Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister on Thursday, at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Suspense over whether Eknath Shinde would be a part of the Mahayuti administration 2.0 also came to an end after he, and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar were sworn in as the Deputy CMs.
As per the Maharashtra Ministers' Salaries And Allowances Act, 1956, minister in Maharashtra, including the chief minister, will be paid salary “equivalent to the basic pay and dearness allowance admissible to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra and as revised, from time to time.”
Eknath Shinde, who served as the Maharashtra Chief Minister from 2022 to 2024, disclosed in his affidavit that his annual income in 2023-2024 was ₹34,81,135.
However, the salary of a state's chief minister is revised from time to time, and each state has a different pay scale for its ministers.
1. Each Minister (this includes the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister) and Minister of State shall be entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of furnished residence in Bombay throughout his term of office and for a period of fifteen days immediately thereafter.
"Or in lieu of such residence, a house allowance at the rate of Rs. 10,000 per month and in addition a sum equal to the electricity charges and water charges, if any, paid by him for his place of residence in Bombay (being a place other than the place of residence provided under this Act by State Government)," the Act states.
2. The State Government may also provide free of charge the services of a chauffeur for each motor car or conveyance so provided to the Chief Minister, other Ministers and Minister of State.
3. Every Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister shall during the term of his office be entitled also to have a telephone installed at government cost at the place of residence or at any place in his constituency selected by him. They won't be charged for the installation of, initial deposit for, rental charges for, maintenance of and official calls made from, the telephone installed.
“They shall also be paid to every Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister a sum of ₹12,000 per month from the month in which telephone facility has been provided,” the Act says.
4. Every Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister will be provided with facilities, which shall entitle him at any time to travel "singly by, first class or as the case may be, by air-conditioned two-tier by any railway in any part of India or by steamer in any part of the State of Maharashtra..."
"...such travel by railway, in any part of India, whether within the State or outside the State, may be availed of by the Minister, Minister of State or Deputy Minister...either singly or jointly with his spouse or with his minor children...or companion...the distance so travelled by the member outside the State, and by the members of his family or companion whether within or outside the State, in any financial year, does not in the aggregate exceeds 50,000 kilometers," the Act stated.
5. Every Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister shall be entitled, free of charge, to the service of a personal assistant. "...the assistant so appointed shall receive a fixed salary of Rs. 25,000 per month from the State Government," the Act added.
6. There shall be paid to every Minister, Minister of State and Deputy Minister a sum of Rs. 10,000 per month for availing the services of computer operator.
7. There shall be placed at the disposal of the Chief Minister a sum of ₹10 lakh per year as sumptuary allowance.
8. As per ruled made by the State Government, a Minister, a Minister of State and a Deputy Minister and the members or the family of the Minister, the Minister of State or the Deputy Minister shall be entitled to free-of-charge accommodation in hospitals maintained by the State Government and to medical attendance and treatment. “A member of the family” means the husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, brother or sister.
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