an ordinance will be brought to increase the pension and allowances given to the ex-MlAs in the State.
last year, the monthly salary and allowances of a State legislator was raised to Rs 1.5 lakh, with effect from April 1, 2016.