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Proposed benefit raise for MPs to costTk3cr extra

Star Report
The bill seeking to revise the financial benefits of the Members of Parliament. If passed In the present form, would cost the state exchequer an additional amount of about Taka three crore a year
With retrospective effect from July I, 1991. the benefits are expected to be approved by the Jatiya Sangsad when it resumes session this afternoon
The bill. Members of Parliament (Remuneration and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill 1991 was earlier moved on February 1 I
But members belonging to both the Treasury and the Opposition benches refused to
endorse the bill In the form It was presented. The Speaker deferred Its passage till this afternoon.
If the bill Is passed, the remuneration and allowances Cyable to a Member of rhament will go up from Taka 5.200 to 10.200 a month Apart from that, they will be entitled to an add I tlonal amount of Taka 48.000 as telephone bill and Taka 30.000 as travelling expenses a year
The revised benefits Include remuneration Taka 6.000. sumptuary alknvance Taka 1.000. constituency al
From Page I Col 7 fowance Taka 1.500 office al fowance Taka 1500 medical allowance Taka 200 a month.
The remuneration and the sumptuary allowance will be an Increase of 100 per cent over the present rate while the constituency allowance and medical allowance will remain the same. A new allowance called office allowance has been introduced this time
The bill. Introduced during the current session of Parliament, was referred to a special committee to examine Its different aspccts.The cur rent session also revised t>K remuneration and allowances of the President, the Prime Minister, ministers, ministers of state and deputy ministers. These were earlier done through promulgating ordinances.
When these ordinances were Introduced as bills, a member of the Treasury Bench ' asked for a bill to be moved to revise the benefits of the MPs
Sources close to the special committee say. a proposal to give pension to the Members of Parliament was discussed but it did not get unanimous support Defending the pension proposal. opposition members of the committee gave a note of dissent.
Sources further say. the Law Minister, who Is also the Chairman' of the committee, favoured ll>c pension proposal for the Members of Parliament with retrospective effect from 1973.
The Members of Parliament
( Rc in u ne ra 11on and
Allowances) Order was first in iroduced by President s Order No 28 of 1973. Tie remunera Hon was then called salaries and wus amended by Act 25 of 1988
The remuneration of the MPs wax last revised with ef feet from July 1,1986.
In addition to remuneration and allowances. a Member of Parliament receives daily al fowance and conveyance allowance for attending sessions, and is provided wtth an insnr ance cover al government expense against death or penna nent disablement caused by accident during his/her term of office. and have a telephone installed al his/her residence at government expense.
Political scientists argue, the proposed benefits are far less tlian that is enjoyed by an MP of SAARC and other Aslan countries. Of tlie Aslan countries Singapore provides the highest benefits 'to keep the public representatives free from corruption The present bill, according to some members. failed to satisfy them as their remuneration is less than that of a secretary, the highest ranking bureaucrat of the government. The MPs claim that their order of precetfence place them above the secretaries. and In a parliamentary system, the MPs are supposed to be more powerful than the bureaucrats. Incidentally secretaries receive Taka 10.000 a month as salary and In addition arc entitled lo perks at least five times their monthly salary.