Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 14: Though the State Government has fixed Rs 150 bare minimum wages for a daily wager or a casual worker per day, shockingly the members of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and SPOs working in various parts of the State for years together to combat terrorism are getting much lesser amount than this.
The VDCs and SPOs in the State are waiting anxiously for the Government decision to enhance their wages for years together the proposal for which is also pending with Union Government for over a year now but to no avail.
According to sources, the Union Government has failed to hike the perks of VDCs and SPOs, the proposal for which is lying with the Union Finance Ministry for working out modalities for financial implications though the same has been in principle approved by the Union Home Ministry in August last year.
Sources said neither the previous UPA Government at Centre or previous coalition in the State have taken any keen interest to give justice to the VDCs and SPOs working in difficult conditions in the State, nor the present Government at Centre which is in office for over one year now has taken any concrete steps in this regard till date which is becoming a cause of concern not only for the families of the VDCs and SPOs but common masses at large also.
Sources said the SPOs and VDCs who have rendered a remarkable service to the State in combating terrorism especially in hilly and inaccessible areas of Jammu region and many of them have also laid down their lives or became disabled in militant attacks are a frustrated lot at present as they are unable to feed themselves and their families on a meager honorarium of Rs 3000 which an SPO gets when the prices have skyrocketed to a great extent.
However, the members of VDCs get much lesser amount than this and the case is altogether different with them, sources said, adding every VDC is attached with one, two or three SPOs as per its size and area of operation and the honorarium of these SPOs is shared by these VDCs and the maximum amount received thus by a VDC member per month at present is not more than Rs 600.
Sources said this is a grave injustice with both these SPOs and VDCs who despite dedicating themselves to the cause of nation are not being paid the bare minimum wages to make their body and soul together. Sources said in some areas there are 8 members’ VDC with two SPOs who get Rs 6000 as honorarium per month at the rate of Rs 3000 per SPOs and this amount is distributed among 10 VDC members at the Rs 600 per member, sources added.
Though after coming to power last year the NDA Government led by Narendra Modi showed some inclination in hiking the emoluments of VDCs and SPOs and the BJP Lok Sabha member from Kathua -Doda Lok Sabha Constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh took up the issue with Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh and strongly pleaded for doubling the perks of VDCs and SPOs in the State.
Mr Singh also in principle agreed to hike the perks and approved the proposal in this regard a year back. Since then the VDCs and SPOs are anxiously waiting for the hike in their emoluments but to no avail.
According to highly placed sources, the proposal for the same is with Union Finance Ministry and the financial implications involved in this regard are being worked out by Home Ministry and Finance Ministry after the State Government showed its inability to bear the expenses due to paucity of funds.
Sources said that the payment of wages to VDCs and SPOs falls under security related expenditure which is borne by Central Government for last 26 years after the militancy engulfed the State. However, after the Home Ministry agreed to double the emoluments of SPOs and VDCs in principle last year, the previous coalition in the State did not show any seriousness to pursue the case with Union Government despite the fact that the State level leaders including the Lok Sabha member from Kathua, Udhampur -Doda Constituency Dr Jitendra Singh and others took up the issue with Union Home Ministry soon after the Lok Sabha election.
Later, the issue was also taken up by BJP president and MP Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat and Minister of PHE, Irrigation and FC Ch Sukhnandan with Union Home Minister who also informed them that the proposal has been approved by his Ministry and same has been submitted to Finance Ministry for working out the modalities of financial implication, sources added.
Sources said the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh also took the personal initiative in doubling the emoluments of SPOs in the State from Rs 3000 at present to Rs 6000 and he gave his approval to the proposal also. As the proposal involves huge financial implications it has been sent to Finance Ministry for its clearance since the State Government showed its inability to bear the expenses from its own resources and the same is waiting for Union Finance Ministry’s nod.
However, after doubling the honorarium to Rs 6000, no much difference will be there for VDCs who will not get more than Rs 1200 per month, sources said, adding a strong opinion is emerging in the State especially from the civil society which is demanding that the VDCs be paid honorarium at par with SPOs otherwise it is an injustice with them.
Maintaining that they have not received any communiqué from Union Government in this regard the Minister of State for Finance, Science and Technology, Pawan Gupta said that the proposal is lying with Union Government only and State has no information about the same.
A senior police officer also said that of late they have heard of the hike in the emoluments for VDCs and SPOs by the Centre but they have not received any formal order in this regard till date.
The decision will benefit over 28,000 VDC members and almost equal number of SPOs working in militancy infested areas of the State especially in the hilly belt of Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, Ramban, Poonch and Rajouri districts who have done a yeoman’s job in combating terrorism during last two decades, sources said.
It may be recalled that the VDCs were constituted in late nineties when the terrorism was on its peak in the State and massacres of people took place in various hilly belts of Jammu region which forced the people to migrate to safer places creating a challenging situation for the Government at that time.
However, the idea of constituting the VDCs proved handy in combating militancy in the hilly belt and sending the militants to death knell. One of the strongest aspects of constituting the VDCs was that the security forces were finding it difficult to negotiate the terrain in Kishtwar and other hilly belts of the Jammu region. So it was felt to fill the gap by constituting the VDCs. However, this new experiment succeeded fully and some of the VDCs were rewarded for their exemplary bravery and valor during the anti militancy operations.
Sources said the spirit among the local people was so high that some youth readily got themselves enrolled as SPOs on nonpayment basis and they are still continuing their fight against the terrorism in the State. However, civil society in the State of late has requested that a mechanism be worked out to pay some respectable amount to such VDCs and SPOs also.
These VDC members have recently called on Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh during his visit to Katra on September 28 and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Sources said a strong opinion is also emerging in the State from certain sections of society including Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tourist Traders etc that during the forthcoming financial package for the State a separate amount be earmarked for firing victims and VDCs in the same.
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