What are MLAs - from north to south - are earning

What India's MLAs - from north to south - are earning

NEW DELHI: The average annual income of MLAs in India is Rs 24.59 lakh, with Karnataka’s 203 MLAs reporting the highest average of Rs 1.1 crore and 614 MLAs from the eastern region the lowest at Rs 8.5 lakh annually.The income analysis released by ADR and national election watch on Monday shows 63 MLAs of Chhattisgarh assembly have the lowest annual average income at Rs 5.4 lakh. On the whole, 711 MLAs from the southern states declared the highest average annual income of Rs 51.99 lakh.Interestingly, the usually close relation between college degrees, particularly at the post graduate level, and higher incomes is missing when it comes to MLAs. The self-declared affidavits of 3,145 of a total 4,086 MLAs show that 33% of MLAs — who were between Class 5 and Class 12 pass — had an avergae annual income of Rs 31.03 lakh while 63% ‘graduate and above’ MLAs earned Rs 20.87 lakh.The average annual income of ‘illiterate’ MLAs was Rs 9.3 lakh. The report said 941 MLAs did not declare their income and thus were not analysed. ‘Housewife’ MLAs had the lowest average annual self-income of Rs 3.79 lakh.Asked why less-educated MLAs are earning more than those with college and professional degrees, ADR founder-member Jagdeep Chhokar said higher educational level is not necessarily a guarantor of higher income.Prof Chhokar said many high-income MLAs declared agriculture as their profession. “This is largely because agricultural income is tax-free and they don’t have to explain where their income has come from,” he said.The ADR analysis shows MLAs engaged in business or agriculture had an annual average income of Rs 57.81 lakh. MLAs in real estate business or acting and filmmaking, who together comprised 1% of the total MLAs analysed, had an average annual income of Rs 39 lakh and Rs 28 lakh respectively.The richest MLA, N Nagaraju representing Bangalore (Rural), declared an annual income of Rs 157.04 crore, while the MLA with lowest annual income of Rs 1,301 was B Yamini Bala from Andhra Pradesh.The average annual income of 1,402 MLAs between 25-50 years was Rs 18.25 lakh, while that of 1,727 MLAs between 51-80 years was Rs 29.32 lakh. Interestingly, 11 MLAs between 81-90 years had an even higher average annual income of Rs 87.71 lakh.While the average annual self-income of male MLA was Rs 25.85 lakh, for a female MLA (8% of the total MLAs analysed), it was Rs 10.53 lakh.