Himachal lawmakers set to hike their own salaries

Shimla: Himachal legislators are set to hike their own salaries today as four bills  introduced in the Vidhan Sabha yesterday sought to increase the legislators’ salaries and allowances by as much as Rs.20,000 on grounds of inflation.

The stiff hike in salaries and attached allowances  is expected to burden the state exchequer by as much as Rs 3.30 crore annually, a government spokesperson disclosed.

The bills are likely to be passed without much debate today, which happens to be the last day of the budget session.

The bill proposes an increase of over Rs.21,000 per month in the emoluments of legislators, which include a hike in salary and constituency allowance.

The minimum pension of former legislators would be raised from Rs.14,000 to Rs.18,000 per month.

The salary of the chief minister would be increased by Rs.5,000 from Rs.34,000 to Rs.39,000, the ministers from Rs.31,000 to Rs.36, 000, the ministers of state from Rs.28,000 to Rs.33,000, the chief parliamentary secretary from Rs.18,000 to Rs.23,000 and the parliamentary secretary from Rs.17,000 to Rs.22,000 per month.

Likewise, the salaries of the speaker and deputy speaker would also be increased from Rs.31,000 and Rs.28,000 respectively, to Rs.36,000 and Rs.33,000 per month.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said in the ongoing assembly session that the debt burden of the state has increased to Rs.5,140.56 crore over the past four years.

With inputs from IANS

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