india

Updated: Feb 24, 2019 22:09 IST

The Union home ministry has hiked by 47% to 78% the risk and hardship allowance given to central paramilitary personnel serving in the most volatile regions of the country, an official said on Sunday.

The government’s move, which comes days after a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir killed 40 troopers of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy, enhances the allowance for troops up to the rank of inspector from ~9,700 to ~17,300 per month. For officers, the amount has been increased from ~16,900 to ~25,000, said CRPF spokesperson M Dhinakaran.

“It is a recognition of risk and hardship that the troops face serving in the most challenging regions,” he said.

The ministry also reclassified violence-hit districts in Jammu and Kashmir and areas hit by Left-wing extremism (LWE) to the top bracket of “R1H1”, which makes defence personnel eligible for the maximum risk and hardship allowance, the spokesperson said.

The decision comes days after the government announced that all paramilitary personnel deployed in Jammu and Kashmir will be entitled to take free commercial flights to either join duty or go on leave.

“The ministry issued orders in this regard on February 22,” said the CRPF spokesperson.

The Jammu and Kashmir districts reclassified to the “R1H1” category are Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Badgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kuwara, Bandipora and Srinagar. Those added from the LWE-hit districts are Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh; Latehar in Jharkahnd; Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, and Malkangiri in Odisha.

Dhinakaran said that with the reclassification, about 88,000 additional CRPF troopers will get the hardship allowance.