300% pay hike for president

NEW DELHI: The president of India, vice-president and governors of states will get a 300% salary hike soon.

A proposal to this effect was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday, guided by the need to rationalise the entire pay structure after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission.

The revision will take place with retrospective effect from January 1, 2007. Their salaries were last revised in 1998.

In another populist move, the government decided against increasing the subsidised airfare for Haj pilgrims. The proposal of the civil aviation ministry to increase the airfare from the present Rs12,000 to Rs16,000 did not find favour with the Cabinet, clearly, on account of the approaching polls season, with at least six state assemblies scheduled for elections in the next two months. The Cabinet allotted Rs700 crore as Haj subsidy this year.
a_anil@dnaindia.net