MPs to have 3G connections

Parliamentary Committee proposes 3G facility for MPs

PTI | July 12, 2010



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.

 

Comments

 

Other News

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi

New pathways for tourism growth

Traditionally, India’s tourism policy has been based on three main components: the number of visitors, building tourist attractions and providing facilities for tourists. Due to the increase in climate-related issues and environmental destruction that occurred over previous years, policymakers have b

Is the US a superpower anymore?

On April 8, hours after warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” US president Donald Trump, exhibiting his unique style of retreating from high-voltage brinkmanship, announced that he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The weekend talks in Islamabad have failed and the futur

Machines communicate, humans connect

There is a moment every event professional knows—the kind that arrives without warning, usually an hour before the curtain rises. Months of meticulous planning are in place. And then comes the call: “We’ll also need a projector. For the slides.”   No email

Why India is entering a ‘stagflation lite’ phase

India’s macroeconomic narrative is quietly shifting—from a rare “Goldilocks” equilibrium of stable growth and contained inflation to a more fragile phase where external shocks are beginning to dominate domestic policy outcomes. The numbers still look reassuring at first glance: GDP


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter