MPs unanimous on salary cuts; slam MPLADS suspension

Lok Sabha members on Tuesday passed a Bill effecting a 30% cut in their salaries to enable the government meet exigencies due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but grudgingly accepted the scrapping of local area development funds for two years.

The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill was passed unanimously by a voice vote, with members cutting across party lines expressing willingness to forgo their entire salary for one year but made a strong pitch for restoration of the MPLADS funds.

The Bill seeks to replace an Ordinance promulgated during the inter-session period. The government had promulgated the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Ordinance on April 7. In a separate decision of the Union Cabinet, the government had suspended MPLADS fund for two years.

READ: Lok Sabha passes bill to cut salaries of MPs by 30%

“The government can take away the entire salary, but restore the MPLADS fund,” Trinamool member Sougata Ray said participating in the debate on the Bill.

NCP member Supriya Sule wanted the government to scrap the Rs 20,000 crore project to redevelop the Central Vista and build a new Parliament building.

“You can take a vote here. Do you want a Central Vista and an office or do you want a hospital or a school in your constituency. I think it is a given, it is not rocket science,” Sule said making a strong pitch for restoration of the MPLADS fund.

Under the MPLADS fund, every Member of Parliament gets to allocate Rs five crore for development projects in his constituency every year. These funds are spent on smaller projects such as building a culvert, or buying ambulances, or building a class room.

“Almost 80% of the fund is spent in rural areas; why are you taking away the funds meant to be spent on Scheduled Castes,” Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said pointing out that 15% of the fund was reserved for SC and 7.5% for ST.

While members of Trinamool, YSRCP, Congress, NCP, CPI(M), TDP, TRS, AAP demanded restoration of the MPLADS fund, BJP member Girish Bapat said he backed the government decision on suspending the fund for two years.