Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Saturday that the Union government has approved a 40% hardship and risk allowance for National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers, addressing their demanding operational environments. Shah made this announcement while welcoming a 35-member expedition team of the NDRF that recently successfully scaled the 21,625-foot-high Mt Manirang in Himachal Pradesh.
"The government has approved a 40% risk and hardship allowance for NDRF personnel only yesterday. This has been a long pending demand… All the 16,000 personnel of the force will benefit from this," Shah stated during the event celebrating the 'Vijay' expedition.
Officials clarified that this allowance is in addition to their regular salaries. Special forces like the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) currently receive a 25% hardship allowance due to the nature of their duties.
The 'Vijay' expedition marks the second mountaineering endeavor by the federal contingency force, with the team commencing their journey on June 1 from the base. Mt Manirang, situated on the border of Kinnaur and Spiti districts in Himachal Pradesh, posed significant challenges that the team successfully overcame.
Shah also highlighted the government's initiative to promote sports within the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and specialized organizations like the NDRF. "It has been decided that at least one team from these forces will mandatorily participate in international and national tournaments," Shah affirmed, noting the formation of a committee to oversee this initiative.