Thiruvananthapuram: The state cabinet has decided to hike the salaries and perks of MLAs and ministers in the state.The cabinet meeting approved the bill, which will be tabled in the assembly on Thursday, the last day of the ongoing session. Govt considered the changes to the existing remuneration structure since it was last revised in 2018.The bill, which has been prepared in record time, is set to be passed unanimously as the opposition also supports a hike in the salaries. It is learned that the salaries of MLAs will be increased to Rs 98,000 from the present Rs 70,000 and of the ministers to Rs 1.33 lakh from the present Rs 1.08 lakh.Presently, the MLAs receive Rs 70,000 a month in allowances, which include a fixed allowance of Rs 2,000, constituency allowance of Rs 25,000, telephone allowance of Rs 11,000, information allowance of Rs 4,000, sumptuary allowance of Rs 8,000 and travel allowance of Rs 20,000.Besides these, they get travel benefits, medical reimbursement and other facilities, as govt moves to revise the salaries and allowances of legislators. MLAs are also eligible for travel allowances for road journeys at Rs 10 per kilometre. An annual allocation of up to Rs 4 lakh is available for fuel and train travel, while an additional Rs 50,000 is provided towards air travel. They also receive an annual book allowance of Rs 15,000.Each legislator is entitled to the services of an official up to the rank of under secretary, with Rs 20,000 allocated as staff allowance.The proposed hike is expected to revise the monthly remuneration and allowances of legislators in view of rising costs and their increased expenses. The final revised amounts will depend on govt’s decision and the legislative process.
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