The Gujarat government has proposed an enormous 80 per cent boost in salaries and perks for the CM and ministers in the 2017-18 budgets from the 2016-17 budget estimates. While in the 2016-17 budget estimation, the Gujarat government made provisions of Rs 3.21 crore for salary expenses of the chief minister and other ministers, it has now augmented to Rs 5.78 crore (a Rs 2.57 crore hike) – nearly an 80 per cent raise in one year.
Precisely, it is an almost 82 per cent hike when compared to the 2015-16 actual expenditure of Rs 3.16 crore. Additionally, the government has also anticipated a considerable raise in the tour and other costs apart from a massive increase in the pay bill of ministers’ personal staff.
The expenditure augmented to Rs 15.75 crore in the 2016-17 budget estimates from Rs 14.56 crore in 2015-16. And in 2017-18, a massive Rs 18.67 crore has been projected. Besides, a massive 34.46 per cent boost in salaries of members of legislative assembly (MLAs), from Rs 15.03 crore to Rs 20.22 crore in 2017-18 was proposed by the state government.
But on the other hand, merely 1.18 per cent increases were proposed in the expenditure of the leader of the opposition, from Rs 91.25 lakh to Rs 92.33 lakh. A hike of 31.03 per cent has been proposed in the salary of the Speaker and deputy speaker. A considerable raise has also been proposed in the spending of the governor’s office.
