Naveen Patnaik Declines Pay Hike, Channels Extra Funds For Welfare Of The Poor

Biju Janata Dal chief, former chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has decided to forgo the recent salary hike and allowances passed in the Odisha Legislative Assembly. In a letter to the chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, he would like to “forgo the salary and allowances hiked for Leader of Opposition and utilise the same for the welfare of poor people of Odisha. He said he is indebted to the people of Odisha and their love towards him and his late father Biju Patnaik.  It may be mentioned that in 2015 Patnaik and his family decided to donate their ancestral property Anand Bhavan in Cuttack for the people of Odisha. The Odisha Legislative Assembly increased the monthly salary of its members more than three times — from Rs 1.11 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh, one of the highest in the country.  It is understood that the salary of the chief minister, ministers, speaker, deputy speaker, the LoP and the pension of ex-MLAs were increased by around three times.