Assembly passes bill hiking salary of CM, ministers, MLAs

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed bills enhancing salaries and allowances of Chief Minister, Ministers and MLAs. Faced by disruption for the fifth consecutive day, due to protest by Congress MLAs, demanding the sacking of Minister K S Eshwarappa over his statement on the national flag, the session was cut short, but not before passing two bills without discussion.

The session that began on February 14 was actually scheduled to conclude on February 25. It has now been adjourned till March 4, for the budget session. Congress legislators have been staging 'day-and-night' protests, disrupting the proceedings, which Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai termed as "irresponsible". Amidst the din, the House passed two bills - The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and adopted the motion of thanks to Governor's address, without any discussion.

The bills were moved by the government citing that they are long pending and a considerable increase in the cost of living as the reasons. The hikes will result in a recurring, additional expenditure of approximately Rs 92.4 crore per annum.

The bill on ministers salaries and allowances proposes to increase the salary of the Chief Minister from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 per month, salary of ministers from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000, and sumptuary allowance for both will be increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4.50 lakh per annum.

It also proposes to increase the house rent allowance of ministers from Rs 80,000 per month to Rs 1.20 lakh, while allowance for maintenance and upkeep of residence and layout and maintenance of gardens has been increased from Rs 20,000 per month to Rs 30,000. Also their petrol expenses to be paid by the government have been increased from one thousand to two thousand litres. The ministers' tour allowance per day has been hiked to Rs 2,500 per day. Meanwhile, the bill on legislature salaries, pensions and allowances, proposes to increase the monthly salary of the Legislative Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, while the monthly salary of the Leaders of the Opposition has been increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000.

It also proposes to enhance the salary of MLAs and MLCs from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 per month.

Sumptuary allowance for Speaker and the Council chairperson will go up from Rs three lakh to Rs four lakh per annum. All MLAs and MLCs will get Rs 60,000 every month as constituency travelling allowance, and they will also get a pension of Rs 50,000 per month.

The bill also proposes salary and allowances of government and opposition Chief Whips. Placing the bill for the consideration of the House, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, "From 2015 the salaries and allowances of Chief Minister, Ministers, Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Speaker, Deputy Speaker were not revised, diesel and petrol rate have exponentially increased, medical allowance is low and house rent has increased. Considering all this, we have decided to increase the half of the existing amount in all these scales."

He said, "In the same way salary, allowance and TA/DA of legislators have also not been increased since 2015, keeping it in mind, we have brought the bill to increase it. Also, we have introduced a provision in the bill to increase salary and allowances once in five years based on the cost of index like in the central government bill. So we need not introduce a bill to increase." As the House met for the day, Congress members trooped into the well of the House and started shouting slogans demanding action against Eshwarappa, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister.