When Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Jharkhand on September 23, he rode a motorcycle to a Central Reserve Police Force camp in the Naxal-infested Saranda forests and got a reality check. A group of livid CRPF constables spoke their mind out on what is plaguing the country’s largest counter-insurgency force.“We do not even have bullet-proof patkas (lighter head gear)…how do we raise our heads from crawling positions while fighting Naxals?” Singh was asked. Another constable told him how a ‘risk allowance’ given to him to fight the Naxals was deducted from his salary for the days he was on leave.When Singh returned to Delhi, he asked for a committee to be set up urgently to revamp the 3-lakh strong force. The minister knows the war against the Maoists hinges on the performance of the CRPF, which has deployed 1 lakh men to combat the Naxals.“CRPF needs a thorough surgery,” an official of the Ministry of Home Affairs said, adding that 81% of the force is engaged in high-intensity conflict theatres: 37% are fighting in remotely located Naxal areas, 28% are combating militancy in Jammu & Kashmir and 16% are countering insurgency in the North East. There are “serious problems” with the CRPF as it is largely treated as a “Chalte Raho Pyaare Force,” given its frequent deployments, says former Border Security Force Director General Prakash Singh , an expert on Naxals.The CRPF’s main grouse seems to be the ‘second-class’ treatment meted out to it compared to the Indian armed forces as it says it is fighting an equal if not more persistent enemy. This perception is highlighted in a detailed memorandum that the CRPF presented to the 7th Pay Commission, which says the security paradigm has changed and fighting the enemy within the country is as vital as fighting an external threat.“After 1971, Defence Forces fought only one war (Kargil) in 1999 in which 585 soldiers were martyred, but the proxy war fanned by our enemies is rife on our soil for four decades and by now, thousands of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have sacrificed their lives in service to the nation,” the CRPF said in the memorandum, making a case for bracketing the CAPF with the defence forces for the purpose of granting higher pay, pension and compensation.“It seems the age-old secretarial mindset that CAPFs being part of civil services cannot be equated with defence forces and that defence forces must be kept one up than other services needs to be corrected,” the CRPF said. The memorandum paints a worrisome picture of disenchantment in the CRPF ranks. The force admits its “inability to retain personnel,” which is reflected in the number of troops leaving the force. From 2006 to May this year, 30,346 people quit the CRPF with or without pension benefits, “which is an alarming rate of 3,793 personnel annually,” the memorandum says.“It will be no exaggeration to say that anyone who is offered service in the rank in state police leaves the force promptly,” it says. Also serving men invariably queue up for deputation to other organisations, signaling deep dissatisfaction within the CRPF. “It is a stark reality that whenever willingness for deputation to organisations where the minimum comfort levels are assured is called for, it attracts a large number of volunteers,” the CRPF admits. A single deputation post can attract as many as 40 applicants.The CRPF blames it on the poor compensation package, which “does not even take care” of the essential needs of the personnel. “It is felt that present pay structure has failed to recruit and retain persons of right calibre,” the memorandum says.According to the government, 16,523 people, or about 1.47% of the force strength per year, quit the CRPF from 2009 to 2012, which is “normal and acceptable.” The CRPF has taken steps to improve working conditions -- such as implementing a rational and fair leave policy, regulating hours to ensure adequate rest and relief and improved living conditions for troops and their families, the ministry said in response to a question in Parliament in July.The CRPF has highlighted the poor service conditions in the force. A survey showed that only 42% of the wards of CRPF personnel in the age group of 18 and above study beyond the matriculation level. In 2013-14, a CRPF employee was able to stay with his wife and children for 30 days in a year on average, according to the survey. A large number of personnel could not avail of a static posting or stay with families during their entire service period.“The percentage of our personnel who could not avail static posting is as high as 90%. The satisfaction level of family accommodation in the CRPF is only 13%, which means that 87% of the personnel are not provided any family accommodation,” the memorandum says.The force says that as many as 50% of its personnel live under canvas or in huts, without any consideration for basic privacy. On an average, a CRPF person works for 12-14 hours a day without any extra compensation. More than 80% of the personnel cannot avail of breaks on holidays and Sundays and the system does not provide for compensatory leave.The CRPF had 8,282 cases of malaria in the past five years that resulted in 102 deaths. In addition, the frequent movement of CRPF companies from one terrain to another and from one climate zone to another is “traumatising” and causes considerable stress.“During the last year alone, 1,160 companies have moved from one place to another 1,268 times. The movement is at short notice, from hot to cold areas and from normal to extreme climatic conditions,” the CRPF says.Former BSF chief Singh says there has been a huge expansion of the CRPF in the past five years without a corresponding increase in benefits.“CRPF has galloped to strength of over 3 lakh men in a very short span of time. There is a major structural problem here as you have lot of manpower at constable level due to rapid recruitment but not enough officers or equipment of facilities. I feel the top leadership of the force also leaves a lot to be desired. CRPF needs a director general who can spend time with them deep inside camps in jungles and hence motivate them,” Singh told ET.A senior CRPF official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said CRPF DGs do make it a point to visit the forces in remote camps to motivate them. “The former CRPF DG, Vijay Kumar , was known to be out in the field more than he was in Delhi,” the official said.The CRPF, in its memorandum, says the problems are more intrinsic in nature. “Basically, the force is employed as a coercive arm of government and has negative image in the eyes of the local people. The reserve character of the force exacerbates this problem. While other security forces sometimes have a peoplefriendly role, CRPF is mostly employed in times of crisis and therefore, is always perceived to be harsh. It is rare that CRPF is employed in people-friendly roles. This generates antagonism. This adversarial relationship is demoralising and stressful,” the CRPF says. Rajnath Singh certainly has his hands full when it comes to motivating the CRPF to win the war against the Naxals.