New Delhi: The government has brought more
than eight lakh personnel of paramilitary forces like CRPF,
BSF and NSG under a new "charge-free" salary scheme which
entitles them to have concessional loans and hassle-free
withdrawal of salaries.
Under the new scheme, the spouses of these men and women
in uniform will also be provided with a free 'add-on ATM card'
which will enable them to withdraw money and carry out
financial transactions in the absence of the earning member of
the family, posted far away along the border or in the
Naxal-hit areas of the country.
The country's largest banker -- State Bank of India --
recently launched a unique paramilitary salary package on the
lines of a similar facility for the Armed forces -- Army, Navy
and the Air Force.
The new scheme will entitle the paramilitary jawans to
enjoy "charge-free" facilities like zero balance account, free
ATM-cum-shopping card without an annual maintenance fee and
freedom to draw their salaries from the nearest SBI branch or
an ATM of any bank, when they are deployed away from their
parent units.
"In central paramilitary and police forces, a jawan and
officer are not posted at the parent unit or a battalion
headquarter often. Under the new scheme, the troops can have
free cheque books and ATM cards to draw their salaries at any
place," a senior paramilitary officer said.
The scheme was inaugurated by Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram on September 29 for forces like Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF),
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Border Security
Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the elite National
Security Guard (NSG).
The other facilities that can be enjoyed by the troops
include free multi-city cheques, free demand drafts, free
internet banking, free transfer of money through Real Time
Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer
(NEFT) and concessions in interest rates on home, car and
education loans and discount on purchase of gold coins.
The headquarters of the paramilitary forces have also
issued orders for conducting awareness camps on these new
facilities for jawans and officers at various battalions and
company headquarters.
"We want them (force personnel) to avail the benefits of
the new service as soon as possible. Senior officials from the
forces and experts from the banking sector will be conducting
lectures for these facilities," the officer said.
General costumers have to pay a certain service charge
for these facilities.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, October 05, 2010, 15:56