As the Lok Sabha polls 2024 are set to kick off tomorrow, there will be a scramble to fill the 543 vacancies in the Parliament of India. Besides national and state political parties, there are a slew of independent wannabes who must be campaigning tooth and nail to get a berth in the eighteenth Lok Sabha.
Once these MP-elects make their way to this temple of democracy, they will be working for their constituents — or at least they will be expected to. And for their services, they will receive a monthly salary along with a range of allowances and incentives.
The salary is not a key driver for any politician across the spectrum to slug out for the post of an MP, but it certainly helps them carry out their job well – so long as they wish to.
Each MP is given a salary of ₹one lakh per month along with an allowance of ₹2,000 per day during any period of residence in duty, shows the PRS India data .
They are also given a constituency allowance of ₹70,000, office expense allowance of ₹60,000 per month, the data shows further. This adds up to ₹2,30,000 per month plus daily allowance for residence on duty.
Monthly emoluments | Amount (Rs) |
Salary | 1,00,000 |
Constituency Allowance | 70,000 |
Office Expense | 60,000 |
Daily allowance | 2,000 per day |
The Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers are entitled to an extra sumptuary allowance on account of entertaining visitors. This amount is ₹3,000 per month for the Prime Minister, ₹2,000 per month for Cabinet ministers and ₹1,000 monthly for MoS.
Interestingly, MPs’ salaries were cut down by 30 percent for a period of one year starting April 1, 2020 in a bid to meet the unexpected expenses arising out of Covid-19.
These charges are meant to be raised every five years starting April 1, 2023.
They are also given travelling allowance for the purpose of attending a session of a House of Parliament or to attend any other business connected with his duties as a member.
Each member is also given one free (first class air-conditioned class of any train) pass that entitles him/her to travel at any time by any railway in India.
Every member representing the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands or Lakshadeep are provided one free pass for steamer and an amount equal to the fare by air from his/her place of residence to the nearest airport in the main island.
Every member from Ladakh is also given an amount equal to the fare by air for travel between Ladakh and Delhi for the MP and spouse.
Salary of an MP in the US is $174,000 which is equivalent to ₹1.44 crore per annum, or ₹12 lakh per month in terms of Indian currency.
In the UK, basic annual salary for an MP is £91,346, equivalent to ₹95 lakh per annum or ₹7.91 lakh per month. They also receive expenses to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
Each MP is entitled to a pension of ₹25,000 every month who has served for any period. The MP is given an extra pension of ₹2,000 per month for each year served in excess of five years. This amount is meant to be raised every five years starting April 1, 2023.
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