House members' salary Bills get passage without hiccups

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 6: On the last day of its Budget Session on Friday, the Assam Assembly saw its ruling and Opposition members striking a happy medium – allowing the smooth passage of as many as three Bills relating to hike in salaries of the members of the House without any debate and amendment.

With the passage of these three Bills, the members of the State Assembly have to get hikes in their monthly salaries from Rs 44,000 to Rs 55,000. The members of the Assembly who are set to get hike in their salaries are the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Chief Minister, ministers, ministers of state, the Leader of Opposition and MLAs. With the passage of these three Bills, an MLA is to draw Rs 1.80 lakh as salaries per month, including other allowances and perks.

After the passage of the three salary-related Bills, the Speakers said that salary hike of members of the Assembly should be after a regular interval of time or else such hikes would send a wrong sigl to the public.  On this salary hike of members of the House, the Speaker said that a pay commission had to be formed for recommending the hike. If the trend of setting up pay commissions for recommendations of hike in salaries of members of the House is followed in future as well, the Speaker said, such hikes are sure to get the right sanctity.         

Meanwhile, on its concluding day the House passed a number of other Bills – The Bodoland University (Amendment) Bill, 2018; The Assam Repealing Bill, 2018; The Assam Repealing (No. 3) Bill, 2018; The Assam Non-Government Educatiol Institutions (Regulation and Magement) (Amendment), 2018 and The Assam Non-Government Educatiol Institutions (Regulation of fees) Bill, 2018.

The Assam Non-Government Educatiol Institutions (Regulation of fees) Bill, 2018 is to bring charging of fees by private educatiol institutions in the State under the regulation of the Education Department.