NEW DELHI: Almost 80% of the total workforce of the jawans in Border Security force (BSF) suffer from hypertension and an alarming 25 years ‘suffer from heart discuss.

The health study is part of a series of studies conducted on the BSF by different organizations. The studies have highlighted that poor working conditions, low salary structure and poor health conditions plague the BSF jawans.

‘The BSF jawan draws salary which is less than that of an unskilled laborer in a public sector undertaking, While a BSFj a wans’s basic salary is Rs 825 per month, an unskilled worker at Steel Authority of India Lid (SAIL) gets Rs 1,156, at the Gas Authority of India GA) it is Rs 1,350 and his counterpart in Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) draws Rs 1.086 per month.

Regarding the working conditions, the study points out that 95% of the force is deployed on the borders, in remote localities and in hostile areas_ They lead an isolated existence, which in turn generates sires and a host of health problems.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 26, 1995