Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 1: Minister In-charge Home Department today said that a proposal for enhancement of the honorarium of SPOs was being pursued with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
In reply to the question of G M Saroori and Bharat Bhushan, the Minister said, “a proposal for enhancement of the honorarium of SPOs from existing Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for consideration and the matter is being pursued vigorously”.
About the regularization of their services, the Minister said that State Government has formulated a comprehensive policy for absorption/conversion of SPOs as constables and followers with minimum three years of continuous engagement. He said that 1852 SPOs have been absorbed in the J&K Police as constables and followers since 2009 under the existing rehabilitation policy.
“At present 25,474 SPOs are working in the Police Department out of whom 23577 are working in different districts and the remaining 1897 SPOs are working in other wings/units of the police”, the Minister said, adding “SPOs including those working with the Village Defence Committees are paid a monthly honorarium of Rs 3000 per month”.
The Minister said that Government has terminated the services of 7,030 Special Police Officers (SPOs) since 2009. Of these, 1,292 SPOs have been terminated from services in 2009, followed by 1,535 SPOs in 2010, 2,067 in 2011, 1,917 in 2012 and 219 this year, he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that SPOs were set up as a frontline security to assist police and security forces in anti-militancy operations and to provide security to people and villages in remote and mountainous belts from militants along with Village Defence Committee (VDC) members in the peak of militancy 15 years back.
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