Correcting an anomaly linked to the existing difference in risk and hardship allowance between the armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Defence Ministry has brought military personnel on a par with their CAPF counterparts. This was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Army Commanders’ Conference on Thursday.
A case to increase the same was taken up by the Department of Defence in March 2019 and by the Department of Military Affairs in March 2020, defence officials said.
“After due deliberations among all affected stakeholders, it was submitted by the then Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee to the Defence Minister where it was subsequently approved,” one official stated.
The allowance will be admissible retrospectively from February 22, 2019, and the approximate cash outgo for the government is ₹10,000 crore.
The increase in allowance is also admissible to National Cadet Corps (NCC) units, training centres, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Military Engineer Services (MES) and other static units at one level lower as admissible to the combatant troops.
In addition, 40% of the personnel posted to Strategic Forces Command (SFC) will be paid allowance in the revised matrix, which is ₹10,500 for Officers and ₹6,000 for Junior Commissioned Officers and other ranks.
In case if there is any reduction in the revised allowance in any particular location, then the existing allowance would continue and also if any location has been inadvertently left out in the annexure, the existing allowance would continue, officials added.
