Pay them well, not in perpetuity

Taxpayers must not foot the bill for ex-lawmakers’ perks

Abeginning of a new financial year is a time for appraisals in the private sector. Now the Rajasthan government seems to be following suit. On Wednesday, the BJP government increased the salary and allowances of the chief minister, ministers, legislators as well as the pension

ourtake for former lawmakers after the assembly passed the Rajasthan Minister’s Salaries (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017. The proposed increase in salaries is estimated to involve a recurring expenditure of about ₹1.55 crore per annum. The basic salary of an MLA has increased from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000; travel allowance from ₹1.5 lakh (annually) to ₹2 lakh; secretarial allowance from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000; daily allowance from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500; sumptuary (in other words, food) allowance from ₹30,000 to ₹45,000; and vehicle allowance from ₹20,000 to ₹ 30,000. “Looking to the present level of prices, the existing salary and sumptuary allowance payable appears to be inadequate. Under these circumstances, it has been considered expedite to increase the salary and sumptuary allowance…,” chief minister Vasundhara Raje said.

Even if we take these as modest raises, what is galling is what the state has decided to give former CMs: They will get for the remainder of their lives a government residence, a car that family members can also use, a telephone, and a staff of 10.

In no other modern democracy do public representatives get perks in perpetuity. In India the scene is different: Lawmakers are entitled to houses in the toniest of localities, vehicles and personal staff, free travel and telephone calls. This sense of entitlement is so deep that some lawmakers — and their families after their deaths — refuse to leave official accommodation or give up other perks. This penchant for squatting in government bungalows has also started afflicting bureaucrats. In 2014, the government had to disconnect power and water connections to the houses of around 30 former MPs who refused to vacate their bungalows in spite of several eviction notices. There is nothing wrong in paying lawmakers well according to market rates, but there should be no perks in perpetuity.