AGARTALA, February 21 (TIWN): The amended bill to hike the salary of the Tripura Assembly legislators will be tabled again, with the salary of the MLAs likely to rest at Rs. 35,000 soon. Along with the salary of the assembly speakers and deputy speakers will also be increased. However, the opposition bench moved against the proposal. The amended bill to increase the salary of the legislators was scheduled to be passed in the assembly recently. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tapan Chakroborty recently in the assembly proposed for 15% hike in the salary from the existing, while the opposition MLAs has expressed their dissatisfaction over the proposal of Chakroborty. The opposition later proposed for more than 15% hike in salary from the existing, highlighting their several hurdles. The proposal, once accepted in the assembly house, will take the Basic Salary of Chief Minster to a hefty amount. Whereas in the earlier proposed bill, salaries of chief minister was mentioned to be Rs 21,570, cabinet minister Rs 21,220, state minister Rs20, 700, speaker Rs 21,220, deputy speaker Rs 20, 700. The salary of opposition leader and MLAs was mentioned to be Rs 21,220 and Rs 19,840.

However, later following this Chief Minister Manik Sarkar proposed to hike the salary to Rs. 35, 000 for the legislative assembly members. Along with the salary of the speaker and the deputy speaker will also be increased. However, it was then finalized that following the proposal of the Chief Minister Manik Sarkar the amended bill will be tabled again in the assembly. The salary will not consist of TA and DA.

The opposition Congress has for long been demanding an increase in the salaries, allowances and pensions at par with their counterparts of other states in the country."It is very pitiable that in Left-ruled Tripura, the chief minister, ministers, legislators and other people's representatives are getting the lowest salary and allowances in India," senior Congress legislator Ratanlal Nath said earlier.