Orissa minister, lawmakers to get three-fold salary hike

BHUBANESWAR - Orissa ministers and lawmakers are set to get a nearly three-fold hike in their salary apart from perks with retrospective effect from April 1, 2010, an official said Saturday.

The proposal got the nod from the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday evening but the salary hike will be effective only after a bill in this regard is approved by the state assembly.

The salary and perks of the chief minister will now go up to Rs.59,000 from the current Rs.20,000, the cabinet ministers and leader of opposition will now get Rs.58,000 from the current Rs.18,000, an official of the state parliamentary affairs department told IANS.

As per the proposal, the speaker’s total wages will now be Rs.58,000 against the current Rs.19,000.

The cabinet also approved a three-fold hike for legislators, who will now be paid Rs.60,000 as opposed to the present Rs.21,950 including allowances.

In Orissa, the chief minister is paid a monthly salary slightly lower than the legislators.

The government has also proposed a hike in the minimum pension amount for former legislators, raising it from the existing Rs.6,000 to Rs.15,000.

While the ruling party members have welcomed the decision, the opposition Communist Party of India (CPI) has criticised the move.

“If the legislators want bigger salary, they should quit politics,” state unit secretary of the CPI Dibakar Nayak told IANS.