MPs' salaries, perks to see 50% hike soon

Members of Parliament will see up to a 50 per cent hike in salaries and perks, according to a Cabinet note moved by the ministry of parliamentary affairs, with subsequent raises linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

According to the note, basic salaries of the MPs are set to rise from Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000 per month. The daily allowance of MPs while attending the Parliament session in Delhi will be raised from Rs 500 per day to Rs 1,000 per day.

Apart from this MPs also get a constituency allowance per month, besides the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Funds or the MPLADs of Rs 2 crore per annum. This constituency allowance will be raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000.

The office allowance given to MPs has also been raised from Rs 14,000 to Rs 28,000 per month. Postal allowance has been raised from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month.

Around 34 air journeys of Members of Parliament will be covered under their salaries as against 32 air journeys allowed now.

According to Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Priya Ranjan Das Munsi, the raising of salaries had become imperative since the last raise authorised by then parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan was only valid till September 14, 2006 after which the level of salaraies would have gone back to the pre-NDA days.

"Which means the MPs would have had a salary of Rs 4,000 only," said Das Munsi. "Members of Parliament are entitled to a raise looking at prevailing levels of income in other sectors," he added.

At that time a standing committee had also been constituted on the question of salaries and it is the recommendations of this report that will be considered.