Vice President Of India: Salary, Perks, And Lesser-Known Facts About Country’s Second-Highest Office

Vice President Of India: As Parliament gets ready to elect a new Vice President on Tuesday, the spotlight has turned not only to the election process but also to the unique features of this constitutional post.

The Vice President of India is the second-highest constitutional authority after the President, yet the position comes with some surprising aspects, especially regarding salary, perks, and responsibilities.

No Separate Salary for the Vice President

Unlike other top posts in the government, the Vice President of India does not receive a separate salary for holding the office. Instead, the Vice President draws a salary in his role as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which currently amounts to Rs 4 lakh per month.

In situations where the Vice President has to step in as Acting President, he ceases to be the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and begins to draw the President’s salary instead. This makes the Vice President’s pay structure one of the most distinctive in India’s constitutional framework.

Perks and Allowances

Even without a separate salary, the Vice President enjoys a wide range of perks and facilities. These include:

• Official residence at the Vice President’s Enclave in New Delhi, developed under the Central Vista project.
• Free accommodation, medical services, train and air travel facilities.
• Office expenses, personal security, landline and mobile services.
• After retirement, a pension of nearly Rs 2 lakh per month and entitlement to a Type-8 bungalow.
• A former Vice President is also entitled to staff support, including a personal secretary, an additional secretary, a personal assistant, a physician, a nursing officer, and four personal attendants.
• In the case of their death, the surviving spouse is provided with a smaller Type-7 house for life.

Role and Powers of the Vice President

The Vice President holds a crucial role in India’s democracy. As Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he presides over the upper house, ensuring discipline, smooth conduct of proceedings, and decisions on member disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.

If the office of the President becomes vacant due to resignation, death, or other reasons, the Vice President immediately assumes charge as the Acting President until a new President is elected.

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Election and Tenure

The Vice President is elected by an Electoral College comprising all members of both Houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, through the Single Transferable Vote system.

The term lasts five years, with the possibility of re-election. In case a successor is not elected in time, the sitting Vice President continues until the new officeholder takes charge.

India’s First Vice President

The office was first held by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan from 1952 to 1962, who later became President of India. The Vice President elected on Tuesday will become the 14th person to hold the post since independence.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned in July 2025 citing health reasons, was the most recent occupant. Interestingly, Dhankhar also draws a separate pension of Rs 42,000 per month as a former legislator in Rajasthan, where he served as an MLA from Kishangarh between 1993 and 1998.