Bhubaneswar: Following increase of salaries, allowances and pensions of Members of Parliament (MPs), the MLAs across all party lines stood together on a demand for their salary revision in Odisha. 

Main Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) placed the demand for hike in salaries and pensions of MLAs and Ex-MLAs during Zero Hour of ongoing Budget session in Assembly today.

Raising the issue in the House, Opposition BJD's Chief Whip, Pramila Mallick highlighted the reason for increasing the Members' salaries in the state. 

She attributed the proposal for salary and pension revision to market inflation as well as high medical expenses.  

In view of high price rise in market, the state government had formed a commiittee led by Udala MLA (BJP) Bhaskar Madhei to review the demand of the MLAs to increase their salary and pension. The panel submitted its report with recommendations for revision of salary and pension, she said in the House. 

The BJD member demanded the state government to approve the recommendations, stressing that there is a need for increasing salaries of the sitting MLAs.

She said that the salaries of MLAs were last hiked in 2017. 

Expressing concern, the Deputy Chief Whip of the opposition in Assembly, Pratap Keshari Deb, echoed his voice for revision salaries of Odisha Legislative Assembly Members. 

The senior BJD leader demanded the BJP government for execution of the committee report recommending salary and pension hike. 

Standing by the BJD on hike of salaries and pensions of MLAs in Odisha, the ruling BJP continued to affirm the proposal in the House. 

Demanding for salary revision of members, BJP MLA from Khalikote, Purna Chandra Sethy, said that he could feel the problems of Ex-MLAs due to less pension amount as the former MLA.  

While there is Pay Commission for government employees, none is for legislators. The MLAs only have the Madhei Committee's recommendations to rely on. A legislator cannot manage with just Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 during visit to his/her constituency, he said demanding the Speaker to direct the government to accept the recommendations of Bhaskar Madhei's committee and implement it retroactively from the month of June. 

Notably, the Centre has increased the salaries, allowances and pensions of Members of Parliament with effect from April 1, 2023, according to a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on Monday. 

As per the notification, the salary of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members has been raised to Rs 1.24 lakh per month from Rs 1 lakh at present, whereas the daily allowance has been raised to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000 earlier. 

The pension paid to former MPs has also been increased 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 revision in salaries, allowances and pensions for the MPs has been announced amid the ongoing budget session of the Parliament. The earlier revision of the salary and allowances paid to sitting and former MPs was announced in April 2018.