'There is no provision for a specific salary for the vice president; instead, they receive remuneration and benefits commensurate with their role as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.'
The Vice President of India, the second-highest Constitutional office in the country, is perhaps the only post that does not enjoy the benefits of a regular salary.
The vice president draws his salary for his role as ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament.
C P Radhakrishnan and Justice P Sudershan Reddy are in the fray for the September 9 vice presidential elections necessitated due to Jagdeep Dhankhar's surprise resignation on July 21.
The salary and allowances of the vice president are determined under the Salaries and Allowances of Officers of Parliament Act, 1953.
"There is no provision for a specific salary for the vice president; instead, they receive remuneration and benefits commensurate with their role as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha," officials said.
The vice president is entitled to draw the salary of the President of India when he assumes the responsibility in a caretaker role. In such a situation, the vice president ceases to be the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha chairman is entitled to a salary of Rs 4 lakh per month.
The vice president enjoys several perks and allowances such as free accommodation, medical care, train and air travel, a landline connection, mobile phone service, personal security and staff.
A former vice-president is entitled to a pension of nearly Rs 2 lakh per month, a Type-8 bungalow, one personal secretary, one additional personal secretary, one personal assistant, one physician, one nursing officer and four personal attendants.
In the case of a former vice-president's death, his or her spouse is entitled to a smaller Type-7 house for her lifetime.
After his sudden resignation, Jagdeep Dhankhar recently applied for a pension as an ex-legislator of Rajasthan.
Dhankhar, who represented the Kishangarh assembly constituency as a Congress MLA from 1993 to 1998, received a pension as a former legislator until July 2019. It was discontinued after he was appointed governor of West Bengal.
Dhankhar, now 74, is entitled to a Rs 42,000 pension per month as a former legislator, an official had said.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff