Centre hikes salaries, pensions of MPs considering high cost of living

The salaries of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members have been raised to Rs 1.24 lakh per month from Rs 1 lakh at present.

The daily allowances have also been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000 earlier, the notification said.

The pension paid to former MPs has also been hiked to Rs. 31,000 per month from Rs. 25,000 at present, as per the notification.

The additional pension for every year of service in excess of five years has been increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000 earlier, the notification states.

The decision to hike salaries was taken given the high rate of inflation and the growing cost of living.

According to the 2018 revision, MPs receive an allowance of Rs 70,000 as constituency allowance to pay for the cost of maintaining their offices and interacting with voters in their respective districts.

Apart from this, they receive Rs 60,000 per month as office allowance and Rs 2,000 as a daily allowance during Parliamentary sessions.

These allowances will also be increased now. In addition to this, MPs also get an allowance annually for phone and internet usage.

Besides, the MPs enjoy 34 free domestic flights per year for themselves and their families, and first-class train travel for both professional and personal use around the year.

They can also claim mileage allowance when they use roads. MPs also enjoy the benefits of 50,000 free units of electricity and 4,000 kilolitres of water annually.