New Delhi: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has granted assent to two bills aimed at increasing the salaries of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and ministers, according to an official statement. The governor gave his assent to the Bengal Legislative Assembly (Members' Emoluments) (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the West Bengal Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
With the governor's assent, these bills will now come into effect, implementing salary hikes for MLAs and ministers in the state, it said.
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The bills, which were initially passed in the state assembly in September last year, saw a significant delay in implementation due to the absence of assent from Governor Bose. However, with the Governor now granting his approval, the proposed salary hikes for Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and ministers in West Bengal are set to take effect, reported PTI.
Following the approved revisions, the monthly salary of MLAs will surge from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, while ministers will receive Rs 50,900 per month, up from their previous salary of Rs 10,900. Additionally, cabinet ministers will see their monthly salaries increase from Rs 11,000 to Rs 51,000, they said.
According to The Shillong Times, the government is expecting to officially execute the enhanced pay with effect from April 1, 2024.
BJP Raised Objections
Notably, The BJP raised strong objections to the proposal, calling the hike unethical considering that the state government is unable to pay enhanced dearness allowances to the state government employees at par with their counterparts in the Central government.