The Centre has proposed to set up a three-member panel Independent Emoluments Commission to recommend salaries and other allowances for the Members of Parliament. The proposal to set up the panel comes after a Parliamentary Committee recommended a hundred per cent hike in salary, constituency and office allowances of MPs and 75 per cent raise in pension of ex-MPs apart from facilities for their “companions” in place of “spouses” in June this year.
The Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs, headed by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, had sought doubling of the existing Rs50,000 salary of MPs and favoured increasing the pension of former MPs from Rs20,000 to Rs35,000. This led to a controversy and the Government rejected most of the panel’s recommendations.
“The setting up of an independent Emoluments Commission for recommending the salaries and allowances of the MPs will not only put to rest the public outcry and media criticism over MPs themselves deciding their salaries, it will also provide an appropriate opportunity to take into consideration the huge responsibilities and the important role they play in our representative democracy. It would ensure that recommendations on Parliamentary salary are reached in a fair, transparent and equitable way,” said the Ministry on the setting of the IEC.
The last revision in salary of MPs took place in 2010 during UPA II rule and the lawmakers at present get a basic salary of Rs50,000 per month. An MP in India gets a salary of Rs50,000 per month. In addition, Rs2,000 per day is paid as daily allowance when the MP signs the register while attending Parliament sessions or House committee meetings. The MP is entitled to Rs45,000 constituency allowance every month -- Rs15,000 for stationery and Rs30,000 to employ secretarial assistance staff.
The earlier recommendations of the Joint Committee not accepted by Parliamentary Affairs Ministry included grant of one fourth of airfare also to those MPs who travel by train for official purposes, increasing the number of their air travel from 34 to 48, grant of 1st AC train facility to companion, housing society for members, provisions for housing loan, official vehicles and guest house facilities in State capitals, cabins and work stations in Parliament House premises.
The other proposals the Government did not accept were: providing cars to the Chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees during inter-session and session periods, ten economy class air tickets for ex-MPs and exemption to them from paying toll besides facility for AC first class travel with spouse or Companion, canteen facility for MPs for purchase of items of daily use etc.
The general principles suggested by the Ministry for determination of salary are: that it should not be so low as to deter suitable candidates or so high as to make pay the primary attraction for the job. It says the salary should reflect the level of responsibility and those with outside interests should not be deterred from entering Parliament.