Hindustantimes wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

In 5-point letter, Sonia Gandhi asks PM Modi to go into austerity mode

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Apr 07, 2020 02:15 PM IST

This comes a day after the Union Cabinet decided to cut the salaries of the Prime Minister, other ministers, and parliamentarians and use the money to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering five suggestions to tackle coronavirus disease Covid-19.

She also asked the Prime Minister to suspend Rs 20,000 crore central vista beautification and construction project forthwith. “Austerity measures which can be used to divert much needed funds to fight against Covid-19 are need of the hour,” the Congress president has said in her letter.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

She further said that the suggestions are in response to her discussion with the Prime Minister over phone. “In your call yesterday, you very kindly asked me to convey to you any suggestions our party has to meet the grave challenge of Covid-19. It is in this spirit that I write to you.”

Among the suggestions, Gandhi has sought complete ban on government advertisements given to the media - TV, print and online - for two years.

I am certain that you will find value in these suggestions, Gandhi further wrote in her letter.

This comes a day after the Union Cabinet decided to cut the salaries of the Prime Minister, other ministers, and parliamentarians by 30 per cent for a year, and to suspend for two years, a scheme under which parliamentarians get Rs 5 crore a year to spend on developmental work (MPLAD scheme), with all the money saved going into the consolidated fund of India to be used to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

That’s expected to work out to approximately Rs 7930 crore. Of this, a total of close to Rs 29 crore will come from the salaries of MPs.

In addition, the President, the Vice President and the governors of states have also decided to take salary cuts.

A Member of Parliament is paid a salary of Rs 1,00,000 plus allowances. A member of Parliament would contribute Rs 30,000 per month and Rs 3,60,000 in the year.

The salary of the prime minister of India is the same as other MPs. The President of India is paid a salary of Rs five lakh per month while the Vice President is paid Rs four lakh per month. The president, vice president and governors have also volunteered to take a 30% cut. The governors are paid Rs three lakh and fifty thousand each.

The Consolidated Fund of India is the fund into which all tax revenues flow, and the one used to make most payments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired the cabinet meeting and then a meeting of his council of ministers. Both were conducted over video conference.

PM Modi had on Sunday reached out to two former presidents and two former prime ministers of India to discuss country’s response to the unprecedented crisis over coronavirus outbreak. The prime minister is also said to have called up Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Odisha chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, DMK chief MK Stalin and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
OPEN APP