Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.(Express photo: Jasbir Malhi) The Delhi government has accepted the revised salary structure for the city’s MLAs approved by the Centre under which they stand to earn Rs 90,000 per month, excluding reimbursements.
The salary and reimbursement structure of Delhi MLAs were revised last in 2011. The government had proposed that the basic monthly salary of the MLAs be raised from Rs 12,000 to Rs 54,000 and the earnings including reimbursements be increased from Rs 88,000 to Rs 2.1 lakh.
The proposal was pending with the Centre for the last five years. Instead of the proposed Rs 54,000, the Centre has restricted the basic salary to Rs 30,000, the Delhi government said in a statement after a cabinet meeting in which the revised structure was approved. Now it will be again sent for home ministry’s (MHA) approval before being placed in the Delhi Assembly.
Currently, the Delhi MLAs earn Rs 54,000 excluding reimbursements and Rs 88,000 including reimbursements. The government did not specify the payment to be made under the new reimbursement structure.
The reimbursements come in the form of daily allowance for attending assembly sessions (capped at 40 days/year) and House committee meetings; medical facilities; pension; family pension; monthly electricity and water reimbursements; annual travelling reimbursements; and monthly reimbursement for data entry operators.
“The restriction imposed by the Centre has forced Delhi’s MLAs to be amongst the lowest-earning MLAs in the country whereas MLAs of states ruled by the BJP and the Congress earn around 1.5 to 2 times the amount that the MLAs of Delhi will earn. The salary of Delhi’s MLAs hasn’t increased since 2011 and the Delhi Government had requested the MHA that the salary of Delhi’s MLAs be at par with MLAs of other states. However the MHA refused to do so,” the government said in a statement.
The salaries of the Delhi government ministers, Delhi Assembly speaker, deputy speaker, chief whip and leader of the opposition will rise marginally as they currently earn around Rs 1.2 lakh per month, including reimbursements.
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