Karnataka Can't Pay Its Share Of PF, But Big Pay Hikes For CM, MLAs, MLCs And More

Karnataka’s elected representatives could soon take home significantly higher salaries, with a draft bill proposing a 100% pay hike for the Chief Minister, ministers, and legislators. India Today has exclusively accessed the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions, and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which outlines sharp salary and allowance increases for legislators and other key officials associated with the Assembly. If passed, MLAs and MLCs will see their salaries double, while the Chief Minister’s pay will rise from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per month. The move comes as legislators push for overdue revisions, citing financial constraints and a stalled salary hike mandated in 2022. The draft proposes, under Section 3(1), that the salaries of the Legislative Council Chairman and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly be increased from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh, a proposed increase of Rs 50,000. Under Section 10(1) of the bill, the salary increase proposed for Deputy Chairman and Deputy Speaker was from Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000. Section 10E proposes the same increase for the Leader of the Opposition. According to sources, the bill was drafted as the MLAs and the MLCs have been asking for a long-overdue salary revision. A 2022 amendment mandated a salary hike every five years, but it was never implemented. Some MLAs brought to notice their financial difficulties during a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), urged the government to take action.