Against proposed `5.70 crore budget for ministers’ salary, staff to draw `21.17 crore
The Gujarat government has proposed an allocation of Rs 21.17 crore for salaries of the personal staff of the ministers for financial year 2018-19, according to an NGO report released on Thursday. The amount is four times more than the allocation for salaries of their bosses.
The Gujarat government had estimated an expenditure of Rs 5.70 crore for salaries of the ministers for the same period. The information was revealed by NGO Pathey in a report on proposals made by the government for 2018-19. The debate on department-wise budget grants will start in the state Assembly from Friday.
According to the report, the budget for salaries and perks of ministers was Rs 5.70 crore in 2017-2018, which is a 17.73% rise compared to the actual expenditure made for the same cause in 2015-16 – Rs 4.84 crore. The estimation for the same in the FY 2016-17 was Rs 5.40 crore, reflecting a rise of 13% compared to the previous year.
The salaries and perks of the ministers include their monthly salaries, hospitality expenditure, tour allowance and other administrative expenses.
According to the report, the actual expenditure incurred by the government to pay salaries to the staff was Rs 17.78 crore in 2016-17. The government had estimated the expense to be Rs 18.67 crore for 2017-18, but it was revised to Rs 21 crore later. In the past, the expenditure on salaries of the personal staff remained four times higher than that for the ministers, the report revealed.
The government had proposed a budget of Rs 15.43 crore for salaries of 182 MLAs, which means that each of them would draw Rs 8.48 lakh per annum and Rs 70,679 per month. The government had spent Rs 12.82 crore for the same in 2016-17. The government had estimated an expense of Rs 20.22 crore for the salaries, but it was reduced to Rs 11.80 crore in the revised estimates as the Chief Minister expanded the size of his Cabinet. The MLAs will get a 30.82% hike in salaries compared to the revised estimates of last year. The highest hike in salary, including perks, was recorded for the speaker and deputy speaker of the Assembly – 46.46%. The government had estimated an expense of Rs 47.60 lakh for the same for the present fiscal, which stood at Rs 32.50 lakh as per the revised estimates. The establishment’s expense was Rs 32.65 lakh in 2016-17.
The report suggested that the government’s allocation translated into a 15.14% hike in the salary of the leader of opposition with the total estimated salary and perks of Rs 93.03 lakh against Rs 80.80 lakh as per revised estimates of 2017-18.
Surprisingly, the chief whip of the Assembly will get 4.29% less salary and perks. The government had estimated an expense of Rs 1.46 crore on the salary of the chief whip and that was revised to Rs 1.53 crore for 2017-18.
PEEP INTO ROCKET
- Gujarat government had estimated an expenditure of Rs 5.70 crore for salaries of the ministers for same period.
- Salaries and perks of the ministers include their monthly salaries, hospitality expenditure, tour allowance and other administrative expenses.
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