Question

The salary and perquisites of the Prime Minister of India are decided by the ______________.
A.Constitution
B.Cabinet
C.Parliament
D.President

Answer 1

Hint: The Prime Minister is the real executive head of the State in India. The Prime Minister is the de facto head of the State while the President is the de jure head of the Indian State.

Complete Step by Step Answer: The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. However, the President is not free to appoint any person as Prime Minister. He has to appoint that person as Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister gets the same salary and allowances which are paid to members of Parliament. He also receives a Constituency allowance. In addition, he gets a sumptuary allowance. He also gets the facility of free official residence, free travels, medical facilities etc.
The Prime Minister enjoys vast power which has made his office very important and powerful. His powers and functions are:
1. The Prime Minister is the one who makes the Cabinet. The Cabinet cannot function without the Prime Minister.
2. The Prime Minister works as a linkage between the President and the Cabinet. The duty of the Prime Minister is to convey the decisions of the Cabinet to the President.
3. The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister describes the policy and decisions of the Cabinet to the Parliament. The Prime Minister makes all important statements on behalf of the Cabinet in the Parliament.
4. The Prime Minister is the chief adviser of the President. The President, thus, seeks the advice of the Prime Minister in all matters of the State.
5. The President makes appointments of the State Governors, Ambassadors and members of the Union Public Service Commission only on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
6. Finally, the Prime Minister is the leader of the nation and represents India at International Conferences.
Let’s examine the options:
Option A – The Constitution of India is not entitled to decide the salary and perquisites of any minister within the Indian territory.
Option B – The Cabinet is formed by the Prime Minister. Thus, the Cabinet has not been given the sole power to decide the salary and perquisites of the Prime Minister of India and such provision is also not backed by the Indian Constitution.
Option C – The Parliament decides the salary and perquisites of the Prime Minister of India and of that of the MP’s. The salary is further revised from time to time as mentioned under Article 75(6) of the Indian Constitution.
Option D – The President is not backed by the Indian Constitution to decide the salary and perquisites of the Prime Minister of India.
The correct option is option ‘C’ as the salary and perquisites of the Prime Minister of India are decided by the Parliament like that of the other MPs.

Note: One should note that to answer such questions, one needs to remember the provisions mentioned in the different articles about the salary allowances of the Prime Minister and any other Minister.