In 1954, Parliament of India passed ‘The salary, allowances and pension of member of parliament act, 1954’. The object of this act was to determine the scale of salary and pension of members of parliament.
From 1954, this act was amended time to time to update the new salary and allowance condition of the MPs.
In this article, we are decoding the act as it is on today 2/26/2022. This act may be changed in future, however, if we see the per month salary of the MPs and their allowances rate in this act, it is possible not to amend it till a considerable time.
1. SALARY AND DAILY ALLOWANCES
The act provides about salary along with allowances. In this 10 section act, there is not separate chapter for two of them.
Salaries and daily allowances.
As per the section 3 of the act, a member shall be entitled
- to receive one lakh rupees per month salary during the whole of his term of office, and;
- allowance of two thousand rupees for each day during any period of residence on duty.[1]
Meaning of “period of residence on duty”
“Period of residence on duty” means the period during which a member resides at a place where a session of a House of Parliament or a sitting of a committee is held or where any other business connected with his duties as such member is transacted.[2]
Cost Inflation Index
To ensure to not to amend the act again and again, the act provide that the salary and daily allowance of members shall be increased after every five years commencing from 1st April, 2023 on the basis of Cost Inflation Index.[3]
Travelling Allowances
To attend the session of parliament or a meeting of committee to which s/he is member, each member is entitled from his usual place of residence to the place
- if the journey is performed by air, an amount equal to one air fare for each such journey;
- if the journey or any part thereof cannot be performed by rail or air―
- where the journey or any part thereof is performed by steamer, an amount equal to one fare (without diet) for the highest class in the steamer for each such journey or part thereof,
- where the journey or any part thereof is performed by road, a road mileage at the rate of sixteen rupees per kilometre for each such journey or part thereof.
Where a member performs journey by road in Delhi from and to an aerodrome, he shall be paid a minimum amount of one hundred and twenty rupees for each such journey.[4]
Travelling allowances for intermediate journeys.
Where a member absents himself for less than fifteen days during a session of a House of Parliament or a sitting of a committee for visiting any place in India,
he shall be entitled to receive travelling allowances in respect of such journey to such place and for the return journey―
- if the journey is performed by rail, equal to one first class fare for each such journey irrespective of the class in which the member actually travels;
- if the journey, being a journey during the sitting of the Committee is performed by air, equal to one fare by air for each such journey.[5]
Free transit by railway.
Every member is entitled to receive one free non-transferable first class air-conditioned or executive class of any train pass which shall entitle him to travel at any time by any railway in India.
A free railway pass shall be valid for the term of his office and on the expiration of such term, the pass shall be surrendered to the Secretary of the House of the People or the Council of States, as the case may be.[6]
Until a member is provided with a free railway pass, he shall be, and shall be deemed always to have been entitled to an amount equal to one first class air-conditioned or executive class of any train fare.
Free transit by Steamer
Every member representing the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands or the Union territory of Lakshadweep shall―
- be provided with one free non-transferable pass which shall entitle him to travel at any time by the highest class by steamer to and from any part of his constituency; and
- be entitled to an amount equal to the fare by air from his usual place of residence to the nearest airport in the main land of India and back.
A free steamer pass shall be valid for the term of his office and on the expiration of his term, the pass shall be surrendered to the Secretary of the House of the People.
Constituency allowance and amenities.
A member is entitled to constituency allowance office expense allowance and medical facilities for himself and for members of his family and housing, telephone, water, electricity facilities or amount in cash in lieu of all or any of facilities.[7]
Pension[8]
There shall be paid a pension of twenty-five thousand rupees per month to every person who has served for any period as a Member of the Provisional Parliament or either House of Parliament.
Where a person has served as a Member of the Provisional Parliament or either House of Parliament for a period exceeding five years, there shall be paid to him an additional pension of two thousand rupees per month for every year served in excess of five years.
The pension and additional pension to every person shall be increased after every five years commencing from 1st April, 2023 on the basis of Cost Inflation Index.
Travel facility to ex-Members[9]
Every person who is not a sitting Member but has served for any period as a Member of either House of Parliament shall be, ―
- entitled along with a companion to travel in any train by any railway in India in air-conditioned two-tier class; or
- entitled to travel alone in any train by any railway in India in air-conditioned first class, without payment of any charges on the basis of an authorisation issued for this purpose by the Secretariat of either House of Parliament, as the case may be.
REFERENCE
The salary, allowances and pension of members of parliament act, 1954
[1] Section 3
[2] Section 2(d)
[3] Section 3(2)
[4] Section 4
[5] Section 5
[6] Section 6
[7] Section 8
[8] Section 8A
[9] Section 8AA