The Karnataka Congress government is considering a hike in the salaries of State legislators, according to media reports. In the draft copy of the proposal , MLAs’ salaries may double from ₹40,000 to ₹80,000, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s salary could increase to ₹1,50,000 from ₹75,000 earlier.
According to the proposed draft copy, the Chief Minister’s salary will be doubled to ₹1,50,000, and the Ministers’ salary will increase from ₹60,000 to ₹1,25,000. The salaries for MLAs and MLCs will be doubled from the current ₹40,000 and the house rent allowance (HRA), increased from ₹1,20,000 → ₹2,00,000.
State Home Minister G Parameshwara attributed this hike to the rising cost of living. He added that this decision is based on recommendations from MLAs and others.
This comes at a time when the Karnataka government announced a power tariff hike, adding a surcharge of 36 paise per unit of electricity from April 1, 2025.
The increase comes after the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) permitted energy supply companies (ESCOMs) to recover the government’s share of pension and gratuity (P&G) contributions from consumers.
“The tariff hike will come into effect from April 1, 2025, in force for the entire duration of the control period, commencing from FY 2025-26 and concluding in FY 2027-28, or as decided by the government from time to time,” the KERC stated.
In July 2024, the salaries of State government staff were revised again based on the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, suggesting a 27.5 per cent hike in pay to State government employees.