The UP vidhan sabha witnessed a major show of unity and unanimity on Monday. Well, why not? After all, Mayawati had announced major sops and significant pay hikes for legislators and ministers.
The chief minister announced an unprecedented 67% increase in the salaries of legislators. This, despite the rising prices and a huge Rs22,742-crore deficit in the state budget presented last week. Also, every UP’ite is under a debt of Rs10,555, as per budget data. However, the government justified the hike, saying legislators in other states were getting much higher salaries.
Legislators happily thumped their desks to welcome the chief
minister’s announcement that their salaries were being hiked from the existing Rs30,000 to Rs50,000 per month. The basic salary has been increased from Rs3,000 to Rs8,000 and constituency allowance from Rs15,000 to Rs22,000. Medical allowance has been increased from Rs6,000 to Rs10,000 and staff allowance from Rs6,000 to Rs10,000.
The salary of cabinet ministers and ministers of state has been raised from Rs5,000 to Rs12,000 (excluding allowances) and that of deputy ministers from Rs4,000 to Rs10,000.
The speaker of the vidhan sabha and the chairman of the vidhan parishad will now get a basic salary of Rs12,000 compared to the Rs5,000 they had been receiving till now. The basic salary of the leader of opposition has been revised to Rs12,000.
Former legislators will now get a pension of Rs7,000. Their annual increment has been raised from Rs500 to Rs700. In case of the demise of a sitting or former legislator, the spouse will get 50% of the pension.
Mayawati said that she’d promised legislators their salaries will be restructured, and she has kept her promise. She hoped the hike would encourage them to serve people better.
The last raise legislators got was during Mulayam Singh’s tenure in 2007.
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