Bengaluru, March 21 (IANS) The state Assembly on Friday passed the ‘Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bil, 2025, which proposes significant salary hikes and allowances for MLAs, MLCs, ministers and Assembly staffers.
The move which has come amid the government complaining of shortage of funds has invoked criticism and also raised debate.
The Bill was passed in the Assembly amid the furore linked to the honey trap row.
According to sources, the Bill proposes 100 per cent hike of Rs 1.50 lakh from Rs 75,000 in the salary of the Chief Minister and 108 per cent hike of Rs 1.25 lakh from Rs 60,000 for ministers. The legislators will have 100 per cent hike of Rs 80,000 from Rs 40,000. The rental allowance of ministers has also been doubled from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh.
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council’s monthly salary of Rs 75,000 will be increased to Rs 1.25 lakh. Their allowances have been increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the proposed Bill on Thursday. The government not delaying it any further presented it in the legislature on Friday, the last day of the budget session. The government is expected to incur an additional burden of Rs 62 crore.
The salaries and allowance of legislators were revised in 2022. The government headed by the BJP had decided to revise the salaries and perks of legislators once in five years.
The legislators had demanded a hike in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).
The pension of legislators will go up from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000. The annual travelling allowance to travel in flights and railway services has been increased to Rs 3.50 lakh from Rs 2.50 lakh.
–IANS
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