‘Bouquet, cake & half-day off for jawans on birthday’

New Delhi, Aug. 12: The ITBP, which mans India’s frontier with China, has decided to grant troopers a half-day off and freedom to remain off uniform on their birthday with cake-cutting as part of a new measure to bolster the morale of the personnel who spend considerable time on duty away from home.

A beginning was made recently at a number of formations of the 90,000strong border guarding force.

According an order issued by the commanding officer of the 51st battalion of the force, deployed in Punjab’s Patiala, the unit notice board will henceforth mention the name of the birthday boy or girl and the personnel will be greeted with a bouquet by a senior official.

The unit will celebrate the occasion with a cakecutting and snacks treat.

The troopers, who will not be in uniform, will also be allowed to wear their best dress and take a half-day off if there are no pressing assignments, the order said.

“Happiness increases when we share it. As our jawans have to live away from their families for long owing to the nature of our task, we have decided to make their birthday special,” the order accessed by PTI said.

At the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force’s ‘animal transport’ wing in a forward area of Arunachal Pradesh in Lohit district, deputy inspector general Sudhakar Natrajan has issued directions that no birthday will be missed if the trooper is not on leave or assignment and is present in the unit.