The increase in the salary and allowances of the Chief Minister and Ministers, through the passing of two Bills on Monday, will cost the State exchequer Rs. 3.5 crore more a year. The increase in salary, allowances of legislators and pension of ex-legislators will bring about an additional expenditure of Rs. 44 crore more a year.
Besides salaries, house rent allowance, conveyance allowance and rates of Travelling Allowance and Dearness Allowance have also been revised.
House rent allowance of Ministers has been doubled to Rs. 80,000 a month, while conveyance allowance, which was equal to the cost of 750 litres of petrol a month, has been raised to 1,000 litres. Cost of petrol required for their respective cars in excess of the cost of 750 litres would be paid by the government. Travelling and other allowances of Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers on tours have been enhanced.
The “sumptuary allowance” of Rs. 1.5 lakh a year, being drawn by the Chief Minister and Cabinet Ministers, has now been doubled to Rs. 3 lakh. Salary and travelling and daily allowances of the Government Whip and Opposition Whip have also been hiked.
These hikes were made through the passing of the Karnataka Ministers’ Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions, and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.
The Bill said “there is considerable increase in the cost of living. The salary and allowances of the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Ministers’ of State rank have not been revised for a long time”. The last revision was in 2011.
