Odisha Govt approves major salary hike for MLAs and Ministers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has approved a substantial hike in the salaries of MLAs, Ministers, the Speaker, and pensions for former legislators after the Assembly passed a revised remuneration bill on Tuesday.

With the new bill, the salary and pension for both sitting and former MLAs have been increased to Rs 90,000.

Speaker’s salary more than doubles; Allowances significantly increased

With the new provisions, the Speaker’s monthly salary rises to Rs 98,000 from the earlier Rs 40,500, while the sitting allowance increases to Rs 2,000 from Rs 800.

According to official sources, the car allowance for the Speaker jumps to Rs 89,000 from Rs 17,000, and the sumptuary allowance increases to Rs 1.81 lakh from Rs 40,000 per month.

The Speaker will now also receive Rs 2,000 per day as accommodation allowance, up from Rs 1,000, until a government quarter is allotted.

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Revised Salary and Allowances for MLAs

MLAs now receive a significantly upgraded remuneration package. The major changes include:

• Sumptuary allowance: Rs 96,000 (up from Rs 40,000)
• Constituency and Lok Seva Bhawan visit allowance: Rs 75,000 (up from Rs 20,000)
• Committee allowance: Rs 3,000 (up from Rs 1,500)
• Allowance for meetings outside Odisha: Rs 10,000 (up from Rs 2,000)
• Travelling allowance inside the state: Rs 35 per km (up from Rs 25)
• Monthly transport allowance: Rs 50,000 (up from Rs 15,000)
• Member’s monthly allowance: Rs 10,000 (up from Rs 2,000)
• Electricity charges: Rs 20,000 (up from Rs 5,000)
• Medical treatment allowance: Rs 35,000 (up from Rs 5,000)
• Accommodation allowance: Rs 2,000 per day (up from Rs 1,000)
• Motor car advance: Rs 10 lakh (up from Rs 5 lakh)

Previous pay structure

Previously, Odisha MLAs received a basic salary of Rs 35,000 and Rs 65,000 in allowances, excluding travel and session-related perks. Ministers—both Cabinet and MoS—drew monthly salaries of Rs 40,000 and Rs 38,000, respectively.

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Panel formed to evaluate pay and pension enhancements

After the BJP government took office last year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi constituted an advisory committee to review remuneration for sitting MLAs and pensions for former legislators. The panel, led by MLA Bhaskar Madhei, was tasked with preparing recommendations on salary revisions and pension enhancements.

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All-party support for hike amid concerns over inflation

Legislators across party lines had been urging the government to increase pay scales and pensions, citing financial hardships faced by former MLAs due to outdated pension amounts that no longer align with rising inflation.