With the almost unlimited responsibilities and utmost respect to be given, ‘President of India’ is the highest position in Indian politics, parallel to the position of ‘Prime Minister’. Operating the military and security issues, he/she has to undergo a lot of circumstances and outgrow the problems at every extent.
The President of India lives in Rastrapathi Bhavan and is the supreme leader of Indian defensive forces. With a plethora of staff around at every event and limitless tasks to accomplish, the President has to do the best for the sake of the country.
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With these many responsibilities and duties, what might be the salary of the person himself? what kind of allowances are offered and the post-retirement benefits?
Let us walk through those details one by one.
Salary: Former President Pranab Mukherjee was paid Rs 1,50,000 per month. A hike in this was proposed earlier, now it is assumed that the salary was hiked by 200% which is precisely near Rs 5,00,000. However, it is yet to be approved by the Prime Minister.
Other than salaries many other perks and allowances like traveling are included.
Palace for a residence: As it is said before, the President must live in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the largest presidential palace in the world, till date. Spreading over vast 5 acres curtaining the massive area of 19,000 square meters is located in the heart of National Capital- New Delhi.
In addition to that, he has a secretarial staff of five people and another 200 people employed for the upkeep of the palace.
Holiday Retreats: Two lavish holiday retreats are present for the President. First one is the Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad and the other is the Retreat Building in Shimla.
Travel in style: With a cavalcade of 25 cars, the vehicle of choice with properly armored Mercedes-Benz S600 was given to former President Pranab Mukherjee, and similar style will be followed in Ram Nath Kovind’s case. 86 presidential guards mounted on magnificent horses will assist him anywhere.
Additional allowances include- the President’s spouse can travel to anyplace in the world with at no personal expenses.
Maintenance Grant: A maintenance budget of up to Rs 30 crore is given to the President. This amount will be spent for the upkeep of his palace, it includes every piece of business, visits, hosting events, guests, state leaders etc including the daily expenses of the President.
Post-retirement benefits: Considering no changes in the salary, a monthly pension of Rs 75,000 is paid after retiring, which is 50% of the total salary. With a Type-VIII rent free furnished bungalow provided, this is so far, the biggest and best accommodation provided by the Government of India to anyone apart from the incumbent president and prime minister.
Two landlines and a mobile phone are provided, for which all bills will be paid by the government. Five personal staff, including a private secretary, are allotted to him. And, a free official car along with Rs 60,000 as staff expenses with 250 liters of free petrol a month is included.
If he prefers to use the own vehicle, Govt also pays the salary of the driver. The total travel expenses by air and train will be free further the retirement for both the President and his/her wife/husband respectively.