Telangana state to hike legislators’ salaries from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per month

Hyderabad: The salaries of Telangana state legislators might soon see a huge jump. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is contemplating increasing the salaries of 119 MLAs and 40 MLCs from the present Rs 1.20 lakh, including Rs 25,000 HRA, to Rs 2 lakh per month.

Sources in the CMO told Deccan Chronicle that the Chief Minister felt that the salaries of the Telangana legislators were quite meagre compared to their work and expenses incurred as public representatives. Mr Rao, who discussed the issue with ministers, party leaders and senior officials, reportedly said the present salary of Rs 95,000 for a legislator, without HRA of Rs 25,000 or government accommodation, was meagre.

The salary hike to Rs 2 lakh per legislator will cost the exchequer Rs 3.18 crore per month and Rs 38.16 crore per annum. It is learnt that the Chief Minister said the amount was paltry for the government since the legislators, who were the lawmakers, had approved the Rs 1 lakh crore-budget for the state.

Mr Rao reportedly said that a legislator not only did official work but also attended to unofficial work in the Assembly constituencies, district headquarters and the state capital. He or she thus had to function from three places, travel extensively in cars that incurred a lot of cost for petrol and also had to entertain guests and others.

They thus deserved better salaries and perks, the Chief Minister reportedly said. Former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had enhanced the salaries of legislators from Rs 45,000 to Rs 95,000 when he was in power.