Two decades and half have gone by when externally sponsored and internally abetted armed insurgency bedeviled the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Our neighbour, having dismally failed to grab Kashmir through various stratagems including war, embarked on the miss-adventure of initiating proxy war in 1990, which continues down to the present day at various levels and with varying intensity.
Among a slew of anti-terrorism measures, one, which the Government adopted, was of raising Village Defence Councils (VDCs) and Special Police Officers (SPOs). Youth from selective areas, especially the hilly tracts of Chenab Valley, and the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, were inducted into the VDCs. Government gave them weapons, and a semblance of training in handling the weapons and general rules and modalities of ensuring security of their respective villages and areas. Response of the VDCs has been palpable, and in some cases, youth have volunteered to work as SPOs even without asking for remuneration. Hindsight shows that these patriotic youth have rendered exemplary services to the nation in keeping vigil on the movement of terrorists, confronting them at so many places and times and foiling their bid of attacking their targets. Government awarded some of them bravery medals and certificates and they have done pride to the nation.
However, it is the question of the amount of emoluments paid to them for their services. The VDCs are required to share their emoluments with the SPOs. At present a VDC is paid three thousand rupees a month, which he is required to share with SPOs and at the end of the day, the VDC does not get more than Rs. 1200/- a month as his remuneration. Despite several promises of increasing emoluments of VDCs and SPOs, they remain stuck up with the peanuts they get. Three thousand rupees a month is a cruel joke in these days of price rise. During its election campaign and soon after the formation of the NDA Government, the VDCs and SPOs raised their voice demanding increase in their emoluments to reasonable level. Giving recognition to their contribution the anti-terrorism operations, MHA considered doubling the emoluments to six thousand rupees. However, despite most of the concerned at leadership level, viz. Home Ministry and Finance Ministry making promises and exuding sweet words of raising the emoluments, nothing actually has been done beyond passing the buck. What is needed is taking concrete steps to ease the tight situation in which these less publicized managers of security are placed. The situation continues to be grim. The State Government has washed its hands off the matter under the pretext that security is Central Government’s concern and it has no funds to spare. With this very apathetic attitude of the State Government, the VDCs and SPOs have no alternative but to make repeated supplications to the MHA. Even the MOS in PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh, who hails from Kathua constituency, has put in personal effort at the highest level to resolve the issue in favour of the village defence council members but has not succeeded so far. We strongly support the demand of the VDCs and SPOs. This is also the voice of the civil society in Jammu and as such, we hope the authorities at the level of central Government will take a final decision on the pending case without further delay.
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