With the recent salary hike for MLAs in West Bengal, salaries of MLAs in other states have become a topic of discussion on social media. Reports suggest that Jharkhand MLAs, with a monthly salary of Rs 2.9 lakh, are now the highest-paid in the nation, while Kerala's MLAs receive the lowest salary at Rs 70,000.
With a Rs 40,000 increase in salary, West Bengal MLAs are earning Rs 1.21 lakh in a month.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, Jharkhand's MLAs are poised to become the highest-paid in the nation, with a monthly salary of Rs 2.9 lakh, pending approval from the assembly.
Following closely behind, Maharashtra offers its MLAs Rs 2.6 lakh per month, with Telangana and Manipur providing Rs 2.5 lakh each. Remarkably, only eight states offer salaries exceeding Rs 2 lakh monthly.
Conversely, five states offer salaries lower than Rs 1 lakh a month, with Kerala's MLAs receiving the lowest at Rs 70,000. Despite a 67% salary increase in Delhi last year, it still ranks fourth-lowest in the country.
In terms of total expenditure, Uttar Pradesh tops the list, spending approximately Rs 90.4 crore on MLA salaries annually due to its 403 MLAs. In contrast, Puducherry spends a mere Rs 4.2 crore annually, having only 33 MLAs.
Larger legislatures like Kerala (140 MLAs), Assam (126), and Punjab (117) maintain relatively low monthly expenditures at Rs 11.8 crore, Rs 12.1 crore, and Rs 13.2 crore, respectively.
Jharkhand, with 81 MLAs, anticipates spending Rs 28 crore per year once the new salary is approved, while Manipur allocates around Rs 18 crore for its 60 MLAs. On average, MLAs across India earn a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh, significantly less than the Centre's monthly expenditure of Rs 2.7 lakh for each Member of Parliament.
Across India, state governments have the autonomy to set the salaries and allowances for their legislators. Typically, chief ministers, cabinet ministers, and leaders of the opposition receive higher salaries than ordinary MLAs.
These salaries are subject to regular updates to account for inflation, typically implemented through amendments to the State's Salaries and Allowances Act, often following recommendations from a committee.
Beyond their base salaries, MLAs receive various allowances for constituency work, staff hiring, and telephone bills. Additionally, they enjoy numerous perks, such as government housing, nationwide travel privileges, access to medical facilities, and loans for vehicle purchases.
A comparison of MLA salaries with per capita income across states yields some intriguing results. Bihar, India's poorest state in terms of per capita income, offers the tenth-highest MLA salary.
Goa, boasting the highest per capita income along with Sikkim, falls into the category of states with the lowest MLA salaries. Interestingly, only nine states have lower MLA salaries than Goa.
Some states like Jharkhand, Manipur, and Meghalaya offer substantial MLA salaries despite relatively low per capita incomes. Delhi, on the other hand, ranks among the lowest in MLA salaries despite having the third-highest per capita income. Meanwhile, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana excel in both high salaries and per capita incomes.
A comparison between the average assets of MLAs, as declared in their candidate affidavits before Assembly elections, and their salaries reveals intriguing trends.
Karnataka stands out as the wealthiest Assembly, with each MLA holding an average of Rs 64.4 crore in assets, despite offering the sixth-highest salary. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Goa follow with the next highest average assets, but their salary rankings are 18th and 21st, respectively.