Delhi Assembly sets up an independent panel to recommend salary revision

In a move that is possibly unprecedented in the country, the Delhi Assembly on Friday set up an independent expert committee to recommend revision of salaries and allowances of MLAs.

According to the Constitution of India, members of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council of a State receive salaries and allowances as determined by the Legislature. In what is claimed to be a first, Delhi Assembly would first receive the recommendations of the independent panel it has set up for the revision of salaries instead of MLAs deciding it themselves.

Mr. Ram Niwas Goel, Speaker, Legislative Assembly, Delhi constituted the independent committee on Friday to undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of salary and allowances prevalent in the country and to recommend revision of salary, allowances and other facilities for Delhi’s MLAs.

The panel, which would be chaired by P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of Lok Sabha, would also have K.V. Prasad, Associate Editor, The Tribune and Balraj S. Malik, Advocate, Supreme Court of India as members and Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara, Secretary, Legislative Assembly as the Member-Secretary.

The expert panel will undertake a comprehensive study of the structure of salary and allowances prevalent in various States and the Parliament in the country and also do a comparative study of similar structure in various parliaments and provincial legislatures in different countries. The committee will recommend revision of salary, allowances and other facilities for MLAs in a way that they are able to discharge their duties with high degree of efficiency.

The committee is also expected to look into the possibility of evolving a transparent and scientific mechanism for periodic revision of salary and allowances of legislators. It will also recommend a revision of pension and other facilities for retired MLAs.

The committee is expected to submit its report within 30 days from the date of its constitution .

The decision to form an Independent Committee was taken by the Committee on Salary and Allowances of the Members of Legislative Assembly of Delhi on August 1 and a request was made to the Speaker to constitute such a committee.

MLAs are constitutionally entitled to decide their pay revision themselves. The usual procedure for this is that the Committee of Legislature makes its recommendations for revision of salary and allowances, which is incorporated in the Bill and introduced by the Government in the Assembly.