The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has significantly increased financial rewards for informers aiding security forces in operational areas. After a 22-year hiatus, the MHA has enhanced the financial powers of top officials in paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies.
Director-Generals of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Assam Rifles, National Security Guards (NSG), Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and National Police Academy (NPA) now have greater authority to reward guides, interpreters, and informers. The maximum one-time reward per person has been boosted from Rs. 50 to Rs. 3,000, with the annual cap rising from Rs. 500 to Rs. 30,000.
The MHA order, issued in June and accessed by ANI, also revised other expenditure categories. Daily allowances for maintaining Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals have increased from Rs. 15 to Rs. 51.43. The annual budget for entertaining distinguished visitors has been raised from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 50,000, subject to government restrictions. The printing and binding allowance has doubled from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 2 lakh.
Separately, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit visited a Border Security Force (BSF) outpost in the Amritsar sector on July 24. He commended the BSF’s efforts in combating cross-border crime and praised its work in empowering Village Development Committees (VDCs) to aid anti-smuggling operations.
It’s worth noting that in 2021, the Union government expanded the BSF’s operational jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km along the international border in Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, granting the force wider search, seizure, and arrest powers.
