Punjab ministers to get elevated leave allowances

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to raise the leave allowance for provincial ministers, the Speaker, and Deputy Speaker, making it equal to their monthly salary.

The decision has been approved through the “Punjab Public Representatives Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025” in the Punjab Assembly.

Under the new legislation, amendments will be made to the Punjab Ministers (Salaries, Allowances, and Privileges) Act, 1975, allowing ministers and assembly officeholders to receive a leave allowance equal to their full salary during approved leave.

As per the new amendments, Punjab ministers will now receive their full salary of Rs 9,60,000 instead of Rs 74,000 for one month of leave. Previously, the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly received Rs 37,000 during a month’s leave while his salary was Rs 1,25,000.

Following the changes, the Speaker will now receive his full monthly salary of Rs 9,50,000 instead of Rs 37,000 during leave. Similarly, when the Deputy Speaker was earning Rs 1,20,000, he received only Rs 37,000 during leave.

As per the amended text, the Deputy Speaker will now receive his full salary of Rs 7,75,000 during a month’s leave instead of Rs 37,000. These amendments were deemed necessary after the recent increase in ministers’ salaries, as the previous leave allowance was based on older, lower salary figures.

It is worth noting that the Punjab government had recently approved a 10 times increase in ministers’ salaries as well, which had led to great criticism as how the ministers enjoy all the perks on the taxpayers money while the common man has to bear the financial hardships.

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