On Friday, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann revealed that his government has taken another big decision. The decision aims at restructuring the pension formula of Punjab’s members of legislative assembly (MLAs), who now will be eligible for a pension of only one term.
Mann announced the decision on the micrologging site Twitter. “Today, we have taken another big decision. The pension formula for Punjab’s MLAs will be changed. MLAs will now be eligible for only one pension,” the new Punjab Chief Minister wrote in a tweet.
“Thousands of crores of rupees which were being spent on MLA pensions will now be used to benefit the people of Punjab,” the tweet further said.
Mann said that instructions have been issued to the officials to take appropriate action in this regard. Mann said that many MLAs lost after being MLA four times.
“Someone’s pension is four lakhs, someone is five and a half lakhs, but now the uniform pension will be disbursed,” Mann said.
The Chief Minister added that many MLAs have also been MPs and are taking both pensions. Now the pension and family allowances of the former MLAs will be deducted, which will be used in the schemes of public welfare, he said.
While talking about the rampant unemployment in the state, Mann said, “Unemployment is a big issue in the state. All young boys and girls pursue higher degrees but they have to return to their homes. When they seek jobs on the basis of those degrees, they are lathi-charged..but they don’t get jobs. We are taking big steps in this direction.”
Earlier, the Chief Minister had issued helpline numbers to eliminate corruption. Recently, on getting information about the decision of the Mann government, former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had written to the speaker about not taking the pension. Badal has been an MLA 11 times and Chief Minister five times.
Lal Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Sarwan Singh Phillaur get 3 lakh 25 thousand pensions every month in the state. Similarly, Ravi Inder Singh, Balwinder Singh get 2 lakh 75 thousand rupees as pension every month. The pension of a 10-time MLA is 6 lakh 62 thousand per month. But, now former MLAs will get only one pension of Rs 75000. This will reduce the burden of more than 80 crores on the exchequer in the coming five years.
“As the opposition, we will continue to play a constructive and responsible role. Punjab comes first to us,” said Congress leader and MLA Pargat Singh.
Singh welcomed the Bhagwant Mann government’s decision of one MLA-one pension.
“This would reduce the burden on Punjab’s finances. As the main opposition party, we will continue to play a constructive and responsible role,” Sing said.