Cabinet meet: Ministers’ HRA increased by 60%
Home minister is only one in Khattar’s council who has been living in a private accommodation; allowance was last revised in June 2011
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana cabinet on Monday decided to effect a 60% hike in the house rent allowance (HRA) given to ministers.
The enhanced house rent allowance will primarily benefit home minister Anil Vij, the only one in the council of ministers living in a private accommodation.
An official spokesperson said by following an amendment in Rule 10-AA of the Haryana Ministers Allowances Rules, 1972, the HRA for ministers has been increased from ₹50,000 to ₹80,000.
In addition, the ministers also get ₹20,000 to cover the electricity and water charges. This works out to be a monthly expenditure of ₹1 lakh, the spokesperson said.
The HRA for ministers was last revised on June 2, 2011. Even in the last term, Vij had refused to take a government accommodation, preferring to stay at a house in his constituency – Ambala Cantonment.
The minister every evening drives back to Ambala Cantt and returns to Chandigarh the next morning for work. Besides chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who lives in the designated CM residence in Sector 3, deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala; transport minister Mool Chand Sharma; power minister Ranjit Singh; agriculture minister JP Dalal; social justice and empowerment minister Om Prakash Yadav; women and child development minister Kamlesh
Dhanda; archaeology and museums minister Anoop Dhanak and sports and youth affairs minister Sandeep Singh have been freshly allotted government houses.
Education minister Kanwar Pal retained the government house he was allotted as the assembly speaker and co-operation minister Banwari Lal, too, is living in a government accommodation allotted during his last stint as a minister.