Home Ministry again returns Delhi Bill on 400% salary hike to MLAs

Image: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: A Delhi government bill to give the national capital MLAs a 400 per cent salary hike besides hefty increase in perks and allowances has been returned the second time by the Home Ministry seeking more clarifications. The Member of Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi (salaries, allowances, pension etc) Amendment Bill has been sent back to the Delhi government as more clarity is required on a number of issues, sources in the Home Ministry said. The Home Ministry is believed to have objected to the proposed huge jump in the salary and allowances of the Delhi MLAs saying the burden on exchequer would not be commensurate to the revenues of the city government. As per the bill, the basic salary of MLAs is proposed to be increased from current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and their overall monthly package to Rs 2.1 lakh as against existing Rs 88,000, which will make Delhi legislators the highest paid lawmakers in the country. This was for the second time the Home Ministry has returned the bill to the Delhi government. Last year, it had asked the Arvind Kejriwal government regarding the calculation which was performed to arrive at the figures mentioned in the bill. It was not clear what method has been used to calculate the salaries for MLA and the Speaker, sources said. However, the bill was re-sent by the Delhi government to the Home Ministry for consideration and approval.