Salary of the President of India: Comparison with other countries

Whether it’s the philosopher President Dr Radhakrishnan, a passionate educationist Dr Zakir Hussain, or the people’s Presidents Dr APJ Abdul Kalam & Raisina Hill, they all have been some of the finest brains ever produced in our country. All of them were unique indeed & held great leadership qualities as Presidents. Under Article 52 of our Indian Constitution, the President is the first citizen and head of the Indian state. He acts as the symbol of the integrity and solidarity of the nation. 

He is also the supreme commander of the three armed forces- the Army, Air Force, and Navy. Being such a powerful and influential person, the position comes with various perks and privileges. So, in this article, we will be discussing the perks & privileges of the President, i.e., their salaries, post-retirement benefits & salaries of the Presidents in different countries.

Salary & Perks of Indian President

In 2017, the GOI decided to increase the salary of the President of India from ₹ 1.5 lac /month to ₹ 5 lac/month. In addition to the salary, the president also receives other allowances in which free medical, housing and treatment facilities are provided for his entire life. Take a look at his salary and the perks that he gets in office and post-retirement:

• The President draws a salary of ₹ 5 lakh/month. Until 2017, the President used to get ₹ 1.50 lakh/month.

• The President is also entitled to other perks such as free medical, housing & treatment facilities (whole life).

• In addition, the GOI spends 2.25 crore rupees annually on other expenses like the President's housing, staff, food and hosting of guests.

• The President of India is entitled to a custom-built Black Mercedes Benz S600. (W221) Pullman Guard. 

• The President is provided two lavish holiday retreats. One is the Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad, and the second is the Retreat Building in Shimla.

• The President has a heavily armoured stretch limousine for official visits.

• The President and the spouse can travel anywhere in the world for free.

What are the salaries of Presidents around the world?

Here’s a list of the earnings of a few presidents worldwide, based on the current exchange rate, presently 1₹= 80$ approx. (subjected to fluctuation). So the calculation of Indian Rupee in the table mentioned below is based on this value only.

What are the Post Retirement Perks?

The Act governing such perks is the President’s (Emoluments and Pension) Act, 1951.

• He will get (at current rates) ₹1.5 lac monthly as a pension.

• The President's spouses will get secretarial assistance of ₹ 30,000/ month.

• Five personal staff, including a private secretary.

• A furnished rent-free bungalow (Type VIII).

• Two free landlines and a mobile phone.

• Staff expenses of Rs.60,000 a year.

• Travel free with a companion by train or air.

Did you know that after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the salary of the Cabinet Secretary became ₹ 2.5 lakh/month while the Indian President was just Rs. 1.5 lac per month? So that was the time when the salary of an employee in the Government of India became more than that of the President of India.

Let's end our article with interesting facts that will definitely make you more curious and shocked.

Some more interesting facts for you on Prime Minister!

• After leaving the office of the Prime Minister, the staff of only 14 people is permitted only for 5 years. But there was a time when the Vajpayee government allowed both P.V. Narasimha Rao and Gujral to expand the staff as per their requirements.

• In 2002, at Narasimha Rao's residence, 24 SPG cars and 25 at Gujral's residence resided on duty.

• In 2003, SPG's annual budget was Rs 75,000 crore, with more than 3,000 men. So, then the Lok Sabha passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, which restricted the SPG cover of the Prime Minister for one year after leaving the office, i.e. the former prime minister will be given SPG security only for 1 year.

Hence, we can say that the former Presidents and the Prime Ministers enjoy the perks & benefits of the taxpayers' expenses.