Centre hikes monthly salaries of MPs by 24% April 1
Extract
from the article:
The Government of India has officially sanctioned a 24%
increase in the salaries of Members of Parliament (MPs), effective from April
1, 2023. This adjustment is a part of the periodic revision of remuneration,
reflecting ongoing inflationary pressures and the evolving economic landscape.
Alongside the hike in salaries, pensions for former MPs have also been
augmented significantly — rising from Rs 25,000 per month to Rs 31,000 per
month. The notifications point toward a deliberate effort by the Centre to
acknowledge and compensate legislative representatives more robustly for their
service.
This move rekindles a perennial debate about the
remuneration of elected public officials and the justifications for such
increments. The timing and scale of the hike summon diverse viewpoints, ranging
from advocating fair compensation to concerns about fiscal prudence and public
perception. The increase, in both salaries and pensions, may have implications
for political nomination dynamics, as enhanced financial security could shape
candidate motivation, the attractiveness of political careers, and consequently,
the quality and diversity of leadership aspiring for these public offices.
My
Take:
A. Electoral
Reforms Capsule – A Bitter Pill
"Hey, look at what I thought of/suggested about this
topic, 6 years ago. I had predicted this! I had offered a solution for
this." In that blog, I advocated for a radical restructuring of how MPs
and MLAs are remunerated. Instead of a patchwork of allowances and subsidies, I
proposed fixed salaries supplemented by a variable component contingent upon
performance, much like the executive compensation structure in corporate
governance. This model envisioned Rs 5 lakhs/month fixed plus Rs 10 lakhs/month
variable for MPs, linked to measurable constituency feedback via a mobile app,
RepReward.
In light of the recent 24% salary hike, my earlier argument
remains strikingly relevant. Merely increasing fixed salaries without embedding
accountability and performance incentives risks perpetuating complacency rather
than spurring excellence. If the salary hike is not tethered to tangible
deliverables and public satisfaction, we are looking at a superficial fix
rather than systemic reform. This underscores the urgent need for a
transparent, performance-linked pay mechanism that motivates MPs while ensuring
taxpayers’ money is judiciously utilized.
B. Artificial
Intelligence to Fix MP / MLA Salary?
"Reflecting on this blog again, I had already flagged
the ethical and legal quandaries around MPs hiking their own salaries in
2018." The Supreme Court was looking into establishing a permanent,
independent mechanism for salary fixation to eliminate potential conflicts of
interest. The piece underscored how unchecked increments risk eroding public
trust and further complicate electoral nomination landscapes by creating
financial incentives that may attract candidates less driven by public service.
Today’s notification of a uniform 24% increment, absent a
transparent, autonomous adjudicatory mechanism like the one advocated,
highlights how far the governance framework still needs to evolve. The proposal
to leverage Artificial Intelligence as an impartial arbiter to determine fair
compensation based on multiple socio-economic factors remains an innovative and
promising solution. It would temper political discretion and transform
remuneration determination into a more objective process, ultimately harmonizing
financial fairness with ethical governance.
Call to
Action:
To the Honorable Lawmakers and the Election Commission of
India: As you consider and implement salary revisions for the nation's elected
representatives, I urge you to simultaneously champion structural reforms that
link compensation with measurable performance metrics. Establish an impartial
and permanent body — possibly empowered by cutting-edge technologies such as
Artificial Intelligence — to oversee and rationalize salary and pension
decisions for MPs and MLAs. This will not only promote transparency and
fairness but also enhance the credibility and efficacy of political nominations
and governance.
Let us move beyond mere percentage hikes toward a system
where remuneration reflects accountability, integrity, and service to the
people. The momentum is now; let’s ensure salaries empower exemplary leadership
rather than entrench entitlement.
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
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