Delhi Cabinet approves hike in MLAs’ salary

If the Delhi government has its way, the ministers and the MLAs will soon carry home thicker pay packages.

If the Delhi government has its way, the ministers and the MLAs will soon carry home thicker pay packages.

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The cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to increase salaries of MLAs and ministers by up to 300%. The cabinet note has cited inflation and increased cost of living as reasons behind the proposal to hike salaries.

The cabinet also approved the proposal to increase minimum wages for skilled and unskilled labourers by up to R1,050 per month.

According to senior Delhi government officials, the proposal has suggested increase in the salary of the chief minister from about Rs 48,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh. If the proposal is passed, the other ministers would get about Rs 1.20 lakh while the MLAs would carry home a salary of Rs 1 lakh. The ministers currently get Rs 43,000 while the MLAs carry home Rs 32,000.

The cabinet has proposed to increase the basic salary for the legislators and the ministers from December 2008 and pay arrears to them.

Interestingly, the Delhi government had sent a similar proposal to the central government in 2010 which the Centre had later rejected.

Sources said the new proposal is similar to what was sent to the Centre earlier.

“We have cleared the proposal. We will now be sending it to the Centre for approval,” Dikshit said after the cabinet meeting.

Apart from the salary, the ministers and the MLAs would also be entitled for 20 free air and rail travels in a year to any part of the country along with wife or one associate, 1.5 lakh phone calls annually, 2,000 units free electricity and 10,000 litre free water every month.