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Punjab govt implements ‘one MLA, one pension’
Earlier, Punjab MLAs were drawing pensions for each term they served, with cumulative pensions in some cases going up to ₹3 lakh a month.
The Punjab government has notified the ‘One MLA-One Pension’ rule that limits the pension drawn by a state legislator to only one term, regardless of the number of times voted to power, chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday.
Earlier, Punjab MLAs were drawing pensions for each term they served, with cumulative pensions in some cases going up to ₹3 lakh a month.
“I am very happy to inform Punjabis that the governor has given his assent to the One MLA-One Pension Bill. The government has issued a notification,” Mann tweeted.
The state assembly had passed the Punjab State Legislature Members (Pension and Medical Facilities Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2022, on June 30, paving the way for a single pension of ₹75,150 a month to each MLA, irrespective of the terms for which he or she gets elected.
There are around 300 former MLAs in Punjab. According to state government officials, the new law could save the government around ₹19.53 crore annually. The decision is in line with the demand raised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the principal opposition party during the previous Congress-led government’s tenure in the state.
In a statement Mann issued on Saturday, he said, “Our great freedom fighters had dreamed of a classless democracy, where elected representatives will work as the real servants of people and ensure their well being. But, in the last 75 years, these elected representatives have turned into political executives by drawing extravagant salaries and pensions from the state exchequer.”
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tarun Chugh hit back saying the scheme is a “complete hoax”.
He said the AAP government was pulling “dramatic stunts” to divert public money into media advertisements.
