After proposing a salary hike for MPs, a Parliamentary Committee has recommended providing 3G facility, the advanced mobile telephony, to members.

The issue of providing 3G facility to MPs was considered by the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs, the Lok Sabha secretariat has said.

The charges towards the 3G package as well as additional usage of facility would be adjustable within the 1,50,000 free calls available every year to the members at present.

The new facility provided by MTNL/BSNL is optional for members, the Lok Sabha said adding that members would have to bear the expenses towards 3G compatible handset on which the 3G facility works.

The Parliamentary panel has recently recommended that the monthly salary of MPs be hiked from Rs 16,000 to Rs 80,001, a rupee more than a Secretary to the Union Government.

The matter is under the consideration of the Government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal said the extent of hike in salary and allowances of MPs has not been decided and the government hoped to introduce a bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament.

The last hike in salaries and allowances of 795 MPs -- 545 of Lok Sabha and 250 of Rajya Sabha -- was effected some ten years back. The Sixth Pay Commission for government servants came into effect from January 2006.

The Committee, headed by Charan Das Mahant (Congress), has recommended raising the daily allowance from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 when Parliament is in session. Office expense allowances are also recommended to be increased substantially as well as the constituency allowance.

The report of the Committee has not been tabled in either House but presented to Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari in May.