NEW DELHI: Amid demands that
MPs should not be allowed to decide their salaries, the government has
proposed to set up a three-member panel to recommend pay and perks of
lawmakers.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
has proposed a 3-member independent Emoluments Commission to recommend
salaries and other allowances for the Members of Parliament. The
proposal is part of the agenda notes prepared for the two-day All India
Whips' Conference to be held at Visakhapatnam, next week.
"The
setting up of an independent Emoluments Commission for recommending the
salaries and allowances of the Members of Parliament will not only put
to rest the public outcry and media criticism over MPs themselves
deciding their salaries, it will also provide an appropriate opportunity
to take into consideration the huge responsibilities and the important
role they play in our representative democracy.
"It
would ensure that recommendations on Parliamentary salary are reached in
a fair, transparent and equitable way. Once there is consensus on
setting up of the Commission, the Salary, Allowances and Pension of
Members of Parliament Act,1954 will be suitably amended," it said.
The
general principles suggested by the Ministry for determination of
salary are: that it should not be so low as to deter suitable candidates
or so high as to make pay the primary attraction for the job. It says
the salary should reflect the level of responsibility and those with
outside interests should not be deterred from entering Parliament.
One
of the principles suggested is that those who choose to make Parliament
a full-time career should be adequately rewarded to reflect their
responsibilities.
As per Article 106 of the
Constitution, salaries of MPs are determined by an Act of 1954, amended
from time to time. The last revision in salary of MPs was made in 2010
during UPA II rule and the lawmakers at present get a basic salary of Rs
50,000 per month. Salaries of Members of State Legislatures are decided
as per Article 195 of the Constitution.
As per a
comparative analysis of Members of Parliament in 37 developing and
developed countries, basic salary of MPs are in the range of a meagre Rs
7,952 in Tunisia to a high of Rs 6,16,675 per month in Israel. MPs of
only in six countries -- Tunisia, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Haiti and
Panama are drawing salary less than that of Indian MPs.
According
to a survey conducted by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) of 138
chambers from 104 Parliaments, 69 chambers indicated that it is
Parliament which determines the salaries of members. 31 of these stated
that MPs' salaries are determined in reference to the Civil Service
salary scale. In case of Bhutan, Namibia and the UK House of Commons, salaries are determined by independent bodies.
MPs are also entitled for a
government accommodation, air travel and train travel facilities,
besides three landline and two mobile phones.
They also get a loan of Rs 4 lakh to buy a vehicle.
