Commensurate with the status of the high office that they hold, the government on Thursday doubled the salary of the President and Vice-President while suitably increasing emoluments for governors.
A pay hike for dignitaries holding high constitutional posts was done last in 1996. President Pratibha Patil will now get Rs 1 lakh per month instead of Rs 50,000, while Vice-President Hamid Ansari?s salary will get the largest hike from Rs 40,000 to Rs 85,000. Governors? salary has been raised from Rs 36,000 to Rs 75,000 per month but it is not clear if lieutenant governors of the seven Union territories too will benefit from the pay rise.
Announcing the decision, information and broadcasting minister PR Dasmunsi said the hike was necessitated since the Vice-President, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, was getting less than member of Parliament (MP), who got Rs 68,000 per month.
Former Presidents too will benefit with their pensionary emoluments getting doubled to Rs 6 lakh a year, while additional facilities have been sanctioned for the spouses of late Presidents and Vice-Presidents. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam will receive substantial arrears as the pay hike will be effective from January 1, 2007.
Dasmunsi said the decision to increase the salary had been taken last year itself, but since the then President and Vice-President were retiring, it was decided to defer the decision for some time as it would not look proper for an outgoing president to approve an increase in his own salary while on his way out. It has also been decided to award pensions, for the first time, to former governors.
