Salary of Prime Minister, President and MP in India - before and after paycut

• Coronavirus pandemic has impacted every sector of the nation leaving no exceptions.
  
  
• While income has dwindled due to slumping economic activities, the country needs to invest huge amounts to fight the disease.
  
  
• People’s representatives like the President, Vice-President, Governors, Prime Minister and MLAs decided to accept a 30% cut in their salaries which will go to the consolidated fund of India.
  
  
• Here is an account of how much the people’s representatives in India are paid.

Announcing the cabinet’s approval of a 30% cut in the salaries of the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors, and MPs, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar said, "President, Vice President, Governors voluntarily decided to take a pay cut.”

He also added that the cabinet approved reduction in allowances, pension of MPs by 30% for a year to fight COVID-19. “This is a landmark decision that sends the right signals," Javedkar told reporters.

The government says the salary cut will be applicable for a year. Pension and allowances of MPs however will remain unaffected. The saved money will go to the Consolidated Fund of India.

How much India pays the people’s representatives





Important points to know about the salaries paid to the people’s representatives in India

The Prime Minister is the executive head of India. He is the chief advisor to the President of India and the Council of Ministers. The Parliament decides the Prime Minister’s salary which is revised from time to time as per the provision found in Article 75(6) of the Indian Constitution.

They are paid as per the Article 106 of the Indian Constitution. Apart from the basic salary, an MP will receive ₹70,000 as constituency allowance in addition to many other perks. An MP also gets a secretarial allowance of ₹60,000 per month.

In the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, there is a joint committee that looks after the rules regarding the salaries, allowances, and facilities like medical, telephone, daily allowances, and housing expenses of the MPs. In consultation with the Government of India, this committee is constituted from time to time.

The Union Budget 2018 announced a sharp increase in the salaries of the President, Vice-President and the Governors in India. The President’s salary increased to ₹5 lakhs per month from ₹1.5 lakhs. The Vice-President’s salary rose to ₹4 lakhs from ₹1.10 lakhs. The state governors saw their salaries increase to ₹3.5 lakhs.

The same budget announced a 200% hike in the salaries of the Supreme Court and High Court Judges in India. The budget lifted the Chief Justice’s salary from ₹1 lakh per month to ₹2.8 lakhs per month. The judges of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justices of the High Courts started drawing ₹2.5 lakhs per month from the earlier ₹90,000 per month.

The 2018 budget also hiked the MPs’ salaries from ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000. The constituency allowance rose from ₹45,000 to ₹70,000 and the secretarial costs increased to ₹60,000 from ₹45,000.