Govt refuses to disclose salary, perks of CM, ministers

LUDHIANA:THE Congress government has refused to share details of salaries, perks and allowances of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, cabinet ministers, MLAS, his six advisers as well as officers on special duty (OSDS), amid claims of empty state coffers.

In a letter addressed to the state public information officer (PIO), Ludhiana-based RTI activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira in November last year had sought details of the salaries and pensions of the MLAS, including the CM and his advisors and members of the cabinet, and loans taken by them under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

In the reply, the PIO said the CM, cabinet ministers and others did not give consent to share their salaries and perks under the RTI.

The official said the department had also received an RTI application in May 2018 wherein the applicant had sought the same details about the ministers and the CM but they refused to share the information.

Khaira said MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, one of advisers to the chief minister, had claimed that he would not claim any perks with the post, but now they are not even disclosing their salaries.

Raising question over the alleged double standards of the advisers, Khaira demanded the government should make this information public as salaries (perks/allowances) are paid out of the state exchequer.

They would file an application with the higher authorities and, if needed, they would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the violation of the RTI Act.