'Govt to ensure minimum Rs 1 cr compensation to CAPFS martyrs'
NEW DELHI: The government is making all out efforts to ensure that families of troops killed in the line of duty are provided a compensation of not less than Rs one crore, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
Singh declared this after inaugurating a new government website, along with actor Akshay Kumar, that will allow common people to make monetary donations to families of paramilitary troops killed in action, with an upper limit of Rs 15 lakh to a single family.
"It has been our constant effort to ensure that a family of a martyr who is killed in action does not get a compensation amount less than a crore...i have said that I am even ready to spread my hands and seek funds from my countrymen in this regard," Singh said during the ceremony which also marked the annual 'Valour Day' event of the CRPF.
He added some state governments also provide such funds to families of slain troops but still some "gap" remains and their effort is to fill up these.
The Minister added the country will remain indebted to its soldiers forever and that their welfare is his "top priority" by saying: "hum aapka ehsaan kabhi nahi utaar payenge" as he lauded the men and women of paramilitary forces deployed for operations in some of the most difficult and hard areas in the country.
As per present compensation norms, the family of a slain soldier of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFS) like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles gets about Rs 50-60 lakh and the "gap" the Minister talked about ranges between Rs 40-50 lakh before they get the Rs one crore compensation.
The website, www.bharatkeveer.gov.in, is a step in this direction and has been launched after Akshay Kumar met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi about 2.5 months back with a proposal in this regard. NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday received a pat from President Pranab Mukherjee for completing the budget exercise by March 31 and not seeking a the Vote on Account, which happened for the first time in many years.
"I congratulate the Finance Minister for completing the budgetary exercise and seeking the approval of both Houses of Parliament, all the expenditure proposals, and all matters relating to the Finance Bill within March 31," Mukherjee said.
"And after many years, I do not remember of after how many years, no Vote on Account was taken this particular year," the President said.
The Vote on Account is an interim arrangement under which approval of Parliament is obtained to withdraw money from the consolidated fund when the budget for new financial year is not passed.
The President was speaking after the mega draw of Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government this year advanced the budget presentaion to February 1 from the traditional presentation date of February 28 or the last working day of the month. The move was aimed at helping the government begin the investment cycle right from the first day of the new financial year, April 1.
The nearly century-long practice of having a separate railway budget was also ended and it was merged with the General Budget.