RTI reveals shrinking travel bills of Punjab MLAs

A examination of MLAs’ claims implicit 3 fiscal years, including 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, revealed that erstwhile Congress MLA Pritam Singh Kotbhai had the largest measure of Rs 6.63 lakh, portion realtor and erstwhile SAD MLA NK Sharma had the smallest measure of Rs 6,300, some successful the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The wide TA measure for MLAs has been reducing implicit the past 3 years. In 2021-22, it was Rs 2,37,12,040, which decreased by Rs 17 lakh successful 2022-23 to Rs 2,20,82,068. By 2023-24, it had dropped to Rs 1,60,33,403, down from implicit Rs 2 crore.

Punjab MLAs are entitled to a question allowance of Rs 15 per km erstwhile traveling to Chandigarh for Vidhan Sabha sessions and committee meetings. Each MLA tin besides assertion up to Rs 3 lakh per twelvemonth for backstage overseas travel. “It is simply a benignant of LTC. While determination is simply a headdress of Rs 3 lakh for overseas travel, determination is nary bounds connected TA for committee meetings, which tin beryllium held anyplace successful India. The measure tin see air, rail, bus, oregon car travel,” a Vidhan Sabha authoritative explained.

Several different MLAs successful the 2023-24 fiscal besides claimed question allowances exceeding Rs 4 lakh. AAP MLA from Amritsar (West), Jasbir Singh Sandhu, led with Rs 4.63 lakh, followed by Bhucho’s AAP MLA, Jagsir Singh, who claimed Rs 4.41 lakh. Bathinda (Rural) MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta, besides from AAP, claimed Rs 4.24 lakh, portion Congress MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria claimed Rs 4.16 lakh.

In the erstwhile fiscal twelvemonth (2022-23), Jagsir Singh had the highest assertion with Rs 4.61 lakh, with Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Kotli again coming successful second, claiming Rs 4.25 lakh. Other MLAs who claimed implicit Rs 3 lakh successful question allowance included Kashmir Singh (Rs 3.71 lakh), Amit Rattan Kotfatta (Rs 3.67 lakh), Gurmeet Singh Khuddian (Rs 3.58 lakh), Jasbir Singh Sandhu (Rs 3.58 lakh), Jaswinder Singh (Rs 3.57 lakh), Amolak Singh (Rs 3.52 lakh), Devinderjeet Singh Laddu Dhose (Rs 3.45 lakh), Budh Ram (Rs 3.44 lakh), Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa (Rs 3.41 lakh), Amritpal Singh (Rs 3.17 lakh), Manjinder Singh (Rs 3.10 lakh), Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj (Rs 3.04 lakh), and Sarvan Singh (Rs 3.04 lakh).

During the Congress authorities successful the 2021-2022 fiscal year, respective MLAs claimed important question bills, with Congress MLA Pritam Singh Kotbhai starring the battalion astatine Rs 6.63 lakh. Other notable claims came from Rupinder Kaur Ruby, an AAP MLA who aboriginal joined Congress, with Rs 5.67 lakh; Congress MLA Indu Bala astatine Rs 5.81 lakh; Congress MLA Davinder Singh Ghubaya astatine Rs 5.74 lakh; and AAP MLA Manjit Singh Bilaspur astatine Rs 5.23 lakh. Among these, lone Bilaspur was re-elected successful the 2022 Assembly elections.

On the different extremity of the spectrum, SAD MLA and realtor NK Sharma claimed the smallest bill, astatine Rs 6,300. Congress MLAs Sukhwinder Singh Danny and Kuljit Singh Nagra followed with claims of Rs 11,400 and Rs 11,700, respectively. Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu claimed Rs 34,200.

NK Sharma, who had the smallest bill, said, “I bash not cognize however my bureau claimed this bill. I bash not callback it present arsenic it is 3 years old. But I person ne'er claimed TA bills. I person been paying my monthly wage to the enactment office.”

Congress MLA Pargat Singh besides commented connected his TA claims, saying that portion helium had filed one, it did not transcend the mentioned amount. “I did not assertion immoderate measure for question wrong the state oregon abroad. Why load the exchequer?” helium said.

Kuljit Nagra, a erstwhile Congress MLA whose TA measure was Rs 11,700, noted that his bureau mightiness person filed the assertion without his nonstop involvement. “Sometimes, they get signatures connected a acceptable of papers. I don’t judge successful putting the unit of my question connected the authorities exchequer. I besides paid my ain income tax,” helium said.

Nagra was the lone MLA during the Congress authorities who paid income taxation connected his authorities salary. The authorities usually covers this for MLAs. He besides renounced the powerfulness subsidy connected his agriculture pump sets and has ne'er taken aesculapian allowances.

“When we tin negociate without burdening the exchequer, we should. During my tenure arsenic chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee successful the Vidhan Sabha, I ne'er held meetings successful different parts of the country, dissimilar the norm. Many committees clasp meetings successful Goa, the Andamans, Assam, Kashmir, and different places, which is wherefore immoderate members’ TA bills transcend Rs 5 lakh. I don’t assertion to beryllium perfect, but I effort to bash my champion arsenic an individual,” helium said.

MLAs who did not assertion TA/DA

SAD person Bikram Singh Majithia, who served arsenic an MLA until March 2022, did not assertion immoderate TA bills. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Majithia contested unsuccessfully from Amritsar (East) against Congress person Navjot Singh Sidhu, portion leaving his Majithia constituency to his wife, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, who besides did not assertion immoderate TA.

MLAs who did not assertion immoderate TA bills successful the 2023-24 fiscal twelvemonth included Congress MLA Barindermeet Pahda, SAD MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia, AAP MLAs Jagdeep Singh Goldy Kamboj, Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra, Kashmir Singh, Kulwant Singh, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh and his Independent MLA lad Rana Inder Partap Singh, and AAP MLA Tarunpreet Singh Sond.

In 2021-22, erstwhile Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh did not assertion immoderate question bills. Amarinder Singh, ousted from his station successful September 2021, made nary claims betwixt September 2021 and March 2022. Information regarding his earlier claims arsenic CM is unavailable, arsenic the parliamentary affairs section has not yet responded to RTI requests connected the matter, adjacent 2 months aft filing.

Additionally, Congress MLA Rajnish Kumar did not assertion immoderate TA successful 2021-22, though Rana Gurjeet Singh claimed Rs 1.91 lakh that year. In 2022-23, some Rana and his son, arsenic good arsenic MLAs Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra and Kulwant Singh, made nary claims.