HIRING OF IPS OFFICERS FROM FORCES OKAYED

From The Pioneer

Saturday, 18 May 2013 | Abraham Thomas | New Delhi

The policy of the Government to recruit IPS officers from Defence and paramilitary forces at SP and DIG level got the approval of the Gauhati High Court recently after the notification on the subject issued on August 29, 2011 was quashed by the Guwahati Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

Though this decision is open for challenge in the Supreme Court, the May 14 High Court decision upheld the new process to recruit IPS officers through a limited competitive examination, unheard of in the past. The Indian Police Service (Recruitment) Rules 1954 so far provided for a national-level competitive examination or by promotion of substantive members of state police service. A new category was added under Rule 4(1)(b) of the 1954 Rules to allow any officer from State police, paramilitary or Defence forces with five years minimum experience to be recruited as IPS by writing a Limited Competitive Examination (LCE).

Using the Bhagwad Gita as a management tool

From The Times Of India

May 18, 2013

NEW DELHI: The latest match-fixing scandal is another chapter in the sorry saga of corruption which has embroiled India. In an attempt to bring back core values to society, management schoolsare now using ancient texts to bring about a slow change in society. And they are reaching out where it matters first and most — teachers and principals who nurture children. 

In a workshop - Gurukul for Gurus — held here from May 16-18 for some 200 principals, IIM-Kozhikode's director Prof Debashis Chatterjee, harked back to the Bhagwad Gita which could bring back the honesty and integrity so lacking in society nowadays. 

"Bhagwad Gita's time has come," says Prof Chatterjee, "It is not a religious manual as much as a manual of practice. The advice given by Krishna to Arjuna during the Mahabharata when he was despairing about the prospect of massacring his relatives is relevant even today. It tells you how to regain your equanimity in a war-like situation." These value systems were taught to teachers across India and the Gulf. The wisdom of the ancient world is relevant in today's anxiety-ridden world, be it business, politics or teaching, he says. 

HC upholds Centre's notification on recruitment of IPS officers

From The Times Of India
TNN | May 16, 2013

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati high court on Tuesday set aside the previous judgment of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Guwahati bench, and upheld the Centre's notification on the proposed recruitment of IPS officers from the army and central paramilitary forces through limited competitive exam across the country.

In September last year, the CAT had quashed the Centre's notification on the proposed recruitment after six officers of Assam Police challenged the amendments to the Indian Police Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954. The petitioners argued that the inclusion of officers as feeder category for appointment to IPS under the amendment is devoid of any cogent nexus with the objectives sought to be achieved.

केन्द्रीय सशस्त्र पुलिस बलों (BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB, AR, ITBP) को गृह मंत्रालय का तोहफ़ा

Bikaners.com News Portal

बीकानेर 17  मई ! सीमा सुरक्षा बल बीकानेर सैक्टर के उपमहानिरीक्षक श्री दिनेश पाल सिंह के अनुसार गृह मंत्रालय ,भारत सरकार ने केन्द्रीय सशस्त्र पुलिस बलों के कार्मिकों के लिए चार विभिन्न गाड़ियों में 64 सीटों  का एक वातानुकूलित कोच विशेष रूप से लगवाया है !इस कोच का एक साल का किराया गृह मंत्रालय ने रेलवे बोर्ड को जमा करवा दिया है !
इन चार गाड़ियों में से एक गाडी "अवध आसाम एक्सप्रेस " है जो की लालगढ़ से चलकर गोहाटी तक जाती है !
सीमा सुरक्षा बल , क्षेत्रीय मुख्यालय ,बीकानेर को इस गाडी के विशेष कोच के लिए अधिकृत नोडल एजेंसी नियुक्त किया गया है ! इस कोच में सीमा सुरक्षा बल के अलावा केन्द्रीय रिजर्व  पुलिस बल ,सी आई एस ऍफ़ , एस.एस.बी , असाम राइफल और भारत सीमा तिब्बत पुलिस के जवान  और अधिकारी बिना किसी किराए के यात्रा कर सकेंगे !
लालगढ़ ,बीकानेर से यह कोच 19मई 2013 को शाम 07.45 पे अवध आसाम एक्सप्रेस के साथ लगेगा ! सीमा सुरक्षा बल , सीमान्त राजस्थान के महानिरीक्षक श्री पी.सी मीना इस कोच कोझंडी दिखा कर रवाना करेंगे !
यदि बीकानेर क्षेत्र में केन्द्रीय सशस्त्र पुलिस बल का कोई कार्मिक इस कोच में यात्रा करना चाहता है तो सीमा सुरक्षा बल , सैक्टर बीकानेर के सहायक कमान्डेंट विजेंद्र शर्मा या  इंस्पेक्टर जल सिंह  से यात्रा की तारीख से एक दिन पूर्व संपर्क कर सकता है  !
http://www.bikaners.com/Bikaner/central-armed-railway-police-force-bikaner-railway

BSF, CRPF officers want government to treat them as 'organised cadre'

From The Economic Times
23 Apr, 2013,
NEW DELHI: The officers of paramilitary forces of CRPF, BSF and ITBP on Tuesday sought the the Delhi High Court to direct the government to treat them as "organisedcadre" and grant them the benefits of non-functional financial up-gradation. 

Appearing for the officers before the bench of justices Gita Mittal and Deepa Sharma, senior advocate Vivek Tankha submitted that "non-functional financial up-gradation (NFU) is given to all other group cadre 'A' organised services but these officers were denied saying they have not been accorded organised service status." 

The senior counsel also argued that the officers from paramilitary forces are facing stagnation not only because of lack of adequate promotional posts but also because a majority of the higher posts of the top hierarchy had been filled up by deputations (IPS officers) who have failed to take adequate steps for career progression of the cadre officers.

BSF seizes heroin worth Rs 95 crore at Indo-Pak border

From ZeeNews.Com

 April 16, 2013,

Zee Media Bureau

Amritsar: The Border Security Force (BSF) is reported to have seized heroin worth Rs 95 crores at the Indo-Pakistan border near here.

The heroin weighing 19 kilograms was seized in the Khemkaran sector.

Sources said BSF personnel also seized fake currency worth Rs 5 lakh.

It has been reported that the drug peddlers were using a 10-feet-long pipe to throw the heroin from across the border.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/bsf-seizes-heroin-worth-rs-95-crore-at-indo-pak-border_842453.html

BSF declares 2013 as 'Year of the Jawan'

From ZeeNews.Com
Tuesday, April 16, 2013

New Delhi: In a first of its kind scheme to reach out and help lakhs of its troops, country's second largest paramilitary force BSF has decided to observe 2013 as the 'Year of the Jawan'. 

During the year, better healthcare and financial services would be provided to these men and women guarding strategic Indian frontiers, a senior Border Security Force officer said. 

The jawans and families of the border guarding force will be given priority loans for education of children while all construction work in forward posts will be done first for the jawans and then for the officers. 

Meritorious children of the troopers will now get scholarships sponsored by the force headquarters similar to the Prime Minister's scholarship for wards of central paramilitary forces. 

BSF helicopter fired at by Naxals, second incident this year

From The Economic Times
17 Apr, 2013
RAIPUR: A BSF helicopter, involved in lifting commandos conducting anti-Naxal operations, was today fired at by Naxalites in the jungles of south Bastar in Chhattisgarh, officials said. 

The Mi-17 helicopter suffered bullet shots in the cockpit area but landed safely with the last passenger load of 'Greyhound' commandos in Andhra Pradesh's Bhadrachalam in Khammam district, senior officials involved in the operation said. 

The helicopter was pressed for troop evacuation after the commando squad conducted an anti-Maoist operation in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh yesterday where ten Naxals were killed. 

High court issues order against existing promotion system in BSF

From IndLaw.com

The Agartala bench of Guwahati High Court today issued an interim order in favour of executive level officers of Border Security Force(BSF), while directing Union Home Ministry and Director General(DG) of BSF to review the existing promotion system in the force.

A two-member bench of the High Court heard the case, filed against BSF's top brass, who were from Indian Police Service, (IPS) by a group of junior level officers of the force.

According to the report, one Ashok Choudhury and four other BSF officers had filed a case challenging the ongoing promotion practice of the BSF and reservation of the posts in the ranks of DIG to Director General(DG) in September 2005.

The petitioner apprised the Court that IPS cadres had been depriving the BSF officers so far as promotion was concerned and as per the norms about 40 per cent posts of DIG, 66.66 per cent posts of IG and cent per cent post of Additional DG and DG were reserved for IPS cadres who neither have the knowledge of border management nor the experience of working at field level.

Terming the present practice of promotion as "unconstitutional" and in "violation of the fundamental rights" of the field level eligible officers, petitioners complained that by making reservation at policy making level for BSF, the government was compromising with efficiency in the organisation as well as national security.

Demanding assurance of at least 50 per cent posts being opened up for the BSF officers at DIG, IG, ADG and DG level, the petitioners maintained, "Even though the cadre strength of both forces is almost the same, BSF cadres have only six posts for IG and 43 posts for DIG but no posts in the ADG or DG-level in the force, whereas IPS have 388 posts of DG, 564 posts of IG and 492 posts of DIG." "The IPS cadres are coming only at supervising level and have no experience of border management or training, which amounts to compromising on national security on the one hand and triggering conflict between policy makers and executives of the force on the other," petitioner pointed out.

Earlier, IIM Kolkata in 1993 and Bureau of Police Research and Development in 1994 had conducted study on the efficiency of BSF and suggested to keep the higher posts in the force out of reservation, the petitioners said, adding that the recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission had also contemplated allotment of the higher posts to BSF cadres.

UNI 
http://www.indlaw.com/guest/DisplayNews.aspx?158D926D-B440-49C8-9959-ABA24EE20D3C

High Court allows fresh petition against IPS entry in BSF

From TOI

TNN Jul 4, 2012, 06.13AM IST

AGARTALA: Two judges of Guwahati high court's Agartala bench directed the Border Security Force (BSF) officers to file a fresh petition within 10 days regarding entry of Indian Police Service cadres in the top positions of the force, while hearing the Ashok Kumar and Others Versus Union of India case on Tuesday.The petitioners referred to the latest enhancement of recruitment rules by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on June 5 last which has downgraded BSF officials and allowed the entry of IPS officials up to the Commandant level.

According to sources, one Ashok Choudhury and four other BSF officers had filed a case challenging the ongoing promotion practice of the BSF and reservation of the posts in the ranks of DIG to director general (DG) in September 2005. In 2008, the Guwahati high court had issued an interim order in favour of executive-level officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) while directing the Union home ministry and the DG, BSF to review the existing promotion system in higher posts.

UP abolishes VAT at all paramilitary canteens

From TOI

Vishwa Mohan, TNN Apr 11, 2013,

NEW DELHI: Police and paramilitary personnel in Uttar Pradesh will soon be able to buy goods at lower rates from the Central Police Canteen (CPC) as the state government has agreed to the Centre's demand to exempt items in these stores from the Value Added Tax(VAT).

The decision will benefit all those personnel of Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), CBI, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other central police organization who are currently posted/deployed in different parts of UP.

Welcoming the move, Union minister of state for home affairs R P N Singh on Wednesday tweeted, "Grateful to UP government for abolishing VAT at all paramilitary canteens. (I) had met the chief minister personally for this. (It) will help our jawans & their families".

Prices of various items being sold at the stores run by the central paramilitary forces will significantly come down as on some goods the VAT is as high as 20%.

The home ministry had written to all the states in 2011 to withdraw the VAT on items being sold at CPC outlets. So far, nine states, including Haryana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have withdrawn it, benefitting lakhs of central paramilitary personnel.

There are 38 CPC outlets in Delhi. Such an exemption has been available for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force personnel in military canteens here and other parts of the country for long.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-11/india/38462653_1_police-canteen-cpc-vat

First non-IPS officer to head BSF operations at Indo-Bangla border

From The Times Of IndiaPTI | Mar 31, 2013, 12.43 PM ISTKOLKATA/NEW DELHI: For the first time in its 47-year history, the Border Security Force (BSF) has appointed a non-IPS officer as its commander for the eastern theatre which guards the Indo-Bangladesh border.

1975-batch BSF cadre officer Ravi Kumar Ponoth has been promoted and appointed as the new Additional Director General (ADG) for the forces' eastern theatre which is tasked to guard the 4,096-km Indo-Bangladesh border, official sources in the forces' frontier headquarters in Kolkata said.

The post of ADG is usually occupied by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and the cadre officers of the paramilitary rarely get an opportunity to head this top post, third in the hierarchy of the border guarding force after the Director General (DG) and Special DG, both posts reserved for senior IPS officers.

The incumbent of this post, IPS officer B D Sharma, has been transferred to the BSF headquarters in New Delhi.

Ponoth, till now serving as Inspector General (IG) of the BSF South Bengal frontier, will take charge tomorrow in Kolkata.

He is only the third BSF officer to be elevated to the post of ADG and the two earlier officers had served in headquarter units and not at an operational formation.

The officer has served in all the duty theatres of the force ranging from anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Counter-Insurgency in the North East and anti-Naxal operation duties in Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Ponoth, an acknowledged master trainer in the BSF, is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington in Tamil Nadu.

He will, however, be in charge for only two months as he is scheduled to retire in May this year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/First-non-IPS-officer-to-head-BSF-operations-at-Indo-Bangla-border/articleshow/19304269.cms?intenttarget=no