Ex-MLAs in Bengal plead for hike in pension

Kolkata: After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a hike in the salaries of legislators and ministers in West Bengal, demands have started cropping up from former legislators to proportionately increase their pensions as well.

Sources from the Assembly said that a memorandum on this count reached the office of Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay from the welfare association of former legislators on Friday.

In the memorandum, the former MLAs have made an appeal for the entitlement committee of the state Assembly to consider an increase in the pension of former MLAs.

The pension for the former MLAs are decided on the basis of the number of terms the legislator concerned had in the House. While a one-term former MLA has a monthly entitlement of Rs 14,000 as pension and medical allowance, the amount in case of two-term MLA is Rs 16,000 and the same for three or more terms is Rs 18,000.

In addition to that, each former legislator, irrespective of the number of terms, is entitled to an annual travelling allowance of Rs 19,000. The proposal is to increase the highest monthly pension band to Rs 26,000 and the annual travel allowance amount to Rs 30,000.