Odisha Assembly Approves Salary Hike for MLAs and Ministers
The Odisha Government approved a substantial hike in the salaries of MLAs, Ministers, the Speaker, and pensions for former legislators after the Assembly passed a revised remuneration bill on Tuesday.
With the new provisions, the salary and pension for both sitting and former MLAs increased to Rs 90,000. Meanwhile, the Speaker’s monthly salary rose to Rs 98,000 from the earlier Rs 40,500, and the sitting allowance doubled to Rs 2,000 from Rs 800.
According to official sources, the Speaker’s car allowance jumped to Rs 89,000 from Rs 17,000, while the sumptuary allowance climbed to Rs 1.81 lakh from Rs 40,000 per month. In addition, the Speaker will now receive Rs 2,000 per day as accommodation allowance until a government quarter is allotted.
MLAs also gained a significantly upgraded remuneration package. The major changes include:
- Sumptuary allowance: Rs 96,000 (up from Rs 40,000)
- Constituency and Lok Seva Bhawan visit allowance: Rs 75,000 (up from Rs 20,000)
- Committee allowance: Rs 3,000 (up from Rs 1,500)
- Allowance for meetings outside Odisha: Rs 10,000 (up from Rs 2,000)
- Travelling allowance inside the state: Rs 35 per km (up from Rs 25)
- Monthly transport allowance: Rs 50,000 (up from Rs 15,000)
- Member’s monthly allowance: Rs 10,000 (up from Rs 2,000)
- Electricity charges: Rs 20,000 (up from Rs 5,000)
- Medical treatment allowance: Rs 35,000 (up from Rs 5,000)
- Accommodation allowance: Rs 2,000 per day (up from Rs 1,000)
- Motor car advance: Rs 10 lakh (up from Rs 5 lakh)
Previously, Odisha MLAs received a basic salary of Rs 35,000 and Rs 65,000 in allowances, while Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State drew monthly salaries of Rs 40,000 and Rs 38,000 respectively.
After the BJP government assumed office last year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi formed an advisory committee led by MLA Bhaskar Madhei to review remuneration and pensions. Consequently, the committee recommended revisions to address inflation and financial hardships faced by former legislators.
Legislators across party lines supported the hike, arguing that outdated pension amounts no longer matched rising costs. The unanimous approval reflected consensus on the need to update compensation structures for Odisha’s elected representatives.
