Jaipur: Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday applied for pension as a former legislator in Rajasthan, officials said.
“We received the application two days ago. If elected to any ministerial, gubernatorial, or presidential post, an MLA’s pension gets suspended by the state assembly secretariat. Now, after stepping down from the vice president’s post on July 21, Dhankhar has re-applied for the pension for his previous legislative term in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh from 1993 to 1998,” a spokesperson of the Rajasthan assembly secretariat said.
Earlier, Dhankhar, who represented the Kishangarh assembly constituency as a Congress MLA, received pension as a former legislator until July 2019. It was discontinued after he was appointed the governor of West Bengal on July 20, 2019.
With his tenure as vice president ending following his resignation citing “health issues” on July 21, Dhankhar has applied afresh to the Rajasthan Assembly secretariat seeking the resumption of his pension as a former MLA, the official said.
The officer said that the secretariat has initiated the process, and the pension will be applicable from the date his resignation as vice president was accepted.
“The pension for a former MLA in Rajasthan starts at ₹35,000 per month for a single term and increases with additional terms and age. Those above 70 receive a 20% hike. Dhankhar, now 74, is therefore entitled to ₹42,000 per month as a former legislator,” he added.