Guv asks Mann govt to pass ‘one MLA, one pension’ Bill in House

The Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab has suffered a setback in the matter of giving a pension to former MLAs. This time it is Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit who refused to sign a file containing one pension to an MLA of the Punjab government. The decision of the cabinet meeting was sent by the Mann government for the approval of the governor a few days ago.

However, this matter is not over for the Mann government. The governor advised the government to pass the bill related to the pension of former MLAs in the first budget session. After being passed in the assembly, this bill will again go to the governor for approval. In such a situation, it is expected that possibly this Bill would become law by July. 

After becoming CM, Bhagwant Mann announced that former MLAs would get only one pension. Through this initiative, Bhagwant Mann’s government is expected to save around Rs 20 crore in Punjab’s financial treasury every year. Till now, the number of times a person has been an MLA in Punjab, he gets a pension for the same number of times. But this rule may change soon.

As per a senior bureaucrat of the Governor’s house, the assembly session has been called in June. That’s why the governor has said that when the assembly session is going to be held soon, then the better situation is to get the bill passed in the cabinet first and then send it forward.

Aam Aadmi Party had promised a pension to former MLAs in Punjab during the assembly elections. The ordinance related to this promise was passed by the cabinet of Bhagwant Mann on 2 May.