With surge in militancy related incidents about the mid-nineties, the Government took certain administrative and innovative measures to counter insurgency and neutralize sabotaging elements. One of these was of creating cadres of Special Police Officers (SPOs) and Village Defence Committees (VDCs) to assist the police and security forces across the State and especially in vulnerable pockets where the militants had made conspicuous presence. The SPOs have been rendering very useful and productive service in assisting the police even at the cost of their lives. Many SPOs have given the sacrifice of their lives when the militants gunned them down on suspicion of being the informers. They have endured the ordeal at many times and their sacrifices have been recognized by the state.
But the honorarium fixed for the SPOs and VDCs is almost negligible taking into account the type of risky services they are rendering and the ordeals they are going through. Honorarium of three thousand rupees a month is just peanuts. They deserve very liberal treatment and substantial hike in their honorarium enabling them to perform their duty with more dedication. Justice demands that these persons should be regularized as police constables so that the benefits of regular Government employees also accrue to them. By and large there is sympathetic approach of authorities towards their case as can be found from the speech of the Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and also the moves made by the State Home Minister. We appreciate that the State Government takes expeditious steps in meeting out just treatment to the SPOs and VDCs who are rendering meritorious service to the nation. Their emoluments and their career should be commensurate with the type of job they are performing. The Government needs to be frugal towards the wards and dependents of the SPOs who have sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel