The Kerala Assembly passed bills to increase the salaries and allowances of ministers, MLAs

The Assembly adjourned sine die (indefinitely) after passing the Kerala Appropriation of Funds and Payment of Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Payment of Pension to Members of the Legislative Assembly (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Photo credit: X/vdsatheesan

Ministers’ salaries and allowances will increase from ₹1.08 lakh a month to around ₹1.3 lakh and MLAs’ allowances from ₹70,000 to ₹98,000.

On the last day of its second session, the 16th Kerala Assembly passed the Pay and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Payment of Pension to Members of the Legislative Assembly (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The revisions will come into effect on November 1. Allowances and other benefits were last revised on Wednesday.

The basic pay of ministers is increased from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000, constituency allowance from ₹40,000 to ₹45,000 and transport allowance from ₹17,000 to ₹25,000.

For MLAs, Fixed Allowance will increase from ₹2,000 to ₹4,000, Constituency Allowance from ₹25,000 to ₹35,000, Telephone Allowance remains the same at ₹11,000, Information Allowance from ₹4,000 to ₹0,000 Flat Allowance to ₹13,000,000 and Travel Allowance from ₹20,000 000 to ₹30,000.

In the case of pensions, individuals who have been an MLA for less than two years and a total of two years will be entitled to a pension of ₹10,000. It was increased from ₹8,000. In case of former MLAs with total service of three years, the pension will be increased from ₹12,000 to ₹15,000. For former MLAs with four years of total service, the pension will be increased from ₹16,000 to ₹20,000 and for five years of service from ₹20,000 to ₹25,000.

The increase in monthly allowances means an additional recurring expenditure of around ₹ 6.91 crore. “Over the past eight years, the prices of all commodities including petrol, diesel, electricity, etc. have increased considerably,” notes the Payment of Wages and Allowances (Amendment) Act 2026.

The expenditure on enhanced pension will also be substantial, but it will be difficult to estimate the actual expenditure on pensions as “it will vary depending on years of service, age and respective pension entitlements,” according to the Kerala Payment of Pension to Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Assembly session ends

The second session of the 16th Diet ended on Thursday. The Assembly adjourned sine die (indefinitely) after passing the Kerala Allocation and Payment of Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bills, 2026 and the Kerala Payment of Pensions to Members of the Legislative Assembly (Amendment) Bills, 2026. The session lasted for nine days from October 12 to October 29 with a break between October 29 and 29.

Published – 29 Oct 2026 21:01 IST