After Cabinet nod, MPs set to get hiked allowances

With the Union Cabinet giving its nod to the proposal on Wednesday, Members of Parliament are set to get increased allowances.

The constituency allowance, furniture allowance and communication expenses of the MPs would go up considerably, officials in the government said.

As per official release from Press Information Bureau, the furniture allowance will go upto Rs 1 lakh per annum, constituency allowance to Rs 70,000 and office expense allowance to Rs 60,000 per month.

Although the parliamentary affairs ministry had proposed an increase in the constituency allowance from Rs 45,000 a month to Rs 60,000, the increase approved by the Cabinet is more than that.

The ministry had also proposed that the one-time furniture allowance be hiked to Rs 1 lakh from the present Rs 75,000.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced in his Budget speech that a permanent mechanism would be set up to revise the salaries of MPs every five years, and it would be linked to inflation.

The remuneration of an MP includes a basic salary of Rs 50,000 per month and Rs 45,000 as constituency allowance, apart from other perks. The Centre spends around Rs 2.7 lakh a month on an MP.