What do ministers' salaries, travel and allowances cost taxpayers? Budget 2025 says...

The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated Rs 1,024.30 crore for expenses incurred by the Council of Ministers, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office, and for hospitality and entertainment of state guests.

The allocated amount is a bit more than the Rs 1,021.83 crore earmarked in 2024-25.

In the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Saturday, a total of Rs 619.04 crore has been allotted for the expenses of council of ministers in the coming fiscal. It was Rs 540.95 crore in 2024-25.

This allocation is for expenditure on salaries, sumptuary and other allowances and travel by Cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and former prime ministers.

It also includes a provision for special extra session flight operations for VVIPs.

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The National Security Council Secretariat has been allocated Rs 182.75 crore, against Rs 270.08 crore allotted in 2024-25.

The provision is for meeting the administrative expenses and space programme of the National Security Council Secretariat.

A total of Rs 70.12 crore has been allotted to the office of the principal scientific advisor (Rs 65.72 crore in 2024-25) for meeting the administrative expenses of the office and the National Research Foundation.

The Cabinet Secretariat has been allocated Rs 75.68 crore, against Rs 73.98 crore in 2024-25, for meeting the administrative expenses of those of the Cabinet Secretariat and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

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The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been allocated Rs 70.91 crore (Rs 65.30 crore in 2024-25) for meeting administrative expenses.

The Budget also allotted Rs 4 crore for hospitality and entertainment expenses, the same as that allocated in 2024-25.

This provision is for expenditure on government hospitality and entertainment of foreign state guests, official entertainment arranged at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on behalf of the vice-president and the prime minister, reception on national days, and investiture and ceremonies for presentation of credentials, among others.

The Budget also allocated Rs 1.80 crore for expenditure on payments of secretariat assistance to former governors, the same as that allocated in 2024-25.