Shillong, Sep 15: Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Parliamentary Affairs on Friday brought an amended bill in the Assembly to provide pension benefits to the ex-MLAs
The bill proposed to reduce the qualifying years of 2 years and 6 months as contained in proviso to section 3 (1) of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly (Member’s Pension) Act, 1977. The existing provision in section 3 of the Act puts a cap of 2 years and 6 months for an MLA to be eligible to receive pension. In view of this law, members who have served as an MLA less than this period were not eligible to receive pension.
There are few persons who were members of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly who have fallen short of 2 years and 6 months as required in section proviso to section 3 (1) of the act and thus ineligible to receive pension. To enable these persons to be eligible to receive pension, the amendment is being placed. Therefore the proposal to amend section 3 of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly (Member’s Pension) Act, 1977 by inserting a new proviso and by giving it retrospective effect was proposed in the amendment.
The amendment said that new proviso shall be inserted namely.-“Provided further that in the event of early holding of elections where any person has served as such member for a period falling short of 2 (two) years 6 (six) months there shall be paid a pension of 50% (fifty percent) per mensem from the date succeeding the date on which he ceased to be a member”.
In the first proviso to section 3A of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya (Members’ Pension) Act 1977, for the existing words “if such persons have completed two years and six months” appearing therein shall be deleted.
