LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly members are seeking upward revision in their salaries plus the ad hoc relief allowances as have been granted to civil servants since 2009, and the authorities are assessing its financial impact.

The demand is for all the MPAs, chief minister, leader of the opposition, speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, advisors, parliamentary secretaries and special assistants.

The issue was raised by the members during the assembly session on Feb 20 and 23 this year. A special committee constituted as a result is pursuing it.

A provision was inserted in all the laws pertaining to the salaries and allowances of the members and other public representatives through the Punjab Revision of Emoluments of Public Representatives Act 2006, which stated that their salaries shall automatically be increased by the government in proportion to the increase in the salaries of civil servants.

The salaries of the civil servants were increased in 2008 and the members too were given the facility. But the practice was not repeated afterwards.

Another view is that the emoluments of the Punjab Assembly members were lower than their counterparts in other provinces.

The committee’s recommendations are to revise the salaries through legislation and give ad hoc relief allowances to all the members of the assembly as were allowed to the civil servants on the basis of their basic pay with effect from 2009.

According to sources on Wednesday, each MPA, at present, is drawing monthly Rs12,000 salary, Rs10,000 house rent and as much office maintenance allowance, Rs5,000 telephone and as much sumptuary allowance, Rs3,000 utility allowance, Rs75,000 additional travelling allowance, and Rs15,000 petrol and car maintenance allowance.

For attending assembly sessions and meetings, each MPA gets a daily Rs650 allowance, Rs400 conveyance allowance, Rs5 per km (arrival and departure) transport allowance, and Rs1,500 accommodation allowance.

The proposal is to enhance the salary to Rs30,000, house rent to Rs20,000, telephone and sumptuary allowance to Rs10,000, utility allowance to Rs4,500 and additional travelling allowance to Rs120,000.

The proposal for daily allowance for sessions and meetings is Rs1,000, conveyance allowance Rs500, per kilometer two-way transport allowance Rs15, accommodation allowance Rs2,500, and petrol and car maintenance allowance Rs20,000.

The standing committee chairmen presently get a monthly Rs3,500 special allowance and the proposal is to enhance it to Rs10,000.

Officials say salaries and the fringe benefits of the chief minister, speaker, deputy speaker, leader of the house, ministers, advisors and special assistants are different from the MPAs. And the proposal is to also enhance these as per the ratio of the package made for the MPAs.

“The officials concerned are working on it, calculating how many millions are required for facilitating the low-paid elected representatives of the people,” a source said.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2015

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