New Delhi: In a boost to troops and officers
of CRPF and other forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations, the
government has approved a 30 per cent hike in their allowances
on par with the special `risk` pay drawn by Army personnel.
The Home Ministry has approved the new `counter-insurgency
operations in field area allowance` to personnel of CRPF, BSF
and ITBP in 35 focus districts hit by Left-Wing Extremism.
The maximum number of districts where these troops will
draw the risk/hardship allowance are in Jharkhand (11),
followed by Chhattisgarh (7), Bihar (6), Orissa (5),
Maharashtra (2), and Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal - one each.
While a Commanding Officer (CO) of a battalion will draw
Rs 7,800 as risk/hardship allowance against Rs 6,000 earlier,
a constable of a central force will earn Rs 3,000 compared to
the earlier Rs 2,300, after the approval of the new allowance.
"The Home Ministry in consultation with the commanders of
the anti-Naxal forces has decided to grant the new allowance
in 35 districts initially. This will ensure them a special
payment for serving in these high risk and hard areas on par
with Army personnel deployed in counter-insurgency operations
under similar conditions," a senior official said.
The allowances have been enhanced by about 30 per cent in
all the ranks, the official said.
The enhancement in the risk allowance has been done for
all the other ranks of these forces - Deputy Commandant Rs
6,600, Assistant Commandant Rs 6,300, Inspectors and
Sub-Inspectors Rs 3,600 and Head constables Rs 3,600.
The central government has deployed close to 93,000 troops
of these forces in Naxal affected states.
PTI
