291 MPs to lose pension

Among the former ministers, Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, and Chaturanan Mishra and MPs like Suresh Kalmadi, Jagmohan and P Upendra, though first timers in the Lok Sabha, are veterans of the Rajya Sabha, and are thus eligible for pension and other benefits.

According to Lok Sabha sources, BJP, which was the single largest party in the Lok Sabha has the largest members, 88 in the “first timer club” followed by the 52 MPs from Congress and 32 from Janata Dal, who are not entitled to pensions.

“Had the house been there for four years, it would have been different. But they will be losing the pension and other benefits unlike the members who have completed the statutory period,” a senior Lok Sabha official said.However, they will be entitled to free First Class/AC sleeper rail travel as former members on the complementary card pass as issued to all former Members of Parliament.

Others like the CPI(M), Telugu Desam and Shiv Sena have 14 members each followed by DMK’s 13 and Samajwadi Party’s 12 who are not entitled to pension.

Tamil Maanila Congress’s 11 and seven each from CPI, Bahujan Samaj Party and Shiromani Aklai Dal (SAD), four from Assom Gana Parishad, three each from RSP and Congress (Tiwari), two from Haryana Vikas Party and one each from MGP, MPVP, KCP, UGDP, Samata Party, SDF, along with five independent and two nominated members have lost their pension.

Members of parties like JMM, Muslim League, Kerala Congress (M), All India Forward Block, in the 11th Lok Sabha are veterans, the Lok Sabha secretariat said. There pensions and other benefits are intact.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Beni Prasad Verma (both Samajwadi Party), Birendra Kumar Baishya (AGP), T R Baalu (DMK) Maqbool Dar, R L Jalappa, M P Virendra Kumar, Capt Jai Narayan Nishad, Ratnamala Savanoor (all JD), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Kanti Singh (both RJD), S Venugopalachari and K Yerran Naidu (both TDP), Ramakant Khalap (MGP), Satpal Maharaj and Sisram Ola (both Congress-T) and S R Balasubramoniyan (DMK) are all ministers in the present government who are first timers.

Among the first timers are also former Chief Ministers like S Bangarappa of Karnataka and Sunderlal Patwa, who late last year wrested Chhindwara seat of Madhya Pradesh for BJP defeating former environment minister Kamal Nath.Lok Sabha sources said along with the railways, the Central Government Health (CGH) scheme is also applicable to former MPs residing in cities convered by CGH scheme on payment of contribution at the rate they were paying as MPs.

An elected or nominated representative who has served the House for a period of four years, is entitled to a pension of Rs 1400 per month.Any person who has served for a period exceeding five years, shall be paid an additional pension of Rs 250 per month for every year in excess of five years.

A sum of Rs 500 as family pension would be given for five years to the spouse of the MP who dies during the term from the date of his/her death, the official said.

“Ministers’ staff will be there as ministerial staff of the care-taker government but the staff of the parliamentary committee have also been withdrawn as the house stands dissolved,” the Lok Sabha secretariat said.Saying that the telephones of the MPs have been disconnected from December 10, the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited sources said steps have been taken to disconnect the other free telephones in their constituencies.All MPs have also been asked to return the computers which were provided for the first time.

MPs have been asked to vacate the house within one month from the dissolution of the House or “pay at par with the market rate,” a Lok Sabha official said.

The official denied that the house vacation notice had anything to do with the recent Supreme Court order on the house allotment.

With the order of the Election Commission, the local body funds of the members have already been freezed.

“This should not have been done,” said a senior member of Lok Sabha, adding that “as we were not aware that the House would have a premature dissolution many of us had a five year phased plan to spend the money”.

The Election Commission said only the part of the funds not yet released would be freezed.

Different departments dealing with water, electricity, telephone and CPWD have already issued letters asking the MPs to clear the dues for availing the services.

The MPs were earlier provided with the facilities of concessional rate of hire charges of Rs 24,000 for durable furniture and Rs 6,000 for non-durable furniture which was amended later.

The MPs are also provided 15,000 units of electricity per annum free of charge, which were earlier 7200 units (3600 units each on light/power meters amd MPs whose residence have no power meters installed are supplied with 7200 units on light meter).

The available water per annum has also been increased double from 1000 kiloleter to 2000 kiloleters free of charge. “We have been asked to pay in excess of water, electricity and telephone bills,” said a personal assistant to a senior MP from Orissa.