MPs again demand salary hike

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha members on Tuesday once again demanded that the report of a joint parliamentary committee recommending a pay hike for MPs should be implemented soon. The issue was raised by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal who sought to know why the government was not tabling the report of the parliamentary panel, led by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, recommending a salary hike for MPs. "I have heard the prime minister (Narendra Modi) has made a committee to review the recommendations. Why is the government not bringing the report in the house," Agrawal wondered. He said a member of parliament (MP) should get Rs 1,000 more than the salary of a cabinet secretary. The cabinet secretary draws Rs 2,50,000 per month after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission report. Agrawal was backed by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury and several other members. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien, however, said: "I am not sure if all members are in agreement." Kurien said it is up to the government to table the report or bring a legislation for salary hike. A joint committee of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs has prepared a report that says an MP's salary should be hiked from Rs 50,000 per month to Rs one lakh, constituency allowance from Rs 45,000 to Rs 90,000 and secretarial assistance plus office allowance from Rs 45,000 to Rs 90,000. The recommendations have not been made public. The panel also recommended about a 75 per cent increase in pensions and an automatic mechanism for salary hike for MPs.