Ex-governors now entitled to personal assistants

Ex-governors will now be entitled to secretarial staff throughout their life under a bill passed by the Lok Sabha on Saturday.

"Keeping in view the high constitutional office that a governor holds and considering the contributions in public discourse that they would continue to make after they retire, it is proposed to provide the secretarial assistance to ex-governors in the form of one personal assistant, which the ex-governor concerned may appoint on reimbursement basis, during his lifetime," Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said moving the bill for consideration.

As per the Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Bill, 2012, the personal assistant will be paid a salary of Rs.28,000.

The ex-governor will however not be eligible for such secretarial assistance for the period during which he is re-appointed to the office of governor, elected to parliament or the state legislature or appointed to any office of profit under the union or a state government, according to the bill.

Singh said as of now, former governors do not get any pension or post-retirement benefits except medical facilities as per rules issued by the central health and family welfare ministry.

Earlier, initiating the debate on the Bill, Bharatiya Janata Party member Kirti Azad contended out that the post of governor has been misused often with the central government using them to target state governments.

The Lok Sabha, which has faced repeated disruptions since the beginning of the monsoon session, was working on Saturday in lieu of Aug 16 which had been declared a holiday.