Former chief minister and leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced that he would forgo the hike in his salary and allowances.
The Odisha Assembly recently approved a three-fold hike in the salaries and allowances of the chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers and other legislators. The revised package raises the monthly emoluments of the leader of Opposition to around ₹3.62 lakh.
In a letter to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Naveen said he had been “blessed by the love, affection and support of the people of Odisha for more than 25 years” and remained deeply indebted to them and to the legacy of his late father,
Biju Patnaik.
Recalling that his family had donated its ancestral property, “Anand Bhawan” in Cuttack, for public use in 2015, the former chief minister said he wished to act in the same spirit now.
“I would like to forgo the salary and allowances hiked for the leader of Opposition, which the Odisha Legislative Assembly has recently passed,” he said.
Naveen also requested the chief minister to utilise the amount meant for him “for the welfare of the poor people of our state”.
Under the new structure, the chief minister will draw ₹3.74 lakh per month, while an MLA’s monthly pay has increased to ₹3.45 lakh from ₹1.10 lakh earlier.