Netas erase tension by hiking pension in Karnataka

Being in news for all the wrong reasons hasn’t prevented our state legislators from giving themselves a hefty pension hike.
Members of legislative assembly and council are all set to give themselves a big hike in their pension as The Karnataka

Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2012 was moved in the state assembly on Tuesday, seeking to raise the monthly pension of legislators from the present `15,000 to Rs25,000.

The bill seeks to increase the maximum limit of monthly pension to Rs35,000 from the present Rs25,000.

Law and parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar moved the bill, which is expected to be passed in the assembly on Wednesday.

Apart from raising the pension for ex-members of the legislature, the bill seeks to provide telephone and other secretarial facilities to the office of recognised legislature groups in both houses of legislature.

Every party that has a strength of not less than 10 members in the legislative council (that is, the quorum strength of members in the council) and 23 members in the assembly (the quorum strength in the assembly) is eligible for this facility.

The ex-members will henceforth get a grant of Rs2,000 per month as medical allowance. They will be entitled for reimbursement of actual travel expenses by train in India to a maximum of `1 lakh per annum as ex-members.

The proposals will result in an additional financial burden of Rs17.43 crore per annum to the government.