CAPFs ask for new system to ‘weed out’ unfit

New Delhi, March 24

The central paramilitary forces have asked the government to bring a new assessment system that would annually “weed out” unfit personnel as over 55,000 troops in their combat ranks are in the “low medical category”. 

The recommendation was made after the Union Home Ministry, under which these internal security forces function, recently held a meeting with all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) at the North Block here. The six CAPFs are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Assam Rifles. 

The meeting was called in the wake of a recent Delhi High Court directive to increase the retirement age of jawans and officers, up to the rank of commandant, in these forces from 57 to 60 years, like that in the CISF and Assam Rifles. The court had called the current policy of different age of superannuation in four paramilitary forces — CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB — as “discriminatory and unconstitutional” and said it created two classes in the uniformed forces.

While all the forces, except the CRPF, said they had no problems in enhancing the superannuation age of their combat troops, they raised concern over the fallout of this move as they needed to have young blood and an agile workforce to guard the country’s borders and undertake anti-naxal and counter-terror operations.

The CRPF, which is undertaking new initiatives to enhance its operational effectiveness post the February 14 Pulwama attack, said it would be unviable for it to have accumulation of older personnel as the maximum of its battalions are operationally deployed all times and have very less peace-time duties.  

It said it would have more low-medical-category (LMC) cases if the retirement age of personnel, up to the commandant rank, is increased from 57 to 60 years.  The forces, after the meeting, recommended to the government that “in case the retirement age is raised to 60 years, it may be explored if a system is put in place to make yearly assessment to weed out those who are not fit to continue in the force consistent with its objective.” —  PTI