Delhi legislators may soon take home fatter paychecks

Once the L-G approves the proposal,it will require clearance from the Home Ministry and then the Delhi Assembly,before it can be implemented — a procedure that is likely to take between four and six months.

Legislators currently draw a monthly salary of Rs 42,000,including allowances,and the proposal,if cleared,will raise a legislator’s salary to anywhere between Rs 80,000 and Rs 90,000 per month. Similarly,the CM’s salary is likely to go up from Rs 46,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh. The conclusions in the proposal were drawn from a report prepared by a committee of legislators.

The report claims that because Delhi is one of the most expensive cities in the country,legislators require a pay rise that is reflective of that.

The proposal sent to the L-G seeks to increase the legislators’ basic salary from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 per month,and the daily allowance from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. An inside source said,“It is proposed that a Minister’s basic salary be raised to Rs 12,000 with Rs 1,000 as daily allowance. Even the constituency allowance for ministers and legislators has been proposed to be raised from Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000.” The report also seeks rent-free,furnished residences for ministers,or Rs 25,000 per month as rent allowance,if accommodation is not provided.

“Telephone expenses will also be raised from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 if the proposal is accepted,” the official added. Reimbursement of monthly electricity and water bills are also being sought.

Another amendment — recommending that each legislator should get seven personal assistants,a laptop and a desktop — has also been cleared.