President salary may go up to Rs 5 lakh per month

The Union home ministry has proposed a three-fold increase in the salary of President, vice-president and governors as following the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the President’s salary is now Rs 1 lakh less than that of the Cabinet secretary. Ministry sources said the proposal has been finalised and is likely to be placed before the Cabinet

At present, the President gets Rs 1.50 lakh per month, vice-president Rs 1.25 lakh and governor of a state Rs 1.10 lakh. But according to the proposal, the revised salary for the President would go up to Rs 5 lakh and that of vice-president Rs 3.5 lakh.

With the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations, the Cabinet secretary, who is the country’s senior most bureaucrat, gets Rs 2.5 lakh per month while a secretary to the Union government draws Rs 2.25 lakh per month.

Once the Cabinet clears the proposal, a bill to this effect is expected to be tabled in the coming Winter Session of Parliament. Salaries of the President, vice-president and governors were last hiked in 2008 when Parliament had approved a three-fold increase.

Till 2008, the President’s salary was Rs 50,000, the vice-president’s Rs 40,000 and a governor’s Rs 36,000. The proposal is also likely to recommend increasing the pensions of former Presidents, spouses of deceased Presidents, former vice-presidents, spouses of deceased vice-president and former governors.