For last two decades, the country is faced with a new threat in the shape of armed insurgency abetted externally or internally. In particular, the low intensity war as we find in J&K has made our policy planners re-think how traditional ways of meeting this threat can be modernized and upgraded to yield maximum results. The scenario of police force meeting public uprising, violent demonstrations, surcharged rallies etc. is a different story and proxy or low intensity war is another story. Normally, police force is required to deal with events like public demonstrations and violent rallies etc. but armed insurgency and proxy war ask for special paramilitaries to deal with it. These paramilitaries are under the control of Home Ministry and are deployed in crisis situations on the demand of the states concerned. It is obvious that security forces will perform their duty with greater dedication if they have the support from the Government and the civil society not only during the in-service period but after retirement as well.
In a bold though belated decision, the Union Cabinet has now technically established the status of retired personnel from security force organizations in the country. Forces like CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB are generally called paramilitary forces. According to the cabinet decision, retired personnel from these forces will read as “ex-central police personnel”, at par with the defence forces recognition of “ex-servicemen” to its retired personnel. Much of the credit for bringing the retired paramilitary forces at par with the ex-servicemen in status goes to the Home Minister. The nature of services which the paramilitary forces are called upon to render is in no way less hazardous than those rendered by the army jawans. In particular, take the case of Kashmir militancy and disturbances in the Eastern states and we find that the personnel of these organizations have made many priceless sacrifices of their lives. They have been in the forefront of meeting the challenge of armed insurgents and terrorists in difficult and dangerous conditions.
Granting them the status of ex-servicemen will entitle the retired personnel of these forces to avail themselves of certain facilities and privileges that are reserved for former soldiers of Indian defence forces. For example, with the status of “ex-servicemen”, the retired personnel of these forces will be able to avail certain canteen and hospital facilities run by the Government while they will be able to apply for jobs in the private sector that recognise “ex-servicemen” as a trained and suitable talent for their organisations. Growing private industrial sector in the country has increasing need of security services and this provides fairly good opening for re-employment of the retired personnel from paramilitary forces. By a conservative estimate, there are about four lakh retired personnel from these forces who will be benefitted by the new nomenclature. But the significant benefit to the retired personnel of these forces will be in the shape of educational and employment facilities to their wards that are available to the wards of ex-soldiers. Their wards will also be entitled to reservations and quotas either in admission to professional institutions or in entry to Government services.
Home Minister, Shinde, who before shifting to politics had begun his career as a junior police officer, made announcement of the new status for retired staff of the paramilitary forces in a formal function in Gurgaon. Giving a proof of his happiness to have won new status for the forces, he laid the foundation stone for a new housing colony near Gurgaon for the paramilitaries at a cost of over 90 crore rupees. This gesture of the Home Minister is welcome. Entire body of security forces under the control of the Home Ministry will find the new status something like morale booster to them. They deserve it and nobody has done them any obligation.
It has to be noted that with the passage of time, we shall need more and more security forces to ensure law and order within the Indian State. Economic movement forward also brings in trail social problems which we may not have anticipated. Therefore the country has to be ready for meeting such challenges. The personnel from these organizations will not become absconders if they know their life after retirement is also secure and hassle free.
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