New Delhi:
The lawmakers of Delhi - most of them from Aam Aadmi Party -- may soon get a four-fold hike in their salary. The amount, around Rs 3.2 lakh plus various allowances, would be the highest for a legislator in the country.
The recommendation has been made by a committee appointed by the Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel. Currently, the basic salary of a legislator is Rs 82,000.
The last salary revision was done in 2011, when the Congress government led by then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit gave itself a 100% hike.
In July, a section of the lawmakers from AAP had asked for a hike, contending what they earn was not enough to run their homes and offices.
The Committee on Salary & Allowances - which comprised lawmakers - had looked at various states and decided that the salary and allowances in Delhi were "highly inadequate to meet the basic minimum requirements of an honest and performing Legislator".
But another section of leaders, including Sanjay Singh, had objected, saying when poverty was rampant in the country and farmers were being driven to suicide, it was not the time for salary hike.
With the opinion divided, the matter was referred to a select committee, since the lawmakers' body had decided that it would be inappropriate on part of legislators to decide on their pay structure on their own.
The new committee has recommended raising the lawmakers' basic salary from Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000, the constituency allowance from Rs18,000 to 50,000 and conveyance allowance from Rs 6000 to Rs 30,000 - among other hikes.