Home ministry says compensation for paramilitary personnel disabled in action rises to Rs 20 lakh

New Delhi: Ex-gratia compensation for paramilitary personnel, injured in action leading to 100 percent disability, has been increased from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.[caption id="attachment_3543223" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. Reuters[/caption]The enhanced compensation will be applicable to all central paramilitary personnel whose disability is attributed to or aggravated in service on or after 1 January, 2016, the home ministry said in an office memorandum recently."It has been decided to revise rate of ex-gratia lump sum compensation from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 20 lakh with effect from 1 January, 2016 for 100 percent disability to CAPF and Assam Rifles on the basis of recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission," it stated.For cases with less than 100 per cent disability, the amount of ex-gratia compensation may be reduced in proportion to the degree of disability.About 10 lakh personnel in eight forces come under the home ministry.They are: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP), Assam Rifles (AR), National Security Guards (NSG), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).Paramilitary personnel are deployed in some of the most hostile environments and face some of the toughest fights. These include battling terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern region, anti-Naxal operations and other law and order duties.They are also deployed along the inhospitable India-Pakistan border and the icy heights of the Sino-Indian border.