Author: Girish Kuber
Publication: The Economic Times
Date: July 17, 2006
URL: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1762200.cms
Introduction: State doesn't have enough money
to buy even uniforms for cops
Maharashtra may be the richest state and home
to the country's financial capital where some of the wealthiest live. But
it doesn't have enough funds to pay for its police personnel's uniforms and
rainwear.
The home ministry, the crucial arm of any
government appears to be the most poorly fed. This was brought to light by
state home minister RR Patil himself.
"The paucity of funds is so severe that
I had to beg with some industrial houses to get raincoats and uniforms sponsored
for Mumbai police," Mr Patil told the assembly last week. Mr Patil has
a point. A close look at the state's budgetary allocation over the last six
years does indicate the steady decline in home ministry's allocation that
has as many as 25 heads.
Various agencies such as home guards, tourist
police, civil defence, prisons besides police come under the home ministry.
In 1999-2000, the ministry received around 6.82% of the total budget expenditure,
which slipped to 4.96% in '04-05.
Though in '05-06 it went up by a notch to
5.78% in absolute terms, it was still lower than the 1999-2000. Actual expenditure
on police has always remained lower than the revised budget estimates except
in '99-00. In '99-00, against the revised budgetary estimates of Rs 2,654
crore, the actual expenditure was Rs 2,704 crore. In the following year, it
was Rs 2,404 crore against revised estimates of Rs 2,614 crore.
For the last two years, the gap between these
two has been around Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore. "We receive mere Rs
1 of the every Rs 100 being spent by the state," a senior official noted.
The numbers suggest that a large part of the allocation goes in paying wages,
leaving hardly anything for training, modernisation and acquiring new weapons.
The home ministry's outgo on police modernisation
was just about Rs 5 crore which is around 1.7% of its budgetary allocation.
And it had Rs 14 crore and Rs 13 crore for training and computerisation respectively.
In five years between '00-05, the home ministry was allocated Rs 877 for modernisation
of its forces.
However, the money available was to the tune
of Rs 654 crore which is 25% less than promised. More pathetic are figures
under the head 'Police Welfare'. The numbers suggest that the state allots
only Rs 138 per head per year for, what according to it, is forces' welfare.
The state is committed to provide housing
for all personnel associated with the police. But only half of the 40,000-strong
force has been provided houses in Mumbai. For the rest, it is a daily journey
from far flung suburbs to the town. When it comes to the state, the government
needs to raise 70,000 houses if it wishes to provide accommodation to its
constabulary.
Add to this severe shortage of manpower the
state home ministry has been facing. The gap between sanctioned posts and
actual recruited has shot up to 13,000 as the budgetary constrains prevent
fresh recruitment. The shortfall in this means less number of people for policing.
According to official statistics, only one
third of the total staff strength of nearly 1.5 lakhs are available for policing.
Rest are engaged in providing security, ferrying criminals, couriering summons
and such sundry jobs. Having come under attack for its poor policing record
from none other than the Prime Minister after recent terror attacks, Maharashtra
government is facing pressure to release more funds for the home ministry.
