New York, Jan 22 - Vikram Pandit, who led the financial giant Citigroup through the dark days of the recession and bail-out, is getting a raise.

After working for two years for just $1 a year, he will now receive $1.75 million, board chairman Richard Parsons said Friday.

Under Pandit's leadership since December 2007, Citigroup got one of the biggest government bail-outs of $45 billion. But by December, it had paid back the amount to taxpayers and the US government even pocketed a
12-billion-dollar profit in selling its shares.

Pandit "has worked tirelessly to put Citi back on the right track, spearheading a restructuring that has returned the company to profitability and positioning the company for future growth," Parsons said.(dpa)