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Hardship pays: Paramilitary to get 30% hike
In a boost to officers and men of the Central Paramilitary Forces, including the CRPF, that are deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the affected States, the Centre has approved a 30 per cent hike in their hardship allowances on par with the special ‘risk’ pay applicable to Army.
The Union Home Ministry has notified the new ‘counter-insurgency operations in field area allowance’ to personnel of CRPF, BSF and ITBP in 35 districts hit by ultra-Left extremism.
The maximum number of districts where these troops will draw the risk/hardship allowance are — Jharkhand (11), followed by Chhattisgarh (7), Bihar (6), Odisha (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 applicable 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 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 Centre has deployed as many as 73 battalions besides the 10 battalions of the elite anti-Naxal force, Cobra battalions in Naxal-affected States.
The decision comes after consultations with the CPMFs who had pitched in for the hike on the lines of the Army’s allowances.
“The hike in hardship allowance to the CPMF personnel will act as a morale booster for them who operate in difficult situations during their deployment in the Naxal areas,” a senior official said, adding the allowances have been enhanced by about 30 per cent for all the ranks.
