SORRY MADAM PRESIDENT THE TAX PAYER 

CANNOT AFFORD YOU

India is a developing country rising from the pits of subjugation, misrule, poverty, hunger and deprivation. The common man bleeds and sweats to make two ends meet and is trying to provide two square meals a day for his family by spending Rs 20/- per day (which is the spending power of 80% of the population).

In a country with so much poverty is it right and fair for the first citizen to stay in a presidential palace spread over 340 acres with 340 rooms and a floor area of over 2,00,000 sq feet. Add to the that Rastrapati Nilayam, Hyderabad spread over 90 acres and the Retreat Building, Mashobro, Simla with over 10628 sq feet space and the vast grounds attached with it. The President finds it convenient to visit the retreats at least once a year and function from there, there by moving the essential office paraphernalia for the duration of the stay and billing all expenses involved to the hapless tax payer.

The founding fathers visualized the President as the titular head of state with ceremonial powers and all decisions taken on the advice of the council of ministers. Under the circumstances is there a requirement for the first citizen to have such a large staff and office functionaries who have but to act as post office forwarding or receiving files from the concerned ministries.

The pomp and show associated with the office was a legacy of the Viceroy’s show of a reigning monarch. The British found it fit to flaunt their power by having liveried attendants under every arch of the Viceroy’s Palace, mounted horsemen escorting the royal carriage (bugey) and hundreds of menial staff to take care of the sprawling grounds. They also had the royal train exclusively for His Excellencies use with white hot priority on all rail tracks. Unfortunately our first citizens did not find it fit to prune down the pomp and show and continued with the royal practices taking it to be their perk and privilege of office, may be under the mistaken premise that in the desert of poverty we put forward an oasis of opulence to impress the visitors coming to our country as state guests.

Madam President the tax payer cannot afford this opulence of our first citizen. It is time to carry out a through audit of the expenditure being incurred and drastically cut the establishment to bare essential, there by making considerable savings. Is there a requirement for the President’s Body Guards, who are performing purely a ceremonial function a few times a year? For this the horse’s upkeep, army personal and support staff are being paid by the tax payer round the year. Do you really need them Your Excellency? Similarly the Northern and Southern retreats are a drain on the resources, as to cater for your short visits they have to be maintained round the year which costs a lot of money. Also the days of the Presidential train have gone past as you have personal jets at your disposal for your tours and travel. Why not lease out the retreats and the train to a hotel chain for an astronomical amount and the earnings from the proceeds would at least partly offset the over all expenses of Rastrapati Bhavan.

The Rastrapati Bhavan is a historic building and a small portion of it is being used by the First Family. Rest of the rooms are said to be used as guest rooms for visiting Heads of state and as offices by the Presidential staff. Should we not reexamine the requirement of guest rooms as with time, visiting Heads of State are generally staying in hotels booked by their embassies? Also the staff requirement and their need for adequate office space needs a through audit and the staff members who may have been required at some stage and have since been forgotten be reverted back to their parent ministries, there by reducing over all establishment considerably and saving the tax payer’s hard earned money.

The first citizen lays down the standard of propriety which the citizens emulate. The citizens are honestly required to pay their personal taxes as also pay for goods and services including all taxes duties etc. The first citizen’s pay is paid without deduction implying that there is no deduction of income tax as applicable to normal mortals, also there is not even a token deduction for the residence when all people paid by the Government take a small cut for accommodations provided by the state. It is also surprising that items purchased for use in the Rastrapati Bhavan are duty free and taxes are not paid by the establishment. Should the First Citizen not pay their dues to the exchequer and set an example of transparent accounting?

Finally it is amazing that The President earns a pension for life after one five year term, where as the norm in the country is pensionable service only after twenty years. . Also the president on relinquishing office has option of retaining two houses, one at New Delhi and one any where else in the country. Of course the establishment, upkeep etc required for the houses comes out of the tax payer’s pocket. Should the First citizen not set an example and refuse the pension and limit the accommodation requirement to one house instead of two.

The tax payer by no means grudges the reasonable perks and privileges of office of the President and also understands the protocol requirements which often involve putting up a show. We the taxpayers only appeal for cutting out non essential waste full expenditure which can lead to considerable savings there by freeing resources for providing basic amenities to our impoverished population.

Of late there has been considerable debate on delay in decisions by the President on clemency petitions as also some of the controversial Acts passed by State Governments which have been awaiting Her Excellencies signature for long. Procedurally the said documents have been forwarded to the concerned ministries/functionaries who have found it fit to put them in cold storage due to political compulsions. Madam, you can set an example by laying down a time frame within which the files must be returned with the endorsements, say three months. If the same is not done than Madam, every functionary serves at your pleasure! In cases where the government does not respond, you would be well within your rights to exercise your discretionary powers and dispose of the cases as you deem fit, keeping the interest of the country and provisions of the constitution in mind.

 If the First citizen sets the example of austerity and impartial functioning others will be forced to follow!          

                                                                                               Surender Singh

PS:- The President’s foreign trips in 54 months costed the tax payer 205 crores? Average of almost FOUR crores per month? What were the benefits to INDIA from these trips? Tata designed houses for poor cost Rs 40000/- Over 50000 families could have been provided houses if the President had stayed home?