Drought: Sonia asks MPs, MLAs to take a salary cut

In the backdrop of the drought situation across India, the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance government on Wednesday planned to go on an austerity mode, with party chief Sonia Gandhi asking her Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly to accept a 20 per cent cut in salaries for a year.

During the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, Sonia Gandhi asked partymen and the government to observe austerity measures, to reflect concern and sensitivity towards the millions of people affected by the drought.

The prime minister, who described the drought situation in the country as 'bad', stopped short of pushing the panic button by saying that there are comfortable buffer stocks of wheat and adequate rice as of now, sources said.

They also said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee outlined a series of steps to be taken by partymen, including ministers, to ensure austerity. Mukherjee urged ministers to curtail foreign travel and travel in business class instead of first class while going abroad. Gandhi asked all party MPs, state legislators, ministers and other salaried post holders of the party to accept a 20 per cent cut in their monthly salary for one year beginning September 1.

Interestingly, the directive for salary cut did not find a mention in the resolution. A senior party leader later explained that it was Gandhi's impromptu decision during the meeting as she scribbled her directive on a plain paper with a pencil.

Meanwhile, Mukherjee said as much as Rs 39,000 crores is available under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

In its resolution, the CWC said, "While large parts of the country are going through difficult drought situations and prices of essential commodities are high, the party and the government have the responsibility to not only address these problems but to also demonstrate austerity in the conduct and activities of their functionaries.

"This will reflect our party's and government's solidarity with those who are facing the brunt of the drought situation," it said. Asking the party workers from block level to the Pradesh Congress Committee level to get fully involved in the management of drought situation, the resolution said, "Their role should involve making people aware of their entitlements and ensuring they get access to their due entitlements."

In the meeting, Gandhi said she had also written a letter to PCC presidents, in which she underlined the need for greater involvement of party workers in tackling the drought.

She also asked party workers to function as a feedback mechanism to the party and the government on implementation of various schemes, providing regular feedback to the AICC general secretaries concerned and also identifying additional steps that could be undertaken in drought-affected districts.