MLAs in south richest, Karnataka on top: ADR

MLAs in the south earn more than their counterparts elsewhere in the country with Karnataka lawmakers topping the all-India list pocketing an annual income of Rs 111.4 lakh.

Analysing the election affidavits of 3,145 of 4,086 sitting MLAs who have declared their annual income, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has said, the average annual income of MLAs across the country is Rs 24.59 lakh.

The Karnataka MLAs are the richest with an average annual income at Rs 1.11 crore. Maharashtra lawmakers are at a distant second with Rs 43.4 lakh. The analysis included 203 of the 224 MLAs in Karnataka and 256 of 289 Maharashtra lawmakers.

Besides Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (Rs 38.6 lakh each) and Telangana (Rs 27.9 lakh each) also find a place from the south in top-five list. Punjab MLAs are placed fourth with an average annual income of Rs 31.9 lakh.

There is a wide disparity in annual income among states with the lowest being Chhattisgarh MLAs whose average annual income is pegged at Rs 5.4 lakh. MLAs in tribal-dominated Jharkhand have an average annual income of Rs. 7.4 lakh.

If one goes by region-wise, southern MLAs have the highest income at Rs 51.99 lakh while the poorest is the eastern MLAs with average annual income of Rs 8.53 lakh.

When it comes to educational qualifications, the analysis showed that the lesser educated ones had more annual income compared to graduates and postgraduates.

While 1,052 (33%) MLAs who have declared to have an education of Class V to Class XII declared an average annual income of Rs 31. 03 lakh, 776 graduate MLAs have an average of Rs 19.8 lakh and postgraduates Rs 20.87 lakh. Four MLAs, who have not given their educational qualification in their affidavits, had an average income of Rs 1.52 crore.

When it comes to profession, 771 or 25% of the MLAs declared business as their profession while another 758 (24%) declared themselves as farmers.

The income analysis showed that 397 (13%) MLAs who have declared their profession as farming have the highest average annual income of Rs 57.81 lakh. Businessmen-MLAs earn Rs 33.84 lakh on average.

Though their numbers very less, those MLAs who are into real estate and film industry are among the highest earners. Thirty-one MLAs, who are into real estate business, have an average income of Rs 39.69 lakh while those in entertainment industry earn Rs 28.8 lakh.

However, teachers, housewives, pensioners and lawyer are among the least paid profession categories when it comes to MLAs.

Twenty-three MLAs, who declared themselves as housewives declared an average annual income of Rs 3.79 lakh while those who entered lawmaking from teaching profession earned Rs 6.76 lakh annually. MLAs, who were lawyers, annually earned Rs 9.64 lakh, the ADR analysis said.