SPOs remuneration to hike double:Jitendra Singh

Hailing the Rs 80,000 crorepackage announced today for Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Special Police Officers (SPOs) remuneration will be increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000through the central aid.
Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, hailedthe biggest-ever package given to the state so far by any government at the Centre and said he was particularly gratified by the fact that the issue of SPOs, which he had consistently pursued for the last two years, had finally been addressed through the package, a statement issued by his office said.
Monetary emoluments which are due to the SPOs, will be paid to them at the rate of double hike which was announced by the Union Home Ministry one year back but had not been paid to them because the state government expressed its inability to spare funds for the purpose, he said.

The fund for paying salaries of SPOs is included in the "security" related category of package announced today, the Minister said.
The SPOs had rendered exemplary service to combat militancy and therefore richly deserved it, Singh said.
He said SPOs will get remuneration of Rs 6,000. "The modalities in this regard will be worked out soon," the Minister said.

He also hailed the inclusion of PoJK refugees and displaced Kashmiri Pandits in the package as well as flood victims and border area youth.
Theprovision for raising specialbattalions of security force which will particularly provide jobs to youth living in border areas is also a good step, the Minister said.

Singh expressed happiness that while, as promised, all the three regions of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir had been given equitable share in the package, the issue of the different categories of refugees including Pak-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) refugees and displaced Kashmiri Pandit community for whom he had been personally striving for the last several years, had also, for the first time, found place in Prime Minister's package, the statement said.