To put a check on the public expenditure, the Government has advised India Inc to refrain from doling out “vulgar” salaries to CEOs. "I think when we are working on this (austerity), we can hardly say that we (will) shut our eyes on what salary the CEOs are going to take,"

"I don't think anyone in India today, in politics or outside politics has reached the level of liberalism where vulgarity is also a fundamental right. "Minister should not be judging who deserves what salary. We are moving away from control to regulation. But it doesn't mean that you are going to be completely free,"

"Let's get the opinion of the standing committee (on the Bill), then we will move forward," the Minister said, pointing out that "it's now before the same Parliament that has supported this attitude of austerity ... Let us see what their views are".

Noting that the issue of CEO's pay packages cannot go unnoticed, Khurshid said, "Prime Minister's indication to industry (has to be taken)... with paramount importance today, particularly we are trying to promote, inculcate a culture of austerity.

"Nothing is to been in isolation. We have to see on what accountability and what responsibility is to be imposed on directors, CEOs of companies. We still haven't taken a final view on whether two persons can be taken as chairpersons and managing directors," the Minister said.

Remuneration should commensurate with the qualifications of the individuals and time they spent, he said, adding there should be transparency in the working of various committees of a company.

"Our programme is not only about rules alone. Our austerity programme is about an attitude - a culture of non-vulgarity, of posterity, of simplicity and it has nothing to with the tickets that you buy, the seat in which you travel.

"It is also to do with how you conduct yourself, how you behave, what you wear, what you do, what you speak and eat. It must be a pervasive culture. You are travelling economy class but you go and have a bash where people are going hungry, is in think immoral," he said.