Bhubaneswar: In a move that has sparked both acclaim for addressing inflation and criticism for fiscal extravagance, the Odisha Assembly recently approved a massive salary revision for the lawmakers, tripling their monthly earnings.
Four bills, unanimously passed without any opposition, have retrospectively raised the monthly salaries, including allowances, of MLAs from Rs 1.11 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh, Chief Minister’s from Rs 98,000 to Rs 3.74 lakh, ministers’ from Rs 97,000 to Rs 3.58 lakh, and Assembly Speaker’s from Rs 97,500 to Ra 3.68 lakh, with effect from June 2024.
The salary of Odisha Vidhan Sabha members was last revised in 2017.
In addition to a basic salary of Rs 90,000, a sitting MLA in the state will receive a constituency and secretariat visit allowance of Rs 75,000, a conveyance allowance of Rs 50,000 and Rs 50,000 as fixed travelling allowance, Rs 10,000 towards periodicals and journals, reimbursement of electricity charges up to Rs 20,000, a medical allowance of Rs 35,000 and Rs 15,000 as telephone allowance.
This leap has catapulted Odisha from 19th place nationally to undisputed top spot ahead of traditionally high-paying states such as Telangana and Maharashtra, where MLAs earn around Rs 2.50 lakh and Rs 2.52 lakh a month, respectively.
In Uttar Pradesh, MLAs now receive Rs 1.87 lakh per month after a moderate 30–40% hike implemented earlier this year. In contrast, Karnataka recently doubled its legislators’ pay to Rs 1.60 lakh.
The salaries of the Delhi MLAs were last revised in February 2023, from then Rs 54,000 to Rs 90,000 per month.
In Gujarat, an MLA earns an overall salary of Rs 1.10 lakh a month along with daily allowance of Rs 1,000 as Dearness Allowance at the same rate as paid to state government employees.
On the other hand, MLAs in Kerala earn just Rs 70,000 a month, according to the list prepared by PRS Legislative Research, a non-profit research firm, on state legislatures and Parliament.
