Kolkatta: Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, made a significant announcement on Thursday regarding a substantial increase in the salaries of various government officials in the state. The monthly salaries for cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and legislators will see a substantial boost, with each category receiving an additional Rs 40,000 per month.
Following this salary adjustment, legislators will now receive a monthly salary of Rs 50,000, a significant increase from the previous amount of Rs 10,000. Similarly, the monthly salaries of ministers of the state have been elevated from Rs 10,900 to Rs 50,900, while cabinet ministers will now receive Rs 51,000 per month, up from the previous Rs 11,000.
It's important to note that the other supplementary benefits, perks, and allowances provided to cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and legislators alongside their monthly salaries will remain unchanged.
In practical terms, this means that the overall monthly compensation for legislators, encompassing salaries, allowances, and perks, will now surge to Rs 1.21 lakh from the previous rate of Rs 81,000 per month, as clarified by a state government official.
Similarly, the total monthly remuneration for ministers will rise from Rs 1.10 lakh per month to approximately Rs 1.50 lakh per month.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made this announcement in the state Assembly on Thursday, emphasizing that the decision to increase salaries was prompted by the fact that West Bengal legislators had been receiving considerably lower salaries in comparison to their counterparts in other Indian states.
Nonetheless, political observers anticipate that this salary hike for ministers and legislators is likely to raise concerns among state government employees who have long been advocating for an increase in dearness allowances to align with those provided to Central government employees, including the corresponding arrears.
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