JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the State government would release funds every year for the health check-up of policemen and their family members.
Speaking at the Police Commemoration Day at CAR Grounds on Mysore Road, Siddaramaiah said, “We have decided to implement a health benefit scheme for our policemen, similar to the Central government scheme for IAS and IPS officers.
The Central government sanctions Rs 1,000 every year to every IAS and IPS officer for health check-up. Similarly, the State government has decided to sanction Rs 1,000 every year to all policemen which could be used by them and their families. The IPS officers will be excluded from the facility.
He added that the State government had extended the group insurance facility from the constable level to the inspector level in 2014-15.
The insurance amount has been hiked from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. As many as 83,933 policemen will be benefited from this facility.
The compensation for those who lay down their lives while fighting naxals and terrorists has been hiked from Rs five lakh to Rs 20 lakh, the chief minister said. “The compensation for permanent disability has been hiked from Rs one lakh to Rs 10 lakh, while the compensation for those injured has been hiked from Rs 20,000 to Rs two lakh. The State government is spending huge sums to ensure accommodation facility to 11,000 staff members and 780 officers,” Siddaramaiah said.
Public schools
The government has opened Police Public Schools in Hubli, Mysore and Bangalore to impart quality education to the children of the policemen, the chief minister said. An amount of Rs 15 crore has been earmarked to open such schools in other districts. The government will increase the number of police canteens from 39 to 46, he added. Home Minister K J George, DG&IGP L R Pachuau and a host of senior officers were present at the event.
As many as 659 police officers and staff died while on duty last year. Among them, the prominent were sub-inspector Mallikarjun Bande, who was killed while fighting notorious rowdy Munna in Gulbarga, assistant sub-inspector Subhash of Bidar, head constable Shesha Rao.