New Delhi: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has given her assent to the law enabling a three-fold hike in her salary from Rs.50,000 to Rs.150,000 per month.

While signing her own salary hike bill on Dec 30, Patil also assented to another law providing for Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari's pay to be raised from Rs.40,000 to Rs.125,000 per month.

The two laws amending the salaries of president and the vice-president were notified in the government's official gazette Dec 31.

Although Patil and Ansari would start getting enhanced salaries from the current month, they would be deemed to have had their pay hiked from January 2006 itself.

So the president and vice president will be getting a tidy sum of Rs.3.6 million and Rs.3.06 million in arrears.

The salary hike has been extended to former presidents and vice presidents as well. The President's Emoluments and Pension (Amendment) Act 2008 and the Vice President's Pension (Amendment) Act 2008 also provide for a quantum rise in their pension and other post-retirement benefits.

Accordingly, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will get a pension of Rs.75,000 per month instead of Rs.25,000. Similarly, former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will get a pension of Rs.62,500 instead of Rs.20,000.

As per the new law, former presidents would also get two telephones, one with Internet connectivity, and one mobile phone with national roaming facilities.

As of now, the law provides for a rent-free furnished residence along with one phone and a motor car to former presidents.

The new law has also raised the total number of secretarial staff and peons for the former presidents from three to five. The total emoluments for the former president's secretarial staff has also been raised from Rs.12,000 to Rs.60,000.

The new laws on the pensions for former president and the vice-presidents also take care of their spouses after their death. The law provides for furnished residence, a telephone and a car besides the support of three secretarial staff to the spouse of a late president.

The law has also upgraded the provision of an unfurnished house to the spouse of a late vice president to that of a fully-furnished house along with its maintenance cost to be borne by the government.

The bill seeking raise of salary and pensions of the president and the vice president was passed by parliament Dec 16.

 

Source : IANS