Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (PTI) The Keralam Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a Bill to increase the salaries and allowances of ministers and MLAs, as well as pensions of former legislators, before adjourning sine die after its nine-day session.
The Bill was passed without any opposition from either the ruling or opposition benches, with Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan appreciating the House for the smooth passage of the legislation.
However, BJP state chief and Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar later issued a press statement saying that he would not accept enhanced salaries and allowances approved for legislators, citing the state’s poor financial condition.
As per the new legislation, the salary revision will increase the total monthly salary and allowances of an MLA from Rs 70,000 to Rs 98,000, marking a hike of Rs 28,000.
Ministers will receive an overall monthly increase of Rs 25,000, with their total salary and allowances rising from approximately Rs 1.08 lakh to Rs 1.33 lakh, it said.
The Speaker said the salaries of MLAs were last revised in 2018, and several members had expressed their difficulties in meeting rising expenses.
Based on the request of the members, he also requested that an additional personal assistant be allotted to each MLA, to which Chief Minister V D Satheesan responded that the government would consider the proposal.
The state Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Satheesan on Wednesday, had approved the Bill to enhance the salaries and allowances of ministers and legislators.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sunny Joseph also recently said that the proposal was under consideration following discussions with leaders of various political parties.
Earlier, the Assembly also passed multiple Appropriation Bills on the final day of the session before adjourning sine die.
During the presentation of the Bills, CM Satheesan called for a time-bound protocol for implementing development projects in the state, stressing accountability among ministers, elected representatives and officials to prevent delays and wastage of public money.
The CM said delays in land acquisition and project execution were placing a heavy burden on the state exchequer.
Projects originally estimated to cost Rs 100 crore could end up costing Rs 1,000 crore if their completion was delayed by a decade, he said, highlighting the need to ensure that budget-announced projects were implemented on time.
He said the government wanted to establish a clear accountability mechanism under which officials responsible for land acquisition would be held answerable for delays.
The Revenue Department had initiated steps to deploy the required number of surveyors to expedite land acquisition, he said, adding that disputes over compensation could be pursued separately even as the acquisition process moved forward in accordance with law.
Recalling his experience with two drinking water projects in Kochi, Satheesan said a Rs 36-crore project that was expected to be completed in three years took 12 years and eventually cost Rs 172 crore.
In contrast, a Rs 60-crore project undertaken by him in his constituency, Paravur, was completed within three years, providing drinking water to 2.5 lakh people, Satheesan said.
He also stressed the need to complete administrative and technical sanctions, tender procedures and inter-departmental coordination ahead of the construction season to avoid delays, abandoned works and cost escalations.
The Chief Minister also proposed training elected representatives in project coordination and supervision and giving MLAs a greater role in removing implementation hurdles.
Public satisfaction depended on the timely completion of roads, buildings and other works, rather than merely announcing allocations or issuing work orders, he said.
Before announcing the adjournment sine die, the Speaker presented a summary of the House’s proceedings during the nine-day session.
He said the Assembly had received notices for 3,574 questions, of which ministers answered 270 starred questions and 2,538 unstarred questions.
Notices had also been submitted for six urgent questions, of which two were taken up, he said.
The House has taken up 18 calling attention motions and 141 submissions during the session. Several important Bills, including the Senior Citizens Protection Bill, have also been passed, the Speaker added. PTI LGK ADB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.