AGRA: Nearly six months after Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced that families of paramilitary personnel killed in the line of duty would get Rs 1 crore each, a reply by his ministry to an RTI query has revealed that no such proposal has been made.The fact emerged, after RTI activist Nutan Thakur, wife of IPS Amitabh Thakur, sought a reply from MHA on the home minister's announcement for paramilitary forces, which he made while addressing the 'Sainik Sammelan' of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force at the Sherathang border outpost in Sikkim in May.According to RTI (copy with TOI) reply by Sreyasi Chaudhuri, chief public information officer (CPIO) of resettlement and welfare directorate, MHA, "There is no information available with the ministry for Rs 1 crore compensation for martyr's family. "When Nutan raised the issue before the first appellate authority, RK Mitra, joint secretary, Police-II of MHA claimed in a written reply, that the CPIO response was in order and there are no such proposals presently pending in the MHA.On July 19 responding to a question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for home Kiren Rijju said, "Several number of benefits are given to the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles personnel, including to the family members of those who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. These benefits include ex-gratia lump sum compensation of Rs 35 lakh for death on active duty (during operations) and Rs 25 lakh for death on duty and liberalised family pension facilities among others to the families of paramilitary personnel. "According to annual report of MHA, 1,970 security force personnel were killed in action more than a decade between the period of 2002 to 2016.

Source: Times of India October 25, 2017 15:22 UTC