One MLA, one pension
The MLAs and MPs are known to shamelessly reward themselves with hefty hikes in their own pays, perks and pensions at regular intervals. In a whiff of fresh air, the newly minted AAP government of Punjab is considering to put a stop to a ludicrous and morally corrupt practice with regard to the pension that the former MLAs in the state have entitled themselves to. Intending to do away with the 66 per cent additional monthly pension (amounting to Rs 50,100) that the MLAs have bestowed upon themselves for every subsequent term served in the Vidhan Sabha, the government is, in a welcome step, considering allowing only one pension — Rs 75,150 at the present monthly rate — to every former MLA, irrespective of the number of terms served by him/her.
If the move is cleared, it will leave the treasury richer substantially. For, with nearly 80 MLAs losing their seats in the recent elections, there are now a record 325 ex-MLAs eligible for pensionary benefits and many among them have been public representatives multiple times. The other states’ lawmakers must also consider scrapping such unethical rules. In 2018, the Haryana Assembly had commendably passed a Bill to rationalise the pension and allowances of its former MLAs, but it fell short of restricting them to the ‘one MLA, one pension’ formula. As of 2020, the 286 former MLAs of Haryana were costing the exchequer Rs 2.54 crore per month.
Pension is a touchy issue among the ordinary people. They work all their life to earn their living and, yet, in the end often find themselves with peanuts for savings. No government has been able to formulate a reasonably dignified social security or pension scheme for the common man working in the private or unorganised sector. Government employees have been rendered ineligible for the old-age pension scheme and are now crying for its revival. In this scenario, for the MPs/MLAs, who claim to work for the people’s uplift, to be unanimously ensuring fat post-retirement emoluments for themselves after just a five-year term stands out as a sore thumb.
