New Delhi: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have to be granted better pay benefits in accordance with the enhanced status given to them by the Supreme Court, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has told the Ministry of Home Affairs.
This will put officers of the CAPF — including CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and NSG — on a par with their counterparts from the IAS, IPS and other Group ‘A’ services.
Responding to queries by the ministry, the DoPT said CAPFs should be given Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) in accordance with the Organised Group ‘A’ Status recently granted to them, ThePrint has learnt. The response was given on a file approved by the DoPT secretary, which was sent back to the ministry last week.
This means that CAPFs’ recruitment rules will have to be revised in accordance with their new status — an issue that has led to a months-long battle between the CAPF officers and their Indian Police Service (IPS) counterparts.
However, since revision of the recruitment rules is a long-drawn exercise, the DoPT has asked the ministry to give a one-time exemption in granting NFFU for the time being. This would mean that officers from these forces are given NFFU by relaxing the rules temporarily until the time they are upgraded.
The DoPT has also asked the ministry to upgrade the rules by January 2020.
Also read: Stop publicising standoff with IPS officers on social media, Home Ministry tells CAPFs
Why rules need revision
A 2009 circular of the DoPT states that in organised ‘Group A’ services appointments up to the position of SDG can take place only through promotion from the cadre, and lateral entry or appointment through deputation is only permissible if the former is not possible.
What this means is that if the recruitments rules of the CAPFs are upgraded, the deputation of IPS officers in top positions in these forces would come to an end — an eventuality that IPS officers are vehemently opposed to.
In February, the Supreme Court ruled that officers from the CAPFs will be granted NFFU and other pay benefits, which their counterparts in all organised Group ‘A’ services are entitled to. Subsequently, in July, the Union Cabinet gave its nod to the proposal.
The CAPFs believe that the grant of this status has to be followed by an upgradation of the recruitment rules, without which the grant of the status would be meaningless. However, their IPS counterparts believe that doing so is not necessary.
The seemingly minor technicality has led to a full-fledged battle between the cadre officers of the CAPFs and IPS officers, with the former writing hundreds of letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the home secretary, and taking to social media to draw attention to their grievances.
As reported by ThePrint, home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla met senior CAPF officials for the first time last week since the impasse began. While he assured the officers that the ministry would look into their grievances and address their concerns, he asked the officers to not publicise the standoff with the IPS officers on social media.
Also read: Process granting IPS pay benefits to CAPF remains mired in confusion despite SC order