A day after after a parliamentary panel pitched for almost a 100% salary hike for Members of Parliament, the government has scrapped the recommendation.

A day after after a parliamentary panel pitched for almost a 100% salary hike for Members of Parliament, the government has reportedly scrapped the recommendation. The Indian Express on Friday reported that the committee will meet on 16 July again to decide on an Action Taken Report (ATR) and "no government representative will be present at that meeting."

The parliamentary panel on Thursday had also recommended to hike pension for former MPs by almost 75%. Out of 65 recommendations of the panel, the government on Friday shot down 18 proposals and did not agree to 15. The IE report also said that the government will decide on 3 recommendations later "while in four cases, there is no need to change existing rules."

The panel, headed by BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, has 15 members. "A hike has been long overdue. The salary at present is Rs.50,000 which is not a lot in present times," a member of parliament told IANS on Thursday.

Apart from 100% salary hike, other recommendations of the committee included: 50,000 free calls from an allotted landline phone, 50,000 units of free electricity and 4,000 kilo-litres of free water.

The Rs 2,000 daily allowance during sessions was recommended to be doubled to Rs 4,000. The panel had also suggested that the health benefits the lawmakers avail via the Central Government Health Scheme should be extended to their children and grandchildren as well.

Informed sources said some MPs submitted to the panel that while they were given a first class ticket to travel by train, their companions, even if it was the spouse, can travel only second class. The panel had also advocated first class tickets for companions and also suggested first class train tickets for ex-MPs and their spouses. Reportedly, the government has "not accepted" any of these recommendations.

Quoting sources, IE report said: "...recommendations "not agreed" included diplomatic passports for former MPs; First AC facility to an MP’s companion; local telephone when an MP is abroad; exemption from toll to former MPs; permission for former MPs to travel in First AC along with spouse or companion; providing canteen facility to MPs for purchase of items of daily needs."

While th issue created outrage across media on Thursday, former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Friday said that the issue should be addressed by an independent pay commission exclusively meant for MPs.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Chatterjee said, "After I became Lok Sabha Speaker, I had called a meeting of all parties on the issue and they agreed with my proposal that there should be a separate pay commission for MPs. Thereafter, I sent a note to the then PM (Manmohan Singh) accordingly saying that let it be done in a manner that nobody can raise a question about the MPs’ role in it." But the suggestion remained just a suggestion, as the Cabinet finally did not agree to it.

Past data shows the last hike for Indian MPs increased their salaries by over three times. A bill passed by the Lok Sabha in 2010 hiked salaries of parliamentarians from Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000 per month, IANS reported.

According to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research, till 1985, the monthly salary was Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500 between 1985-1996, and Rs 4,000 per month between 1998-2001. The next hike was again steep, fixing the salary of parliamentarians at Rs 12,000 between 2001-2005. Between 2006-2008, the salary was Rs 16,000, before it was raised to Rs 50,000 between 2009-2013. At present, the highest paid government office is that of Chairman of Competition Commission of India at Rs 3.70 lakh per month.

The President of India gets a salary of Rs 1.5 lakh per month, vice president Rs 1.25 lakh per month and governors Rs 1.10 lakh per month. The prime minister gets the same salary as parliamentarians, but with additional perks.

With IANS inputs