The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to nearly double the salaries of legislators and ministers in the state with effect from April 1. The salaries and allowances of ministers will now increase from ₹55,000 to ₹90,000, while the salaries of MLAs will increase from ₹39,500 to ₹70,000. This will cost the state an additional ₹5.25 crore per year.