COVID-19: MP salary slashed by 30% for a year; Prez, PM, governors take salary cut 

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance slashing the pension and allowances of members of the Parliament by 30 per cent for a year, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.

“The money will go to the Consolidated Fund of India. Charity begins at home—this is a landmark decision,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told journalists after the Cabinet meeting.

“Apart from the ordinance on MP salary, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and many state governors and lieutenant-governors have also voluntarily decided to take a pay cut as a social responsibility,” the Union minister said.

The Consolidated Fund of India is the term used for the total revenue collected by the government through taxes and expenses incurred in the form of borrowings and loans.

The ordinance – an amendment to Members of Parliament Act, 1954, will reduce the allowances and pension by 30 per cent with effect from April 1, 2020. The reduction will be applicable for a year.