Centre notifies 24 per cent hike in salaries for MPs
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI): The Centre on Monday notified a 24 per cent hike in the salaries of members of Parliament with effect from April 1, 2023, on the basis of the Cost Inflation Index, taking their monthly salaries to Rs 1.24 lakh besides certain allowances and perks.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs also increased the daily allowances for sitting members and pension and additional pension for every year of service in excess of five years for former members.
The daily allowance too has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500, the notification said. MPs can draw daily allowances while attending Parliament sessions and meetings of parliamentary committees.
The pension for former members of Parliament has been increased from Rs 25,000 per month to Rs 31,000 per month.
The additional pension for every year of service in excess of five years has been increased from Rs 2,000 per month to Rs 2,500 per month.
In 2018, the then finance minister Arun Jaitley increased the salaries of MPs from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Jaitley had also put a mechanism for automatic revision of salaries and allowances every five years by indexing it to inflation, thus doing away with the practice of MPs making recommendations for fixing their salaries.
A member of Parliament will now get Rs 1.24 lakh per month as salary, Rs 87,000 per month as constituency allowance as against Rs 70,000 earlier, Rs 75,000 towards office expenses as against Rs 60,000 earlier.
The office expenses of Rs 75,000 include Rs 50,000 to hire the services of a computer literate person and Rs 25,000 towards stationery items.
The MPs are also entitled to purchase durable furniture worth Rs 1 lakh and non-durable furniture of Rs 25,000 once during their tenure.
Earlier, these entitlements were capped at Rs 80,000 for durable furniture and Rs 20,000 for non-durable furniture.
The MPs get accommodation, varying from a hostel in Vitthalbhai Patel House to two-bedroom flats and bungalows in central Delhi.
They are also reimbursed for electricity, water, telephone and internet charges. They and their families are also reimbursed for 34 one-way air tickets from their constituency to Delhi and get benefits on rail travel.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government slashed salaries of MPs and ministers by 30 per cent for one year.
The increase in the salary has been notified in exercise of the powers granted under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act on the basis of the Cost Inflation Index specified in the Income Tax Act of 1961.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
