Tamil Nadu Caps Official Car Costs: Ministers Get Rs 26 Lakh, MLAs Rs 15 Lakh

In a notified change, the Tamil Nadu government has set Rs 26 lakh as the maximum amount for official cars for ministers and senior assembly officials. For other members of the legislative assembly, the cap has been fixed at Rs 15 lakh.

Chennai, October 22: The new limits come through an amendment to the travel allowance rules that apply to Tamil Nadu MLAs. The gazette notification also lays down the purchase process, ownership arrangements and the conditions under which vehicles must be returned.

The Rs 26 lakh limit is applicable to ministers, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and the Government Chief Whip. Every other MLA can avail a vehicle worth up to Rs 15 lakh.

The overall cost, including ex-showroom price, taxes, registration fees and motor insurance premium, must fit within the prescribed limit. These expenses are not payable separately and will be adjusted within the ceiling.

The government has also decided that the vehicle purchase limit will go up by 5 per cent each year, allowing the permissible expenditure to be raised from time to time.

The government will buy the vehicles allotted to ministers in its own name. For the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Whip and other MLAs, the buying process will be run through the Assembly Secretariat.

The revised rules require all vehicles to comply with BS-6 emission norms. Purchases will be routed through the Government e-Marketplace portal of the central government.

Ministers who lose their posts through resignation, completion of term or disqualification will have to return the official vehicle to the state. The Speaker and other eligible functionaries will be bound by similar conditions.

For ordinary MLAs, the costs of maintenance, repair, fuel and driver must be covered from the vehicle allowance they receive. The rules treat the cost of buying a vehicle and the cost of regular use as separate matters.

The order has been issued by E. Sundaravalli, Secretary, Public Department. The new arrangement defines the financial entitlement of each category of public representative and the administrative responsibility for vehicle purchases, and links the use and ownership of vehicles to continuing in the office.