Housing satisfaction for CAPF jawans to be enhanced: Shah
New Delhi: The Modi government has decided to enhance housing satisfaction for jawans and officials of central armed police forces (CAPFs) and steps will be taken in the upcoming Budget to allocate funds for this subject, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Sunday.
Shah said this while addressing CRPF personnel during the foundation-laying ceremony for their new headquarters building here.
The minister said he has a "firm determination" to change the existing situation on various issues confronting these forces including housing.
"The housing satisfaction ratio (for CAPFs) has to increase... We have firmed up our mind on this... It will be taken up in the next Budget. We will do it," the minister said.
While the CRPF has a poor housing satisfaction of 13.75 per cent at present, the same figure for the about 10 lakh-personnel-strong CAPFs is about 25 per cent, a senior official said.
Personnel who do not get a government house are forced to stay in rented and far-off locations for which they are paid housing rent allowance (HRA).
Shah added that once housing satisfaction levels increase, it will enable him to implement an ambitious plan to ensure that each jawan of these forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB gets to spend about 100 days in an year with their family.
"By August-September next year we will have a definite action plan for initiation of a number of welfare issues for all these forces."
"My government's commitment is that while you protect us and the country, it is the duty of the government to ensure the well-being and protection of your family," he said.
The prime minister has "vowed" that this government will safeguard the families of jawans and officers on duty and will also lessen their stress.
When a CAPF jawan or an officer is tension-free about the well-being and security of his family, he or she is better motivated to do his duty, the home minister added. He also declared that families of all the CAPF jawans will be given 'e-health cards' so that their medical checkups are undertaken on a regular basis.
