Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann addresses the Vidhan Sabha session, in Chandigarh (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday announced that former MLAs would get only one pension, in a break from the current practice where they get a pension for each term they are elected. Former MLAs’ monthly pension is now Rs 75,000.
Mann, in a video message to the people, said he had directed officers to implement a “one MLA, one pension” scheme. He said MLAs elected for several times were getting lakhs of rupees as pensions. Some of them who have also been MPs were getting both central and state pensions. MLAs’ family pension would also be similarly rationalised.
In the 2.50-minute video, Mann said the MLAs, who seek votes with a promise to serve people, got monthly pensions running into Rs 3.5 lakh, Rs 4.5 lakh and even Rs 5.25 lakh. With the new scheme, the government plans to save Rs 80 crore in five years. The money thus saved would be used for welfare schemes, he added.
Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had recently written to the government that he would not claim any pension from the government and he should not be given any. He had stated that the money should be used for public welfare instead.
According to sources, senior Congress leaders Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Lal Singh and former SAD leader Sarwan Singh Phillaur get Rs 3.25 lakh each while Ravi Inder Singh and Balwinder Singh Bhinder get Rs 2.75 lakh each per month.
Haryana did away with multiple pensions for former MLAs a few years ago. Amarinder Singh’s government in Punjab had then discussed changing the pension policy taking a cue from the neighbouring state. However, a decision was never taken. Mann has changed the pension policy in one of his first decisions.
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