Amid stalled proceedings, Bills passed in Karnataka Assembly to increase salaries of CM, ministers, MLAs

The session has been adjourned till March 4 for the Budget. The Bills to hike the salaries were passed while Congress was staging a protest demanding Eshwarappa’s resignation.

Apart from passing the two Bills — The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and The Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2022 — the House adopted the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address without any discussion. The hikes will lead to an additional expenditure of about Rs 92.4 crore per annum.

The Bills were moved because it was “long-pending” and “the cost of living has increased”. 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 the sumptuary allowance for both will be increased from Rs three lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh per annum.

It also proposes to increase the house rent allowance of Ministers from Rs 80,000 per month to Rs 1.2 lakh and for maintenance and upkeep of residence and layout and maintenance of gardens the allowance has been increased from Rs 20,000 per month to Rs 30,000. Petrol expenses that the government pays has been increased from 1,000 to 2,000 litre and ministers’ tour allowance has been hiked to Rs 2,500 per day.

Legislators’ salaries, pensions and allowances has been increased in the proposed Bill too. The salaries of the Legislative Assembly Speaker and Legislative Council chairperson has been hiked 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. The Bill also proposes to enhance the salary of MLAs and MLCs from Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 per month.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, “From 2015, the salaries and other allowances of the Chief Minister, Ministers, Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Speaker and Deputy Speaker were not revised. Petrol and diesel prices have increased exponentially. The medical allowance is relatively less and the rents of the houses have increased in these years. Keeping the salary and allowances of all legislators in mind, as it was not increased since 2015, we introduced the Bill based on the cost of index which is revised every five years.”