Date:29/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/29/stories/2007042902800300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Legislators getting double benefit'

T.S. Ranganna

`Government spending on them over Rs. 72 lakh a year that could have been spent on welfare schemes' They have failed to declare details of assets and liabilities in the proper format

BANGALORE: A citizen from Gokak taluk in Belgaum district has written to Governor T.N. Chaturvedi, Legislative Assembly Speaker Krishna and Legislative Council Chairman B.K. Chandrashekar stating that the Government was spending over Rs. 72 lakh a year on legislators that could have been spent on welfare schemes.

According to Bheemappa Gundappa Gadad, who calls himself a social worker, every legislator was paid Rs. 2,000 a month for availing the services of a personal assistant and an attendant. The legislators were also provided with the services of a Class `C' employee to work as their personal assistants.

The legislators were given private assistants in November 1996. Yet the allowance was not withdrawn and they continued to draw it. Thus, for 10 years, the legislators have enjoyed this "double benefit", which amounted to Rs. 7.2 crore over the period. Mr. Gadad said there had been no response to his letters.

The Rs. 2,000 allowance to legislators was in addition to monthly salary of Rs. 8,000 and a host of other allowances. The other allowances to which a legislator was entitled were Rs. 7,500 and Rs. 3,500 respectively towards monthly telephone and constituency expenses and Rs. 5,000 a month towards constituency travelling allowance, he said. Apart from these, a legislator was entitled to travelling allowance of Rs. 10 per km if he undertook tour and was eligible for dearness allowance of Rs. 600 a day if the tour wais within the State and Rs. 750 if the tour was outside the State. Also, the legislators were entitled for Rs. 50,000 allowance a year towards travel by air or train and they could withdraw the amount in two instalments.

For their comfortable stay in Bangalore, the Legislators' Home offered accommodation at an affordable rent.

The legislators and members of their families were entitled for free medical treatment at government hospitals besides being eligible for getting reimbursement if they underwent treatment in hospitals endorsed by the Legislature Secretariat. In addition to these benefits, the legislators were eligible for motor vehicle advance of Rs. 5 lakh, recoverable from their salary. They get a non-refundable advance of Rs. 50,000 towards purchase of computers, he added.