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