New Delhi: Speaker Meira Kumar`s action of
hiking pay of Lok Sabha staff facing anomalies in their salary
has triggered a controversy with objections being raised by
the Finance Ministry.
However, the Lok Sabha Secretariat Monday claimed the
Speaker was well within her rights of doing so.
The Speaker has granted two increments to the staff with
Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary saying, "this has
been done to remove certain anomalies that arose following
implementation of the cadre review for Lok Sabha staff done
two years ago".
He insisted that the Speaker has the autonomy to decide
on these issues as per certain provisions of the Constitution
and the rules made thereunder.
"The Lok Sabha budget is finalised by the Secretariat and
approved by the Speaker," he said adding "what has been done
is to remove the anomalies. The Speaker need not consult the
Finance Ministry or the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. This
is within our budget. She has absolute authority".
Achary`s comments came in the wake of reports that the
Finance Ministry has objected to the move.
Ministry sources said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
merely pointed out to the Lok Sabha Secretariat that any
change in salaries has to go through a process under the
Ministry of Finance.
"It is neither the prerogative of Parliament nor the
Finance Minister himself to take any decision on it", they
said.
Lok Sabha sources, however, expressed ignorance about the
Finance Ministry raising any objection. "We have not heard
anything", they said.
Achary said that when the pay was fixed, the Secretariat
came to know about certain anomalies and it was suggested that
two more increments should be given to those who did not get
the benefit of the cadre revision.
"The proposal was mooted earlier. We looked at it very
seriously," Achary said but did not specify how many of the
2,600 employees of the Lok Sabha would benefit by the move.
Besides, he said that the move was limited only to Lok
Sabha and not the Rajya Sabha as the Lower House only had
undertaken a cadre review in 2007. He also dismissed
suggestions that the move was in anyway related to Sixth Pay
Commission recommendations.
PTI
