Vidhan Sabha approves 24% hike in salaries and allowances of CM, ministers, Speaker, and MLAs
The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha passed three bills today, proposing a 24 per cent increase in salaries and allowances of the Chief Minister, ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and MLAs. The hike is linked to the price index, ensuring an automatic increase every five years.
This decision comes after a nine-year gap, with the last increase made in 2016. The revised salaries will have a financial implication of approximately Rs 24 crore annually on the state exchequer.
An expenditure of Rs 20 to 22 crore is expected to be incurred on account of hike in salary and pension of MLAs and former MLAs, Rs 35 lakh annually for the hike for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and Rs 2 crore for the hike in salary and allowances of ministers. The pension of former legislators has also been increased.
The three bills passed include the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker’s and Deputy Speaker’s Salaries (Amendment) Bill, 2025, HP Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill, 2025, and Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Himachal Pradesh) Amendment Bill, 2025.
Both the Congress and BJP legislators welcomed the passing of the bills by thumping their tables.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that the bill aims to encourage honesty and clean politics, providing a salary hike for legislators similar to other sections of society.
He said that Rs 20,000 that MLAs used to get for telephone bill has been abolished. The subsidy on water and electricity has also been withdrawn from all the MLAs.
The bill mentions that the sumptuary allowance payable to ministers was reduced by 30 per cent for one year, commencing from April 1, 2020 to meet the exigencies due to the pandemic.
The salary of CM has been hiked from Rs 95,000 to Rs 1.15 lakh, Speaker’s from Rs 80,000 to Rs 95,000, Deputy Speaker’s from Rs 75,000 to Rs 92,000. For Cabinet ministers the salary has been increased from Rs 80,000 to Rs 95,000, state ministers from Rs 78,000 to 93,000, for deputy ministers from Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000, and for MLAs from Rs 55,000 to Rs 70,000.
A hike has also been made in the sumptuary allowances of all these categories.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, ministers Chander Kumar, Harshwardhan Chauhan, and Jagat Singh Negi, MLAs Hans Raj, Sanjay Rattan, Rakesh Kalia, ID Gandhi, and Vinod Kumar supported the proposed hike, stating that legislators should receive a salary increase similar to other sections of society.
