A recent report by election watchdog ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms) reveals some interesting facts about the wealth, education and professional qualifications of India’s sitting MLAs.
Here are a few:
An average sitting MLA earns about Rs 25 lakh a year.
There are one in four chances of him not have studied after high school.
Four in 10 of the sitting MLAs are engaged in agriculture or related businesses.These observations are based on an analysis of self-declared affidavits of 3,145 out of 4,086 sitting MLAs by ADR and NEW (National Election Watch); the report primarily focuses on the annual (self) income of the sitting MLAs.India’s average per capita income for the year 2016-17 was pegged at Rs 82,229. That an average MLA earns close to Rs 25 lakh a year indicates existence of the money factor in ticket distribution.
Another interesting aspect is lack of a connection between education and income of MLAs:
About 33 percent MLAs with educational qualification between standard 5th to 12th were found to have an average annual income of Rs. 31. 03 lakhs 63 percent MLAs who are graduate and above have average annual income of Rs. 20.87 lakhs.
Take a look at this graphic for more details:
