Home Ministry promises 'Achche din' for paramilitary troops

NEW DELHI: Government today said service conditions and related welfare initiatives for paramilitary troops serving in some of the most difficult areas in the country would be made better and perks enhanced.

Union Home Secretary L C Goyal, during an event of border guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) here, said he has put in a "strong" word with the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) to give better allowances to these troops who are one of the main stakeholders in the country's security grid.

Goyal said the Home Ministry was very much "concerned" about the welfare and serving conditions of the jawans and troops of forces like CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB and recently when he met the CPC, he told them that everyone was able to do their job in the country peacefully because these jawans are on the borders performing their duty in hard and harsh conditions.

"The CPC Chairman assured me," Goyal said, "that when their recommendations come they would not be found "wanting" in ensuring these benefits to the about 8 lakh troops of these forces."

The top bureaucrat in the internal security domain said he keeps reiterating to his officers in the Ministry that when they look at the files of these force, they should do that with "sensitivity" as it is just not a piece of paper but behind them are the lives of the jawans and their families.

The Secretary said he will "see it through" that they (troops) are allowed to retain their hard area allowance when they are off-duty like during earned leave or casual leave period.

"This is not fair....I am taking it up with the government that these allowances are provided to you," he said while flagging off a mountaineering expedition of ITBP to Mount Saser Kangro-III in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

He added that the about 60,000 personnel strong ITBP will soon be given "some additional border guarding role" but did not elaborate.

It is understood that the mountain-trained force, tasked currently to secure the 3,488km India-China border, may be asked to guard India-Myanmar frontier, taking the task away from Assam Rifles.

Goyal praised ITBP for "effective vigil" of the border they are securing as he urged it to involve the border population in their tasks and create a sense of self-confidence and participation with the mainstream amongst them.

The 36-member ITBP expedition team is expected to scale the summit the peak sometime in late September this year.

The force has conducted numerous successful expeditions to Indian peaks apart from the world's tallest-- Mount Everest--and it does these exercises as part of their job as their deployment is largely in icy areas at India-China border where border posts are on altitudes ranging from 9,000ft-18,700feet.