According to officials, hundreds of paramilitary personnel have lost limbs or eyesight due to improvised explosive device (IED) blasts or similar incidents during operations over the past decades.
New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday announced that officers and jawans of Central paramilitary forces who lose limbs or suffer permanent disabilities during operations will continue to remain in service, receive due promotions and pay, and be provided with a one-time basic monetary package.
Union home secretary Govind Mohan made the announcement while addressing personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on the occasion of the Force’s 87th Raising Day.
A committee of officers has been constituted under the chairmanship of CRPF director general Gyanendra Pratap Singh, and is expected to finalise its recommendations and modalities for the implementation of the plan in the coming months. The committee will work to relax existing norms and ensure that officers and jawans who suffer amputations or permanent disabilities receive the same promotions and facilities they would have otherwise been entitled to, officials said.
According to officials, hundreds of paramilitary personnel have lost limbs or eyesight due to improvised explosive device (IED) blasts or similar incidents during operations over the past decades.
While very few personnel have been removed from service due to such injuries, many have been denied promotions because they no longer meet the required fitness standards, an official said.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided that jawans and officers who lose limbs or suffer permanent disabilities during operations will not be removed from service. Such personnel will be assigned to selected units of the forces, and their pay and allowances will continue until retirement,” Mohan said, adding that the “honour and respect” of these brave personnel would be upheld, and they would serve until their regular retirement with dignity.
“We will implement the best global practices in this domain, including limb replacement surgeries,” he said, adding that affected personnel will also be provided with a basic minimum monetary package, with funds sourced from an existing government scheme or the respective Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) budget.
“This is being done to assure our jawans that a strong MHA and Government of India stand firmly behind them in times of adversity,” the home secretary emphasised.
He also urged the paramilitary forces, officially referred to as CAPFs, to prepare for emerging threats and adapt to new technologies, which he described as their “biggest ally” in operations and intelligence gathering.
The home ministry will provide new technological equipment to help reduce physical and mental stress among personnel on duty, he said. Mohan referred to Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent address at a security conference, where the minister emphasised that as India's economy grows and the nation rises on the global stage, security challenges will intensify, making the role of CAPFs like the CRPF even more vital.
On improving basic amenities for troops, Mohan said he had recently toured Manipur and observed that women personnel faced issues due to a lack of essential facilities during duty movements.
He added that camps in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected regions also suffer from inadequate infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and drinking water. “The MHA will ensure that all such basic facilities are provided to the troops at the earliest,” he said.
The home secretary also noted that the MHA is supplying a range of technical gadgets, including drones capable of penetrating dense jungle foliage and detecting underground IEDs, to enhance operational capabilities.
During the event, Mohan also presented gallantry medals to CRPF personnel and to the families of those who were martyred in action.
