Punjab: 325 ex-MLAs to draw pension from House

Tribune News Service

Vishav Bharti
Chandigarh, March 17

Had former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal not refused the Punjab Vidhan Sabha pension today, he would have been the highest paid pensioner in the state by getting Rs 5,76,150.

Badal has served as an MLA for 11 terms in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

MLA for 11 terms, Badal not to take pension

• Parkash Singh Badal has served as an MLA for 11 terms. He announced that he will not accept pension as an ex-MLA
• He would have been the highest paid pensioner in the state by getting Rs 5,76,150

As per Section 3 (1) of the Punjab Legislature Members (Pension and Medical Facilities Regulation) Rules-1977 and the Punjab Legislature Members (Pension and Medical Facilities Regulation) Rules-1984, the amount of basic monthly pension as per the notification issued on October 26, 2016 is Rs 15,000 for the first term and Rs 10,000 for each subsequent term. The beneficiaries also get 50 per cent merged dearness allowance (DA) and presently-applicable DA over and above the monthly pension. Thus, the total of the first term pension comes to Rs 75,150. It keeps on increasing by Rs 50,100 with every term.

An ex-MLA is eligible for pension only when he ceases to be a member of the Assembly. Once he is re-elected, he is only given the salary and the pension is stopped.

Apart from Badal, there are several ex-MLAs who are eligible for pension for six terms (Rs 3,25,650), including former Local Bodies Minister Braham Mohindra, former Finance Minister Lal Singh and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. Those who will get pension for five terms

(Rs 2,75,550) include former Jail Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, former minister Balwinder Singh Bhunder, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Manpreet Badal. Interestingly, around 225 former MLAs will be eligible for more than one pension. As per records of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, around 325 ex-MLAs will be eligible for pension this time, the highest number, as around 80 serving members of 15th Vidhan Sabha lost the recently held Assembly elections.

When in the Opposition, the AAP had called more than one term pension to MLAs as morally and theoretically wrong.

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