Agartala, Jan 09, 2025, TRIPURA TIMES Desk

Agartala, Jan 9 (IANS): The crucial winter session of the Tripura assembly would begin on Friday and a bill would be moved in the House amending the existing law to provide retirement benefits to all MLAs who have served even for just a day, officials said on Thursday. 

An Assembly official said, on the first day of the session, Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu would give his customary address to the House.

“The Governor in his address would highlight the performance and vision of the state government. In his address, he would mention the road map of the state government,” the official said.

He said that in the amendment bill, to be moved in the session, it would be proposed that if a member of the Assembly just took the oath and served a day as an MLA, he or she would get all the retirement benefits, including pension, and housing loan.

According to the official, as per the last amendment in 2022 to the Salaries, Allowances, Pensions and Other Benefits of the Ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Whip under the MLA Act, an MLA would get retirement benefits including a pension if he or she served as a member of the House for at least four-and-a-half years.

The official on condition of anonymity told IANS that the salary, allowances, pensions, and family pensions of the Ministers, sitting MLAs, and former MLAs would be increased under the new bill.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath earlier said that three important bills, including the amendment bill modifying the existing law to provide retirement benefits to MLAs, would be moved.

He said that the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), in its meeting last week, unanimously decided to hold a three-day winter session from Friday.

The Minister said that the session would include private member resolutions, the introduction, and a discussion on three bills, apart from a discussion on various other issues.