Gurugram: Former MLAs in Haryana want their pension to be hiked. As it is, their pension is higher than what is drawn by their counterparts in other states, and more than three times what an MP gets.
A delegation of former legislators met Haryana Speaker Harvinder Kalyan Tuesday and submitted a memorandum regarding their demands, with the key ones being a revision in pensions and the provision of medical allowances and other facilities.
The Speaker assured them that their demands would be brought to the notice of the state government and instructed officials to gather information from other state assemblies to review the demands comprehensively, according to a communication from the Speaker’s office.
The former MLAs’ delegation was led by their association’s Haryana president, Rambir Singh, and general secretary, Ranbir Mandola, who highlighted that the pensions have not been revised for several years.
The former legislators have proposed that in Haryana, a monthly allowance of at least Rs 20,000 be provided to them for outpatient medical treatment and a cashless card be given for inpatient treatment. They have also demanded a loan facility of Rs 25 lakh from the government for the purchase of vehicles, and land allotment for a group housing society in Panchkula.
In the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members Amendment Bill of 2016, the state had put a Rs 1 lakh cap on pensions for those who hadn’t completed their first term before 1 January, 2016, which included allowances such as dearness and travel. The former MLAs have demanded removal of this cap to exclude allowances like dearness and travel from the calculation.
For those who had completed their first term before 1 January, 2016, the government had fixed their pension at the amount they were already getting irrespective of the number of terms they were elected as MLA after that.
Contacted by ThePrint over phone Thursday, Rambir Singh, who represented Haryana’s Pataudi assembly seat from 2000 to 2005, said the cap of Rs 1 lakh had created a problem.
“It is not a question of pension alone. The majority of former MLAs are above the age of 60. If they go to banks for a loan to purchase a car, banks don’t entertain their request because of their age. If the government gives us Rs 25 lakh as a car loan, its money is safe because the instalment can be deducted from pension. Similarly, medical allowance is another issue. Though the Vidhan Sabha reimburses our medical bills, it’s a long procedure—getting a prescription slip, purchasing medicines and sending bills to the Vidhan Sabha for reimbursement. Paying medical allowance of Rs 20,000 per month can be a better option,” he said.
He added that the former MLAs have suggested that the government could revise their pension in such a manner that it does not go beyond the salary of a state cabinet minister.
Singh said the day the delegation met the Speaker, they also met Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini in the evening, and he listened to their issues carefully and promised action.
A look at pensions
According to the Haryana Legislative Assembly (Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members) Act of 1975 and the rules framed under Section 9 of this law, last amended up to 31 August, 2021, a one-term MLA gets Rs 50,000 per month as base pension plus dearness relief as prescribed by the government from time to time.
A former official of the Haryana assembly said the present rate of dearness relief (after 31 July, 2024) is 53 percent, which makes the pension Rs 76,500.
If the total pension of an MLA is less than Rs 1 lakh (as in the case of a one-term MLA), the person is eligible for Rs 10,000 per month as special travel allowance, which eventually makes the total amount payable to a one-term MLA Rs 86,500 per month.
According to the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, and the rules made under it, amended up to 11 May, 2022, the amount of pension payable to a one-term MP is Rs 25,000, which is less than one-third the amount a one-term Haryana MLA gets as pension.
“MLAs in Haryana are getting the highest pension in the country. For instance, a six-term MLA gets Rs 2.45 lakh as pension. A five-term MLA gets Rs 2.07 lakh, a four-term MLA Rs 1.68 lakh, a three-term MLA Rs 1.29 lakh and a two-term MLA gets Rs 90,600 as pension,” said the former assembly official.
“For those who have not completed one term before 1 January, 2016, the pension increased at a rate of Rs 2,000 per year plus dearness relief after the first term, but the government set a ceiling of Rs 1 lakh on the pension for those who hadn’t completed their first term before 1 January, 2016,” the official explained.
The 1975 act has since been amended 48 times—up to 44 times before 2014. Each time, perks and facilities for MLAs and former MLAs were hiked. The Act was amended five times in 1980 when Bhajan Lal became Haryana CM for the first time, then eight times from 1984 to 1986. Then during Bhajan Lal’s third term it was again amended four times. Bansi Lal’s years as CM saw four amendments, while the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government amended it 11 times in nine years.
It was only after Manohar Lal Khattar became CM in 2014 that an amendment was brought in 2016 to put a ceiling on pension for MLAs who had not completed their first time before 1 January that year. The ceiling doesn’t apply to those who had completed their first term before 2016; however, their pension will not increase further even if they win again.
Rambir Singh said that those who had completed their first term before 1 January, 2016, would only get the pension they were getting before that date. “For instance, Ajay Singh Yadav is a six-term MLA and gets the maximum amount of pension in Haryana. Even if he is elected again, there will be no increase in his pension,” said Singh.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)