The Modi government has decided to enhance housing satisfaction for jawans and officials of central armed police forces (CAPFs) and steps will be taken in the upcoming Budget to allocate funds for this subject, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday.
Mr. Shah said this while addressing CRPF personnel during the foundation-laying ceremony for their new headquarters building in New Delhi.
The minister said he has a “firm determination” to change the existing situation on various issues confronting these forces including housing.
“The housing satisfaction ratio (for CAPFs) has to increase... We have firmed up our mind on this... It will be taken up in the next Budget. We will do it,” the minister said.
While the CRPF has a poor housing satisfaction of 13.75% at present, the same figure for the about 10 lakh-personnel-strong CAPFs is about 25%, a senior official said.
Personnel who do not get a government house are forced to stay in rented and far-off locations for which they are paid housing rent allowance (HRA).
Mr. Shah added that once housing satisfaction levels increase, it will enable him to implement an ambitious plan to ensure that each jawan of these forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB gets to spend about 100 days in an year with their family.
“By August-September next year we will have a definite action plan for initiation of a number of welfare issues for all these forces.”
“My government’s commitment is that while you protect us and the country, it is the duty of the government to ensure the well-being and protection of your family,” he said.
The Prime Minister has “vowed” that this government will safeguard the families of jawans and officers on duty and will also lessen their stress.
When a CAPF jawan or an officer is tension-free about the well-being and security of his family, he or she is better motivated to do his duty, the home minister added.
He also declared that families of all the CAPF jawans will be given ‘e-health cards’ so that their medical checkups are undertaken on a regular basis.
“The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has tied up with AIIMS for rolling out this health-card scheme. I would urge state police forces to also undertake such an initiative,” Mr. Shah said.
Calling CRPF as the “world’s bravest armed force”, Mr. Shah said it was very important to give the about 3.25 lakh-personnel-strong force a headquarters of its own and this will enhance its capability and alertness in the future.
The force is categorised as the lead internal security force of the country along with being the mainstay for anti-Naxal operations.
The new Central Reserve Police Force headquarters will come up on a 2.23-acre land adjacent to the CBI head office on Lodhi Road at an estimated cost of ₹277 crore.
The CPWD has been entrusted with the construction of the new building by 2022.
The current headquarters of the CRPF is at Block No 1 in the Central Government Offices (CGO) complex on Lodhi Road since 1981 and a number of its offices like that of the RAF, CoBRA, medical, training, communications, and works and recruitment are located at different locations in the national capital owing to lack of space in the head office building.
CRPF chief R R Bhatnagar said these offices will now be assimilated in the proposed new building complex.
The plan of the new facility is to have ground plus 11 floors with an auditorium, conference hall, barracks for subordinate staff, central police canteen, gymnasium, guest room, kitchen and dining room and mechanical parking for 520 cars and 15 buses.
Skywalks would be created at the 6th and 7th floor connecting the office blocks with cafeteria.
The building is proposed to have a water and sewage treatment plant, rain water harvesting system and an indigenous ventilation system.
Unveils new insignia for CRPF’s VIP security wing
Mr. Shah unveiled a new insignia for the CRPF’s VIP security wing that protects 59 high-risk dignitaries, including members of the Gandhi family and a host of Union ministers.
The logo — with a “Garuda”, sword and shield — will give a distinct identity to the unit, Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister unveiled the logo during an event, where he laid the foundation for raising a new headquarters building for the CRPF.
The VIP security wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was raised in 2014 and has four battalions, comprising about 4,000 personnel.
The insignia will bear the motto of the force — “Always, Aware, Alert“.
Of the 59 protectees under this unit, 15 are under the top category of “Z+”, 21 under the “Z” category and the remaining 23 under various other categories.
