Bill limiting SPG cover for ex-PMs introduced

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday introduced in the Lok Sabha, the SPG (Amendment) Act 2019, limiting the security cover of former prime ministers and their families. The government has pointed to the need for the special protection group to focus on the Prime Minister’s safety, given the “geopolitical situation” and India’s “hostile neighbourhood”.

Minister of State of Home Affairs G Kishen Reddy introduced the bill in the lower house of Parliament amid a disruption by the Congress, which was agitating against political developments in Maharashtra.

The SPG (Amendment) Act 2019 proposes to revert to the previous norm where security cover to former prime ministers was limited to a period of five years after they demitted office. In addition, the proposed legislation also proposes that only family members of former prime ministers “residing with him in the residence allotted to him” will be protected. This is contrary to the current position as former prime ministers and their family are provided security based on an “assessment” and there is no cut-off period for it. The SPG Act , 1998, limited providing security cover to former PMs to one year after they demitted office.

The statement of object and reason placed with the proposed law says that in the absence of a cut-off period, “the number of individuals to be protected can become large. In such a scenario, there can also impact the effectiveness of SPG in providing adequate cover to the principle protectee, the Prime Minister”.