States To Pay More For Availing Paramilitary Services As Home Ministry Tweaks Policy On Fixation Of Deployment Charges

States and union territories will have to pay around 10 per cent more each year till 2024 to secure the services of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) as the Ministry of Home Affairs has reviewed the policy on fixation of deployment charges for various duties.

The Home Ministry, however, makes exception for the northeastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Left Wing Extremism-affected states, asking them only to pay 10 per cent of the total charges of CAPF deployment.

The ministry urged states and union territories to "ensure necessary heads are opened in their budget, if not existing, to facilitate regular payment of deployment charges".

The ministry has also asked to rationalise the deployment charges of CAPFs, which comprises of - Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Assam Rifles, National Security Guard and Sashastra Seema Bal.

Apart from counter-insurgency operations in troubled states and conflict zones, states ask MHA to provide paramilitary forces for various law and order, rescue and relief operations and security arrangements.

"A comprehensive review of existing policy was conducted in the ministry and it has been decided to fix the rates of CAPFs deployment charges per battalion - comprising of seven companies - in addition to the actual cost of transportation or movement of the battalion for next five years," sources in the ministry said.

As per revised charges, for 2019-2020, the ministry will recover Rs 13.70 crore per annum for a battalion deployed in normal areas, Rs 25.18 crore per annum for high risk and moderate hardship zone and Rs 34.26 per annum from high risk and high hardship zone.

In 2020-2021, the ministry would recover Rs 15.40 crore per annum for normal areas, Rs 26.88 crore per annum for high risk and moderate hardship zones and 35.96 per annum from high risk and high hardship zones.

In 2021-2022, again the charges would be Rs 17.36 crore per annum for normal areas, Rs 28.85 crore per annum for high risk and moderate hardship zone and Rs 37.93 per annum from high risk and high hardship areas.

Similarly, for 2022-2023, the ministry would charge Rs 19.85 crore per annum for normal areas, Rs 31.13 crore for high risk and moderate hardship are and Rs 40.21 per annum from high risk and high hardship zones.

In 2023-2024, the ministry would recover Rs 22.30 crore per annum for normal areas, Rs 33.78 crore per annum from high risk and moderate hardship zones and Rs 42.86 per annum from high risk and high hardship zones.

The sources said "union territories not having legislatures will be exempted from making payment of deployment charges."

The ministry has stated that states and union territories are required to bear the cost of suitable and adequate accommodation and allied facilities such as water and power supply and others for contingent deployment and "the scheme does not provide for any reimbursement of such cost by the central government."

"The strength of each company should not be less than 90 and if the strength is less than 90 the charges should be proportionately reduced," the ministry states. The ministry has also given rebate to the states making payment within the due date.

The concerned paramilitary forces will raise the bill for the deployment charges on behalf of the government to the states and union territories on quarterly basis by the end of the month.

"The payments received from the borrowing states and union territories within 90 days from the date of claim shall get rebate of five per cent and delay would attract a cumulative quarterly penalty of 2.5 per cent," sources said.

The ministry has stated that next revision of deployment charges would be done in 2024 and till then until informed the charges would be as per the currently revised rates.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)