Kathmandu, February 18

The Ministry of Finance today came up with tentative salaries for chief ministers, ministers, members of provincial assemblies, speakers and deputy speakers and principal secretaries of provinces.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance Arjun Prasad Pokharel said the ministry suggested salaries for provincial office bearers as per their ranking in the VIP protocol. The ministry suggested a monthly salary of Rs 55,000 for chief ministers, as they are on par with ministers of state of the federal government. MoF also suggested that provincial governments could provide a monthly salary of Rs 41,000 to the members of provincial assemblies. MoF also suggested that provincial ministers could get salary equal to that of assistant ministers of the federal government.

Although provinces are free to enact their own laws and make provisions for the pay and perks of their office bearers as per their economic capability, the MoF sent its proposal on salaries of office bearers as normal guidelines, said Pokharel. “We sent guidelines to provinces after provincial employees sought the same,” Pokharel added.

MoF had also written to the provinces to provide allowances and other perks to provincial office bearers on par with pay and perks federal office bearers of their rank are entitled to.

Pokharel said MoF suggested that provinces follow its guidelines till they enacted their own laws to govern pay and perks of provincial office bearers. “We have sent a list with a view to encouraging them to have uniform rules till they enact their own laws and make provisions for pay and perks as per their economic capability,” Pokharel added.