The Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament, meeting here on Wednesday, will consider a memorandum signed by 40 MPs cutting across party lines seeking an enhancement of all emoluments. The MPs want their salaries to be at least on a par with that of Secretaries to the Government of India.

The last pay hike for MPs was in 2008. That year, the memorandum says, the salary of MPs was fixed at Rs. 1,10,000 (Rs. 50,000 as pay, Rs. 45,000 as constituency allowance and Rs. 15,000 as office allowance), at a time when a Secretary received a salary of Rs. 80,000. Now, thanks to inflation, the dearness allowance (DA) of a Secretary has climbed to Rs. 90,000, meaning that the salary plus DA is now Rs. 1,70,000.

The MPs, pointing out that the only salaries paid by the government that do not have a DA component are those paid to MPs, have therefore made two requests: one, that their salaries be re-fixed keeping in mind the present price index; and two, that a provision be made for DA. The MPs have also sought an enhancement of the allowances for those on their staff, with the inclusion of a DA component. They have requested that each MP be assigned three PAs, one in Delhi and two in the constituency.