In this episode of Editorial, Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the salary hikes approved by the centre for Members of Parliament, judges, the Chief Justice of India , and government employees. He compares these increases to the wage hike under MGNREGA, highlighting how farmers and rural workers are not given the similar priority.
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[00:00:00] Namaskar! Welcome to another episode of Editorial. Today's Editorial is a very important one. You know why it is very important? Because it again concerns you and me. It concerns the common people of India. And it is imperative that we understand what is happening around us, like I say, every day.
[00:00:21] You see, March is the month of Increments and Promotions and Appraisals. Normally for corporate entities, people who work for corporate. Now normally we find that if a company has made profit and the company can afford it, the company offers an increment to its employees. The best employee and the most deserving employee gets maximum increment and the least deserving employee gets maximum increment.
[00:00:53] This is how normally a corporate functions. Now is the state supposed to function that way? Is the state functioning that way currently? That's what we will discuss today. Let's get right into the show.
[00:01:13] Now, our government has decided to give a 24% increase of salary for our Member of Parliament. All the Members of Parliament will be getting a 24% salary hike retrospective 1st of April 2023.
[00:01:35] So, 2023, 2024 and now 2025. So, technically, a Lok Sabha or a Rajya Sabha member will get 1,24,000 Rs. a month up from 1,00, they receive at the present. The daily allowance has been increased to Rs. 2,500 from Rs. 2,000.
[00:02:01] So, MPs have got a fantastic increment of 24%. The pension of former MPs have been increased to Rs. 31,000 from Rs. 25,000 a month. The additional pension for every year of service in excess of 5 years have been increased to Rs. 2,500 from Rs. 2,000 a month.
[00:02:25] So, pensions increased, salaries increased by 24%. MPs happy. Is it wrong? No, no, no, no. It is not. Good. MPs, the government believes that those are the most extraordinary employees of our country, the best of our country, the most relevant people of our country, the people who are responsible for the growth of our country, they are given 24%.
[00:02:51] This is what the government believes. Whether it is right or it is wrong, it is debatable, which we will talk in another editorial, another debate. But as of now, the government believes that these people, Baba, they deserve a lot of money. So, 24% increment has been given to those people. Retrospective, April 1st, 2023. Take care. Pensions also have increased.
[00:03:41] Pensions also have increased. So, the investors of India will now get Rs. 280,000 up from the present Rs. 1,00,000. So, in 2018, they were getting Rs. 1,00,000 and in 2018, they were given Rs. 2,80,000. This is what you call as correction course. This is correction in salaries. So, they did their corrections in salaries. They thought that the judges are paid very less. Mind you, all this doesn't include the bungalow they stained, the security, the other paraphernalia that goes with being a judge.
[00:04:12] All that is different. That is C2C. That is cost to company in corporate language. But that is different. But the salary, it was risen from 1,00,000 to 2,80,000. 200% increase. That too is fine. Does the judge deserve that kind of salary? Yeah. Pay salary. Yeah. So, you won't have rate cards. Give them more salary.
[00:04:39] Maybe then we can kind of at least see a reduction in rate card as it is alleged nowadays. So, fair enough. I have no problem with that. But I have a problem. I have a problem. When it comes to farmers, Mandrega increment is 2% to 7%. 2% to 7%. What I mean by that is,
[00:05:06] States like Andhra Pradesh gets an increase of 2.33%. States like Arunachal Pradesh gets an increase of 2.99%. States like Assam gets an increment of 2.81%. States like Bihar gets an increment of 4.8%. Chhattisgarh 7.41%. Goa 6.18%. Telangana 2.33%. Manipur 4.41%. Nagaland 2.99%. Etc. Etc.
[00:05:34] 2% to 7% When it comes to farmers. What is the message that we are sending? What is the message that the government is sending? MPs, very important. Paisa Dega. Judges, very important. Paisa Dega. You see, The Honorable Finance Minister spoke about the 8th Pay Commission.
[00:06:02] And she said the government is very bothered about the government employees and the pensioners. And they should be. I have no problem with that. And they say, according to a lot of reports, They say that the kind of increments that people would get is if the government allocates 1.75 lakh crores, The 8th Pay Commission increase of salary. The salary of a person who is earning 1 lakh may go up to 1,14,600 per month, which is 14.6% incremental.
[00:06:39] If they put 2.25 lakh crores, the salary may go up to 1,18,000 per month, which is 18.8% increment. 14% increment, etc. to government employees. 200% increment, which they gave in 2018 to court judges. 24% increment to MPs. 2 to 7% increment to farmers.
[00:07:10] Now, when I say 2 to 7%, When I say 2 to 7%, mind you, When we were talking about, say a government employee, 8th Pay Commission, We were hoping that the employees would get 14,000 rupees more, 16,000 rupees more, 18,000 rupees more. We are talking about 1 lakh rupees increment. We are talking about 1.5 lakh rupees increment. The quantum.
[00:07:32] Here, when you talk about 2 to 7%, you should also need to understand what we are actually talking about in rupeeana paisaif terms is 7 rupees to 26 rupees more. 7 rupees more per month. That too need to be understood. Think about it. Where are you putting your farmers? Which means, is farming, agriculture the least priority of our government? Is that the least priority of our society?
[00:08:00] Are we sending a message to a farmer saying that, Really? You are not here. You are not relevant. You are not getting money, not getting money, not getting money, not getting money. We are not getting money. Is that the message that you are sending? Because that seems to be the message. At least the data says so. Let me take you through some more figures. Let me take you through some more figures.
[00:08:22] You see, according to research that NABAD did, not a private body, not Oxfam, not CMI, NABAD, Government of India Company. Okay. The Government of India Venture, Government of India Corporation. According to a research that NABAD has done, NABAD revealed that a farmer in India earns 13,661 rupees. 13,661 rupees a month.
[00:08:51] This is what NABAD says. According to their survey. Now, what is interesting is, out of 13,661 rupees, his agricultural income only constitutes to 4,476 rupees. What he gets from his farm is just 4,776 rupees. That's all that he or she gets from his farm. The rest of the money, see the diagram on your screen.
[00:09:18] The rest of the money comes from animal husbandry, 1,600 rupees. Government private jobs, 3,150 rupees. Labour wages, which is what your mandraga is, 2,238 rupees. Other enterprises, 2,010 rupees. This is how that particular household, that particular farming household manages to get that 13,000 rupees. 13,000 rupees.
[00:09:44] Imagine your expenses for education, your expenses for medicines, your expenses for healthcare, your expenses for travel and your expenses for food. What is left with you? Is there anything left with you? In fact, will you be able to manage all this? This is assuming that he gets animal husbandry, 1,600 rupees. He gets government and private jobs, 1,750 rupees. He gets labor and wages, 2,330 rupees.
[00:10:12] This figure is if all these other things are guaranteed. Otherwise, his core income, which is the farm income is 4,476 rupees. 4,476 rupees a month. You think about it. Think about it. Think about it. Whether you could leave for three days with 4,476 rupees.
[00:10:36] And these people, these people are given an increment of 2 to 7%. Mind you, labor wages, 2,338 rupees and government private jobs, 3,150 rupees. This constitute the bulk of their 13,000 that we are talking about. This constitute the bulk of that. And you are saying, mandrega, which is wages, 2 to 7%.
[00:11:03] You are cursing them to remain in poverty for the rest of their lives. The question I ask our government. One is, I have no problem if MPs are paid more. Good. Pay them more. I have absolutely no problem if Bureaucrats, Government servants are paid more. Please pay them more. I have absolutely no problem if pensioners get more money. Of course they should get more money. Pay them more.
[00:11:32] But, not at the cost of a farmer. Pay the farmer too. Ensure his lifestyle or her lifestyle is also alleviated. Isn't that the job of a welfare society like ours? It is your money end of the day. It is your tax money end of the day. Which the tax man will come and collect, grab, take, threaten, coerce and take from you.
[00:12:01] It is your money. And this is, is this the way you want to distribute your funds? Where a farmer gets 2 to 7% and a judge gets a 200% hike? The figure I am talking about is of 19, 2018. Let me tell you that too. But I am just taking it as a reference. There you found a need to correct. Unfortunately, even today, you are not finding a need to correct the income of a farmer. My question is that, why?
[00:12:33] Why do you not find it necessary to correct the farmer's income? To ensure that the farmer earns more? Is that too much to ask? That's the point I wanted to make today. These are topics which may not be sensational. Like I always say, these are topics that may not be trending. But these are topics that's relevant for you and me. Because these are our farmers.
[00:13:02] If today we have food on our table, I think somewhere we should thank these people. But when they go to bed without food, the blame is purely ours. That's the point I wanted to make. Till I see you next time. That's tomorrow at 10 o'clock. Namaskar. Namaskar. Yeah, great. What about taking this tale on what Peter rغ kriegt?obilam