Droupadi Murmu was on July 25 sworn in as India’s 15th President. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath of office to her at the event held at central hall of parliament.
Murmu scripted history by defeating opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha to become the first tribal and the second woman to hold the top constitutional post. At 64, she takes over from Ram Nath Kovind to be the youngest and India's first President to be born after Independence.
Catch All Live Updates Droupadi Murmu Swearing-in Here
The former Jharkhand governor was picked as presidential candidate by ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and won by an overwhelming margin against Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes in a day-long counting of ballots of MPs and MLAs comprising the electoral college.
Moneycontrol takes a look at the perks and privileges that Murmu will enjoy as the first citizen of the country:
Salary
The salary of the President of India is Rs 5 lakh per month. The monthly salary was raised in 2016 by 200 per cent from Rs 1.5 lakh.
Perks and allowances
The president gets free housing and medical care and Rs 1 lakh annually for office expenditures. She gets to travel free by train or by air anywhere in the world. The president also gets secretarial support from two peons, a private secretary, and a personal assistant.
Residence
Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President. The sprawling residence has 340 rooms and a floor area of 2,00,000 square feet. The president has two official retreats where she can go on vacation. One is in Shimla's Mashobra and the other is in Hyderabad's Bolarum
Security
The President gets a custom-built Black Mercedes Benz S600 (W221) Pullman Guard 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.
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A heavily armoured stretch limousine is also reserved for official visits. The details of the President's cars are, however, not revealed because of security reasons. These cars do not have a licence plate and instead display the national symbol.
Retirement benefits
The pension is Rs 2.5 lakh per month. The President also gets other retirement benefits including one furnished rent-free bungalow, two free landlines and a mobile phone, five personal staff, Rs 60,000 a year for the expenses of the staff, and free travel with a companion by train or air.
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