MPs’ salary hike and other things

There can be not much of a dispute regarding the need for our MPs to lead a decent life. No one wants our MPs to lead a miserable life. There are unconfirmed reports about a lot of persons or agencies offering a helping hand to our Parliamentarians one way or the other.

No doubt, a salary of Rs 16,000 per month is too measly. Now that has been raised to Rs 50,000 per month. Fair enough, but their allowances have been raised only to Rs 20,000 from Rs 14,000 per month.

MPs’ minimum pension has been raised from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.
In fact, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned over the division in this regard. Some MPs want a hike in pay of up to 500 per cent.

There are other sumptuary provisions like air travel tickets, free train tickets, phone call charges, office expenses and what not. More than that, all MPs are members of several parliamentary committees. Attendance of these committees will fetch them a lot of money.

There may be objections to the pay hike, even though there is merit in the argument that the MPs’ economic life should be wholesome.

The Constitution of India is framed by “We the people of India” and so MPs themselves can decide on their pay hike. “We the people of India” phrase largely denotes MPs even though it was originally intended to mean all the literate and illiterate human beings of India.

There can be much disparity with regard to pensions for ordinary mortals. There are lakhs of workers under the Employees Provident Fund scheme who receive a monthly pension of roughly Rs 500 per month.

There is a wide chasm existing in this regard. Forget about the plight of ordinary people toiling to fetch a livelihood, fighting between below the poverty line and above the poverty line, standing on the fringes of the demarcating line.
Judges, MPs, officials, workers and pensioners definitely deserve salubrious salaries or allowances. Corporate growth and empowerment of the moneyed class alone should not be the only factors of the economy. All the poor people should be roped in and offered a helping hand. Mind you, we don’t have a welfare scheme as existing in capitalist economies, even though we have opened up our economy.