THE VICE-PRESIDENT'S PENSION ACT, 1997 
_________ 

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
_________ 

SECTIONS 

1.  Short title. 
2.  Pension to retiring Vice-Presidents. 
3.  Medical facilities to the family of deceased Vice-President. 
 3A. Free accommodation to spouse of Vice-President. 
4.  Pension to be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. 
5.  Power to make rules. 
6.  Power to remove difficulties. 

1 

 
 
 
THE VICE-PRESIDENT'S PENSION ACT, 1997 

ACT NO. 30 OF 1997 

[28th May, 1997.] 

An Act to provide for the payment of pension and other facilities to retiring Vice-Presidents. 

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Forty-eighth Year of the Republic of India as follows:– 

1. Short title.–This Act may be called the Vice-President’s Pension Act, 1997. 

2. Pension to retiring Vice-Presidents.–(1) There shall be paid to every person who ceases to hold 
office as Vice-President, either by the expiration of his term of office or by resignation of his office, a 
pension 1[at the rate of fifty per cent. of the salary of the Vice-President] per month, for the remainder of 
his life: 

Provided that such person shall not be entitled to receive any pension during the period he holds the 
office of the Prime Minister, a Minister or any other office or becomes a Member of Parliament and is in 
receipt  of  salary  and  allowances  which  are  defrayed  out  of  the  Consolidated  Fund  of  India  or  the 
Consolidated Fund of a State. 

2[(1A) The spouse of a person who dies– 

(a) while holding the office of Vice-President, or 

(b) after ceasing to hold office as Vice-President either by the expiration of his term of office or 

by resignation of his office, 

shall  be  paid  a  family  pension  at  the  rate  of  fifty  per  cent.  of  pension  as  is  admissible  to  a  retiring        
Vice-President, for the remainder of her life.] 

(2) Subject to any rules that may be made in this behalf, every such person shall, for the remainder of 

his life, be entitled– 

3[(a) to the use without payment of rent of such furnished residence (including its maintenance), 

as the Central Government may determine from time to time;] 

(b) to the use of similar telephone facilities at his residence, as a member of Parliament is entitled 
to  under  the  provisions  of  the  Salary,  Allowances  and  Pension  of  Members  of  Parliament  Act, 
1954(30 of 1954); 

4[(c)  to  secretarial  staff  consisting  of  a  Private  Secretary,  an  Additional  Private  Secretary,  a 
Personal  Assistant  and  two  Peons  and  office  expenses  not  exceeding  5[ninety  thousand  rupees]  per 
annum;] 

1. Subs. by Act 29 of 2008, s. 2, for “of twenty thousand rupees” (w.e.f. 1-1-2006). 
2. Ins. by Act 23 of 2002, s. 2 (w.e.f. 5-7-2002). 
3. Subs. by Act 45 of 1999, s. 2, for clause (a) (w.e.f. 30-12-1999). 
4. Subs. by Act 29 of 2008, s. 2, for clause (c) (w.e.f. 30-12-2008). 
5. Subs. by Act 13 of 2018, s. 204, for “sixty thousand rupees” (w.e.f. 1-4-2018). 

2 

 
 
                                                           
 
 
 
(d) to the same facilities for himself as respects medical attendance and treatment and on the same 
conditions as a retired President is entitled to under the provisions of the President’s Emoluments and 
Pension Act, 1951(30 of 1951); 

(e)  to  the  same  facilities  for  his  spouse  and  minor  children  as  respects  medical  attendance  and 
treatment  and  on  the  same  conditions  as  the  spouse  of  a  retired  President  is  entitled  to  under  the 
provisions of the President’s Emoluments and Pension Act, 1951(30 of 1951);and 

1[(f)  to  travel  anywhere  in  India,  accompanied  by  spouse  or  a  companion  or  a  relative,  by  the 

highest class by air, rail or steamer;] 
2[(3) Where any such person is re-elected to the office of Vice-President, he or his spouse shall not be 
eligible to any benefit under this section for the period during which such person again holds such office. 

(4) Where any person being a Vice-President gets elected to the office of the President of India, he or 

his spouse shall not be eligible to any benefit under this section.] 

3.  Medical  facilities  to  the  family  of  deceased  Vice-President.–Subject  to  any  rules  that  may  be 
made in this behalf, the spouse of a person who dies while holding the office of Vice-President shall, for 
the remainder of life, be entitled to medical attendance and treatment, free of charge. 

3[3A. Free accommodation to spouse of Vice-President.–Subject to any rules that may be made in 

this behalf, the spouse of a person who dies– 

(a) while holding the office of Vice-President, or 

(b) after ceasing to hold office as Vice-President either by the expiration or his term of office or 

by resignation of his office, 

shall  be  entitled  to  the  use  of  4[furnished  residence  (including  its  maintenance)]  without  payment  of 
licence fee, for the remainder of her life.] 

4.  Pension  to  be  charged  on  the  Consolidated  Fund  of  India.–Any  sum  payable  under  this  Act 

shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. 

5. Power to make rules.–(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, 

make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. 

(2) Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it 
is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may 
be  comprised  in  one  session    or  in  two  or  more  successive  sessions,  and  if,  before  the  expiry  of  the 
session  immediately  following  the  session  or  the  successive  sessions  aforesaid,  both  Houses  agree  in 
making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall 
thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that 
any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done 
under that rule. 

5[6. Power to remove difficulties.–(1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this 
this Act as amended by the Vice-President’s Pension (Amendment) Act, 2008 (29 of 2008), the Central 
Government  may,  by  order,  do  anything  not  inconsistent  with  such  provisions  for  the  purpose  of 
removing the difficulty: 

Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiration of two years from the date on which 

this Act comes into force. 

(2) Every order made under sub-section (1) shall be laid before each House of Parliament.] 

1. Subs. by Act 45 of 1999, s. 2, for clause (f) (w.e.f. 30-12-1999). 
2. Ins. by s. 2, ibid. (w.e.f. 30-12-1999). 
3. Ins. by Act 23 of 2002, s. 3 (w.e.f.5-7-2002). 
4. Subs. by Act 29 of 2008, s. 3, for “unfurnished residence” (w.e.f. 30-12-2008). 
5. Ins. by s. 4, ibid.(w.e.f.  30-12-2008). 

3 

 
                                                           
