Tell me about your problems freely: CRPF DG to troops

Jawans and officers can freely tell the newly appointed CRPF chief A P Maheshwari their problems and share suggestions related to policy, he has said in his first message to the 3.25-lakh-strong force.

The CRPF Director General has issued a one-page message asking his troops to keep good physical and mental health and urged them to be stress-free even in difficult situations, so that they can appropriately perform their duties, rendered largely in challenging conditions.

Maheshwari, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, took charge of the force on January 15.

The Central Reserve Police Force is the country's lead security force for anti-Naxal and counter-terrorist operations in Kashmir valley and other regions.

The DG said in his message that good 'team work' will ensure success for the force, and field commanders should create an environment where jawans can bring their problems to them without hesitation and resolve their issues promptly.

"I very well know that the troops and officers are working on the ground under adverse circumstances. You can freely tell me about your problems. You can, based on your experience, also offer policy suggestions to me and these will be valuable inputs for me to take the force forward," Maheshwari wrote in his message issued in Hindi.

He said discipline in the force is the top-most priority and there will no compromise on it.

The DG said he is committed for the welfare of the families of the troops and he will ensure that all efforts in this direction are taken.

"We need to render our duties with high morale and full commitment and it should be our aim to ensure ease of living when we perform our task for the common people of the country," he said.

The CRPF, which has over 95 per cent of its strength on active field duty at any given point of time, has been taking the maximum casualties, injuries and diseases as compared to all other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for decades.

It was raised in 1939 as the Crown Representatives Police under the British and was renamed the CRPF in 1949.