Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday cleared a major revision of salaries for MLAs, Ministers and the Speaker, along with a significant hike in pensions for former legislators.
The revised remuneration bill, introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, was passed just before the House was adjourned sine die, bringing the Winter Session to an early close.
Under the new structure, the salary and pension for both sitting and former MLAs have been fixed at ₹90,000, marking a substantial increase.
The Speaker’s pay has seen one of the steepest revisions. The monthly salary rises to ₹98,000 from ₹40,500, and the sitting allowance increases to ₹2,000 from ₹800.
The Speaker’s car allowance jumps to ₹89,000 (from ₹17,000), while the sumptuary allowance has been raised to ₹1.81 lakh, up from ₹40,000. The daily accommodation allowance has also doubled to ₹2,000 until a government residence is allotted.
MLAs, too, will receive a wide-ranging hike across allowances. The revised entitlements include:
Sumptuary allowance: ₹96,000 (up from ₹40,000)
Constituency & Lok Seva Bhawan visit allowance: ₹75,000 (up from ₹20,000)
Committee allowance: ₹3,000 (up from ₹1,500)
Allowance for meetings outside Odisha: ₹10,000 (up from ₹2,000)
Travel allowance within the state: ₹35/km (up from ₹25/km)
Monthly transport allowance: ₹50,000 (up from ₹15,000)
Member’s monthly allowance: ₹10,000 (up from ₹2,000)
Electricity charges: ₹20,000 (up from ₹5,000)
Medical treatment allowance: ₹35,000 (up from ₹5,000)
Accommodation allowance: ₹2,000 per day (up from ₹1,000)
Motor car advance: ₹10 lakh (up from ₹5 lakh)
Until now, MLAs received a basic salary of ₹35,000 and allowances totalling ₹65,000, excluding travel and session-related entitlements. Cabinet Ministers were drawing a monthly salary of ₹40,000 and Ministers of State ₹38,000.
After the BJP government assumed power last year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi constituted a panel headed by MLA Bhaskar Madhei to review the pay and pension structures. The committee was tasked with updating the compensation framework for current and former lawmakers. The move gained support across party lines, with several members flagging financial difficulties faced by ex-MLAs as rising inflation rendered earlier pension amounts inadequate.
