NEW DELHI: As many as 3, 000SPG men Would now be engaged in giving security cover to the Prime Minster, former prime ministers and their family members, pulling additional burden of R.s 240 million on the exchequer and a recurring annual expenditure of R.s 160 million thanks to the insistent coterie members of the Congress (I).
So far, the government was making with just about 1,200 men in this elite force which was essentially meant to provide security cover to the incumbent prime minister and members of his immediate family. The recurring annual expenditure n them was R.s 8 crore.
The coterie, however, succeeded in getting the SPG Act amended after persistent efforts on the plea of providing security to Sonia Gandhi and her children. The National Security Guard (NSG), they pleaded, was not adequate for their security, they pleaded. In the process, the SPG entitlement has been widened to cover all former PMs and their family members, necessitating his huge expenditure and a burgeoning paraphemalia.
The govt has just cleared an expenditure of R.s 24 crore for recruitment of additional staff, accommodation and other infrastructural facilities for the SPG men. The enlarged SPG force will now be headed by an officer of the rank of director general of police, apart from a secretary (security). There will be six officers of the rank of inspector-general of police instead of three at present and the number of DIGs” would be more than a dozen.
Equipment, including the largest and most sophisticated electronic gadgets, is being imported at a cost of R.s 4 crore.
The elite force will be entitled to special privileges. For example, there will be cent per cent accommodation for its men. They will get 50% deputation allowance, apart from R.s 3,500 uniform allowance.
All the SPG men will travel in bullet proof cars from their places of residence to office and back. They will also be entitled to air passage all over the country. Besides, some of them will be getting foreign assignments depending upon the mood of the VVP security.
Apart from the Prime Minister, P.V Narasimha Rao, and his family members, those who will be entitled to this privileged force include Sonia Gandhi and her children, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar and their family members.
Among the coterie members who fought a relentless battle for affecting an amendment m the SPG act were S.S. Ahulwalia and Ramnakar Pandey, both Congress (I) Rajya Sabha members. Ahluwalia had, in fact, introduced a private members bill on it, highly embarrassing the Narasimha Rao govt While the two members were on the forefront, there were several others who put constant pressure on the Prime Minister. Narasimha Rao, ultimately, buckled under pressure agreeing for the amendment of the SPG Act.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 25, 1991
