As the First Citizen of India, Droupadi Murmu will be allowed a slew of privileges including free housing and medical care for life, a custom-built Mercedes Benz with a state-of-the-art security system to travel in and a pension of Rs 2.5 lakh per month
Droupadi Murmu on Thursday created history by being elected India’s first tribal woman president.
The former Jharkhand governor and the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate, who found many other backers along her campaign trail, won an easy victory over the Opposition’s pick Yashwant Sinha.
At 64, the woman who will be India’s 15th president, taking over from Ram Nath Kovind, will also be the youngest and India’s first president to be born after Independence.
She will be sworn in on 25 July.
Let’s take a look at the perks and privileges that Murmu will enjoy as First Citizen of the country:
Salary
First, the monthly salary of Rs 5 lakh (up from Rs 1.5 lakh in 2017.)
Then there’s free housing and medical care.
Perks and allowances in office
The president is allowed Rs 1 lakh annually for office expenditures.
The president gets free train and air travel anywhere in the world, a landline connection, and a mobile.
The president also gets secretarial support from two peons, a private secretary, and a personal assistant.
The president stays at Rashtrapati Bhavan which has 340 rooms including the president’s house, guest rooms and other offices, as well as several gardens.
The President of India also has two official retreats: The Retreat Building, Mashobra, Shimla and Rashtrapati Nilayam, Hyderabad.
Security
The president is driven around in a custom-built heavily armoured Mercedes Benz S600 (W221) with a state-of-the-art security system.
The car, which doesn’t have a licence plate, is bullet and shockproof. It is built to withstand bombs, gas attacks and other explosives.
The president is guarded by the President’s Bodyguard, an elite unit of the Indian Armed Forces.
Retirement benefits
The pension clocks in at Rs 2.5 lakh per month and comes up with a slew of retirement perks including a rent-free bungalow to stay in and five employees.
With inputs from agencies
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