Mamata takes Rs 1 as salary

Since taking oath on May 20, 2011, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not taken her salary or allowances she is entitled to.

Mamata Banerjee takes just one rupee as token salary out of her monthly salary Rs 37,800, said secretariat sources.

Totaling her 70-month salary, an amount of Rs 26,45,930 has been deposited to the chief minister's relief fund.

Though she is set to get Rs 86,301 from next month onwards, she will keep taking one rupee per month while the rest of the money will be deposited to the relief fund.

On Friday, the state Assembly passed the West Bengal Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2017 with increasing the salaries of the chief minister, the council of ministers, MLAs, the speaker and the deputy speaker.

"Besides not taking her salary, she does not enjoy other privileges entitled to the chief minister," said Nirmal Ghosh, the chief whip of the Vidhan Sabha.

The car she uses is worth only Rs 4 lakh and she even does not own it, he said.

She has also refused to take pension of Rs 55,000 as a member of the parliament, the whip added.

Mamata declared that she would take only one rupee from her salary after her party came into power in 2011 and she has kept her promise, Nirmal said.