Omar Abdullah Approves Pay Hike for J&K MLAs, Proposes Panel to Review Salaries and Pensions

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has agreed for an increase in MLA salaries, stating that their pay has remained unchanged since 2015-16. CM Omar proposed the formation of a committee comprising all leaders to discuss the matter.

Omar said that it may look like we are running after money, but the fact is that officers at par with us are getting ₹3 lakh, while we are still at ₹80,000. "I suggest implementing a parliament-style system where salaries are automatically revised every five years based on inflation. I will find the money, and we will do the needful," he added.

Omar added that pension benefits for former MLAs would also be increased. “We only realized the issue when we became ex-MLAs,” he said.

Omar also criticized the LG administration for its handling of the state’s aircraft, questioning why a functional state chopper was abandoned while expensive charters were hired.

“We used chartered flights even when our own state chopper was available. It cannot be said that we couldn’t hire a pilot,” Omar said. He further pointed out that the state airplane, instead of being properly maintained in a hangar, was left on open display at Jammu Airport. “It should have been parked in a hangar, but it was kept outside. Now, we don’t even know how many crores we’ll have to spend to make it flight-ready again,” he said.

Omar Rules Out Amnesty for Power Users 

Omar further announced an extension of the power amnesty scheme for consumers with pending electricity bills but said that there will be no amnesty beyond this extension in his next five years.

“We have decided to extend the amnesty scheme for those with outstanding bills, but we must revise it. It is unfair to those who pay their bills regularly,” Omar stated.

Omar also made it clear that this would be the last amnesty for domestic consumers for the next five years. “No amnesty will be granted to domestic customers after this for the next five years,” he declared, signaling a stricter approach toward electricity bill defaulters.