NEW DELHI: In an alarming trend, number of jawans and officers leaving central paramilitary forces for better career opportunities has increased almost five times since 2015.
According to the latest ministry of home affairs figures, tabled in the parliament, 14,587 personnel including gazetted officers of central paramilitary forces – CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF and Assam Rifles have resigned or taken voluntary retirement from service in 2017 as compared to only 3,422 in 2015.
The statistics reveal an increasing trend, particularly in the two largest forces – CRPF and BSF, crucial for border and internal security of the country. While 11,198 personnel have left BSF, which guards India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh since 2015, 10,620 gave up their jobs in CRPF – responsible for law and order duty and fighting extremists in left wing affected states, Jammu and Kashmir and north east.
While government has been claiming to work for the welfare of central armed police forces, the trend shows that maximum number of people have left the service in last two years. For example, number of Constables/head constables and other lower staff in CRPF who left the force in 2015 was only 1,156 but in 2017, 4,154 jawans decided to leave.
Similarly, while only 35 gazetted officers had left CRPF in 2015, 59 such officers left the force last year.
BSF, which was in the middle of a controversy over bad quality food given to jawans as alleged by suspended Constable Tej Bahadur Yadav, is the worst hit when it comes to attrition.
Out of 11,198 personnel who left the border guarding force, 5,505 jawans, 839 subordinate officers and 71 gazetted officers resigned or took VRS last year while this number only 741 jawans, 132 subordinate officers and 36 gazetted officers had left the force in 2015.
In all, 27,862 jawans/officers of central paramilitary forces have taken voluntary retirement and resigned since 2015 till January 31 this year.
The trend has increased since then every year with almost twice the jawans/officers leaving these forces. In 2016, 8912 total jawans/subordinates/gazetted officers left the central forces while the number reached 14,587 last year. This year, 744 personnel have already left the service till January 31.
TOI spoke to several serving and retired officers in central paramilitary forces. Former CRPF chief – K Durga Prasad said, “Life in central paramilitary forces is extremely hard. These boys and girls don’t get time for their families and they are posted in areas with awful living conditions, zero connectivity. You look at CRPF, these men are in left wing affected states with no roads and they travel to a road for months for its construction but it takes 18 months or years for administration to complete the work while men die. They lose their limbs, die every day on the job.”
Prasad said that CAPF personnel work in high stress and don’t get bare minimum facilities.
“Some personnel also sought voluntary retirement to enjoy a static life as well as pensionary benefits after completing 20 years of service,” the minister said.
