Mizo legislators to donate for fighting Covid-19

AIZAWL: Meeting of leaders of the different legislative party groups on Thursday agreed to contribute 30 per cent of their basic salary per month from May to December, officials said.


The meeting, chaired by assembly speaker Lalrinliana Sailo , decided that the contributions should be deposited in the Chief Minister 's Relief Fund for combating Covid-19 pandemic.

Basic monthly salary of each legislator in the 40-member state legislature is Rs 80,000 including chief minister, members of council of ministers, speaker, deputy speaker and the government deputy government chief whip.

Representative of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) did not attend the meeting and the participants left the CLP to make its own decision.

As legislators agreeing to cut 30 per cent of their basic salaries, the chief minister would donate Rs 20,000 per month additionally while members of the council of ministers, speaker, deputy speaker and government deputy chief whip would donate additional Rs 15,000 per month for the same period.

The meeting also agreed that each legislator would donate Rs 50 lakh from the Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund during 2020-2021.

Each legislator in Mizoram is allocated Rs 150 lakh per annum and the total fund allocated for the purpose in the state annual budget during the current fiscal is Rs 60 crore annually.

Earlier, state chief minister, members of council of ministers, speaker, deputy speaker, government deputy chief whip and vice chairman of the High power committee of Lunglei district had donated half the salaries of a month while the legislators had donated a week's salary from the March salary to the chief minister's relief fund.

Former minister and CLP leader Zodintluanga told ToI that the CLP would deliberate the decision of Thursday meeting soon.

"We have already announced our willingness to donate even more than 30 per cent of the salary if the state government is really facing fiscal crunch," Zodintluanga said, adding that what they could not understand was that the chief minister who holds finance portfolio said there was no limit in fund for combating the Covid-19 pandemic while the government was trying to cut salaries of the government employees.