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The move follows the State government’s earlier decision not to implement the legislation, despite it having been passed by the House.
Bhubaneswar: In a notable policy reversal, the Odisha government on Thursday initiated formal proceedings in the Odisha Legislative Assembly to withdraw the contentious bill proposing a hike in salaries and allowances of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
The move follows the State government’s earlier decision not to implement the legislation, despite it having been passed by the House. According to official sources, the process has now been set in motion in line with established legislative procedures. The Assembly Secretariat has circulated a formal communication to all members, apprising them of the intent to roll back the measure.
The initiative comes after Mukesh Mahaling, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, submitted a notice seeking withdrawal of the bill. The development underscores a calibrated shift in the government’s stance, although no detailed explanation has yet been officially articulated.
Clarifying the procedural aspect, Ganeswar Behera, a legislator from Kendrapara, described the withdrawal as a “statutory necessity” rather than a substantive policy decision.
“Once the government decided not to implement the bill, it could not remain in limbo. Since it is the property of the House, its withdrawal requires the Assembly’s approval. This is essentially a procedural compliance,” he said.
Behera further noted that the rollback was inevitable given the government’s earlier announcement distancing itself from the pay hike. “There is nothing new in this. It is an unavoidable formality,” he added.
The bill, which had earlier secured approval in the Assembly, proposed a significant upward revision in salaries and allowances for both sitting and former MLAs—one of the steepest increases in recent years. Its withdrawal now signals the government’s intent to align legislative outcomes with its stated policy position, while adhering to constitutional and procedural norms.
The development assumes significance in the broader political context, reflecting sensitivity to public perception around elected representatives’ remuneration, even as fiscal prudence and governance optics continue to shape policy decisions.