Legislators in Andhra Pradesh are in for a bonanza with the State Government allowing a hefty hike in their monthly pay and gifting them laptops while the state-run corporations handing them gift vouchers and suitcases.

Members of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Council will now get a monthly pay packet of Rs 90,000, up from Rs 40,000. The pay packet includes a basic pay of Rs 15,000 and a constituency allowance of Rs 75,000.

Voice-vote

Besides, legislators who have not been provided government accommodation, will get an additional Rs 10,000 a month as HRA.

The Assembly today unanimously passed the Payment of Salaries and Pension Bill by voice-vote.

The monthly pension for former legislators has also been substantially increased.

Those who served a single term as MLA or MLC will get Rs 15,000 as monthly pension while those who served two terms will get Rs 20,000 and those with three or more terms Rs 25,000 a month.

Medical and travel benefits will be given separately for both serving and retired legislators.

Gifts galore

The Government also distributed a Sony laptop (Rs 50,000 a piece) along with a scanner and a printer to each of the 295 MLAs and a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet PC worth Rs 29,000. The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation handed over a Titan gift voucher of Rs 5,000 to each legislator while the State Road Transport Corporation — which is making operational losses to the tune of Rs 170 crore — has gifted a suitcase each. The State Housing Board also gave away a suitcase to every legislator.