Our Parliamentary Correspondent
NEW DELHI: A day after Members of Parliaments (MPs) were sanctioned to get three-fold increase in salaries, the government on Monday also approved an increase of Rs ten thousand in their allowances.
Earlier the Cabinet hiked the salaries of MPs from Rs. 16,000 per month to Rs.50,000.
Talking to media persons after a cabinet meeting , Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said that the increase of five thousand rupees each will be in the Office and constituency allowances of the MPs.
A number of parliamentarians mostly from smaller parties led by RJD chief Lalu Prasad had demanded that the government should accept the recommendations of a Joint Committee of Parliament to hike the MPs salaries to 80 thousand and one rupee, which is a rupee above the salary of Secretaries in the Government of India.
The issue had been raised in Parliament leading to several adjournments. Later finance minister called a meeting of the leaders of the political parties where the issue was resolved.