Despite criticism from all quarters, the Legislature-Parliament on Sunday endorsed a bill to effect an increment in pay and perks for lawmakers by a whopping 42 percent.

Parliament prioritised endorsement of the legislation putting aside other

crucial issues including theoretical discussion on the impeachment motion against Lokman Singh Karki, the suspended chief of the Commission for investigation of Abuse of Authority. The bill to increase the pay was endorsed just in five days of it being tabled in Parliament for discussion.

Over a month since the impeachment motion was tabled in Parliament, deliberation on it is yet to be over. The House meeting has been adjourned till November 29 as Speaker Onasari Gharti left for Russia on Sunday on a weeklong visit. After the bill is authenticated by the President, each lawmaker will draw Rs80,230 per month, up from the existing Rs56,228 in addition to daily meeting and transportation allowance of Rs1,000 each. The revision will cost the treasury an additional Rs230 million annually. The increment will be effective from July 2016.

In a breakdown, a lawmaker will receive Rs55,230 as monthly salary, up from Rs44,180, in accordance with the 25 percent pay rise announced in the fiscal budget for government employees. The perks have also been increased by the same proportion. An MP will now draw Rs25,000 in perks including Rs18,000 for house rent and Rs3,000 for communication.

At present, a lawmaker gets Rs12,048 in perks including Rs6,500 for house rent and Rs2,300 for communication. The transportation allowance has been increased by six fold to Rs1,000 from Rs150 and meeting allowance to Rs1,000 from the existing Rs200. If ten meetings of Parliament are held in a month, each lawmaker will draw at least Rs20,000 monthly as meeting and daily allowance alone.

They will also be entitled to Rs15,000 as furniture allowance per annum and will have a life insurance cover of Rs1 million. Lawmakers who are assigned duties outside the Valley will get Rs2,500 in daily allowance in addition to the transportation cost.

Amid increasing pressure from lawmakers, the KP Sharma Oli government had formed a five-member committee led by CPN-UML Chief Whip Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, which in the first week of June suggested an increment of 58 percent in the pay and perks. The incumbent government decreased it to 42 percent, slashing the proposed house rent to Rs18,000.

Minister for Law and Justice Ajay Shankar Nayak, who tabled the bill for endorsement, agreed to increase the daily allowance to Rs1,000 from the proposed Rs500, following the proposal of Nepali Congress Chief Whip Chin Kaji Shrestha.