The Karnataka government has accepted a draft bill proposing significant salary increases for the Chief Minister, Ministers, MLAs, and opposition leaders.
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00:00More news coming in, the draft salary hike bill has been assessed by India today.
00:09It's a hefty hike for Chief Minister,
00:12Ministers, MLAs, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.
00:18A salary hike in spite of government cash runs.
00:21The plan is that the CM's salary will soon be doubled.
00:30We are just getting in more details on that story at this point in time, Sagai.
00:48This was expected though however questions undoubtedly will be raised
00:53because the state is severely cash crunched
00:57and the fact that they choose to double the salary of the CM
01:00and also give hefty hikes to MLAs, MLCs and Whips
01:04will in fact lead to complete draining of the exchequer, isn't it?
01:13Absolutely, on 3rd March India Today has reported that the BAC meeting
01:17with the CM along with the Speaker as well as the Chairman of Assembly and Council
01:23had discussed about the salary hike.
01:25Few MLAs have raised saying that they are unable to take care of their needs
01:30because of the kind of salary that they are getting
01:32and the salary was not hiked for more than 5 years now.
01:36And keeping all these things in the mind,
01:38the Karnataka CM has promised them that he will look into it.
01:41Now the draft is ready for Karnataka government
01:46where they will go ahead and increase the salaries of MLAs,
01:50Chief Ministers, Speakers as well as the Cabinet Ministers in the Karnataka government.
01:57And if you notice that all the MLAs are on the same page
02:01when it comes to this particular hike which has been proposed by the Karnataka government.
02:05Everybody backed it when we broke the story of Business Advisory Committee
02:09which has taken a decision unanimously to consider this
02:12and go ahead with the rise of the salary.
02:14And we just spoke to the Home Ministers as well saying that
02:17the requirements have increased and even the expenditures have increased
02:20for the MLAs because of the cost of living.
02:24And it is important for the government to consider this.
02:28And when we have questioned that when you don't have funds for guarantees
02:33which has been promised by the Karnataka government,
02:35how the government is going to get the money on the salaries which will be hiked.
02:39And the Home Minister has categorically mentioned that
02:41probably the Chief Minister will have a plan how to get the money and give the salaries.
02:46Talk to us about the figures and the numbers again.
02:49As far as these hikes are concerned,
02:51what's the kind of pressure it's going to be costing on the Exchequer?
02:59If you notice that the current salary is around 75,000 rupees for Chairman and Speaker.
03:05It will be around 1,25,000 rupees, around 50,000 rupees hike,
03:09close to 75% of hike when it comes to salary.
03:12And there are also allowances.
03:13Earlier when they used to get around 4 lakh rupees,
03:15now they will be getting around 5 lakh rupees and allowance 1 lakh will be increased,
03:19close to 10% of it.
03:21And if you see the house rent allowance, earlier it was 1,60,000 rupees.
03:26Now it will go up to 2 lakh rupees, 40,000 rupees will be increased.
03:30And there is also MRA, that is the reimbursement that they are going to get.
03:34And this is a salary breakup that I am reading out of the Speaker
03:38where he will be getting around 25,000 rupees.
03:41Earlier it was 20,000 rupees.
03:42And apart from that there is a Leader of Opposition, Government and Opposition Chief.
03:48And there is also facilities for MLAs and MLCs which will also be increased.
03:52The salary for MLAs which was around 40,000 rupees, now it will be around 80,000 rupees.
03:56And the pension has been also increased from 50,000 rupees to 75,000 rupees.
04:0025,000 is increased on pensions.
04:02And there is also travel allowance which was around earlier 1 lakh rupees,
04:06now it will be around 2 lakh rupees.
04:09Alright, so guys, continue to be with us.
04:11These are details that you have with us at this point in time
04:13about the kind of salary hike that we are looking at for WIPS, for MLAs as well.
04:17That is a draft bill that India today has accessed.
04:20The Minister's salary will be doubled.
04:22The Chief Minister's salary is going to be doubled as well.
04:33More news coming in.
04:34Another price hike in cash-strapped Karnataka.
04:37Power bills rise in Karnataka.
04:39Pricey power after water, metro, alcohol, beer.
04:42Power price raised by 39 paisa per unit.
04:45Hike to help Karnataka government pay pension and to pay gratuity.
04:49Karnataka power tariff hike from the 1st of April.
04:52Cash crunch is hitting pension and gratuity pay is what is visible before us.
04:59To see a series of reactions coming in, listen in.
05:05I urge, I demand Chief Minister Sridharamaiah,
05:10he should learn a lesson from Chief Minister Umar Abdullah.
05:15He has openly appreciated Central Government, Narendra Modi Government
05:20and Nirmala Sridharam for helping J&K to come out of the economic crisis.
05:26So what is the state of affairs in Telangana?
05:29His Chief Minister has admitted that their Telangana government
05:34does not have money to pay the salaries of the state government employees.
05:39So Karnataka situation is not too far.
05:42Economic situation, financial position of the Karnataka is going from bad to worse.
05:49But unfortunately Sridharamaiah is more busy attacking Narendra Modi Government
05:55rather than addressing the issues here in the Karnataka.
05:58Karnataka state government has increased the electricity prices also.
06:02The increase in the price, the reason they are giving is,
06:07the government is supposed to give their part of the finances for the pension
06:15and the gratuity for the people who are working in MESCOMS and KPTCL.
06:20The government has failed to produce that money.
06:23The government has told that we don't have that amount of money with us.
06:27So they have increased the price of the electricity.
06:30And indirectly people of Karnataka are suffering
06:34because the financial situation of the whole of the power department has gone down the drain.
06:40That time we have to give the pension and gratuity fund.
06:44That's why it was kept pending for a long time.
06:48Not in our government, it was there in the earlier government also.
06:52Because there was a high court stay there.
06:55The FKCC people, they went to the high court.
06:58They requested not to put on the consumers.
07:01But now the high court has ruled in favor of the escorts.
07:06They can charge whatever the dues for the pension and other things,
07:11they can charge from the consumers.
07:14And KERC has passed the order. It is not the government order.
07:17The KERC has passed the order.
07:22They are explaining why the increase.
07:24However the fact is that this is obviously a very unpopular decision.
07:29And it is clear that this will lead to further burden on the common man, isn't it?
07:39Absolutely. They are trying to get the money of the pension and the gratuity
07:43which should be paid for all the ESCOM employees
07:45through increasing the prices up to 36 paise per unit.
07:51The KJJ, the power minister from Karnataka has clarified that
07:55these are pending amount which is there from a long time,
07:58even during the BJP time.
08:00They have to collect it and they have not paid the pensions and everything.
08:03It will be a huge burden for the ESCOMs if they try to make it from their own pocket.
08:07Now the decision has also been justified by the power minister
08:12stating that this is an independent body, autonomous body
08:15which has taken a decision to increase the price.
08:17And subsequently they have gone ahead and increased the price up to 36 paise per unit.
08:23So the people have to shell out more money to pay the pension of the ESCOM employees
08:28around 36 paise per unit.