All face similar challenges, hardships
Sanjeev K. Sharma
JAMMU, Nov 18: Though all of them work in same risky conditions yet there are variations in risk and hardship allowance (RHA) being paid to different security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT) with J&K Police (JKP) getting a meager amount.
It is pertinent to mention here that J&K UT has International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) with belligerent neighbour Pakistan while the UT of Ladakh which was carved out of erstwhile J&K State on August 5, 2019 has border with China and LoC with Pakistan.
As the menace terrorism and border skirmishes has badly affected J&K, many security forces apart from Indian Army and local JKP have been deployed here for the last about four decades to maintain peace and in doing so many of the personnel of these forces have been martyred.
Despite the fact that all these forces face similar type of challenge and hardship, yet, there are variations in RHA being paid to them.
An Inspector rank policeman of JKP informed that Rs. 175 is being paid to him per month as risk allowance and his hardship allowance remained 10 per cent of his basic salary.
Sources in police department informed that hardship allowance of 10 per cent of the basic salary in the force is same for all the ranks.
Similar were the views of Ajit Singh—a retired Sub-Inspector and president of Association of retired non-gazetted personnel of JKP who said that hardship allowance of other forces in J&K is about 34 per cent.
Sources in Army informed that RHA in the force depends upon the area of deployment and is different for the areas of peace, counter insurgency/counter terrorism (CI/CT) and high altitude.
They informed that in places like Jammu, RHA is paid for deployments even at places like Nagrota, Domana and Sunjwan.
Sources said that RHA also varies with rank and is not same for all the personnel of Army.
“It is Rs. 6000 for Junior Commissioner Officers and Other Ranks and Rs. 10500 for officers in peace,” they said adding that it is not paid for every posting in Jammu but is more at border and LoC posting.
“In places like Siachen it is 42500 for officers and 30000 for Junior Commissioner Officers and Other Ranks,” the sources maintained.
They said that at places like Poonch, which is a CI/CT Zone along with a high altitude Zone, the amount is clubbed to make a total amount.
As per CRPF sources, troops upto the rank of Inspector are paid Rs. 17,300 per month while an officer is paid Rs. 25,000 in J&K.
BSF sources informed that RHA to their personnel is different for different places and is decided by the Central Government after categorizing the places of deployment as normal, hard, very hard and extreme hard.
“All these categories exist in J&K and there are different amounts for different categories. Apart from this high altitude places are further categorized as first and second class,” BSF sources informed.
They said that maximum amount paid for deployment at tough places is about Rs. 25,000 at LoC and snow bound areas in J&K.
“Places of all these categories are there in Jammu. At IB in Samba and Kathua the personnel of BSF are paid about Rs. 16900 and this amount increases with height above the sea level,” sources informed adding that in Punjab RHA is less and further less in Rajasthan where the personnel gets about Rs. 9000-10,000 and in Jammu this amount reaches Rs. 17,000 for officers as well as for Jawans.
“In Rajouri and Poonch it increases to Rs. 25,000 while in Kashmir it is still more,” they maintained.
However, an officer once deputed in Uri sector (Kashmir) said that he was then getting Rs. 9,000 there while his counterpart in army with similar rank was getting Rs. 32,000 though both were deputed at same hard Zone.
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