New Delhi: Continuous deployment in “high intensity conflict areas” is forcing jawans and officers of country’s largest paramilitary CRPF to suffer from large-scale “social ostracisation”, a report prepared on the state of affairs of the force has said.
As per the voluminous analytical report prepared on the current status of the personnel of this three-lakh strong force, they also undergo trauma in marital and family issues and are unable to ensure good education for their children.
The report puts forth some damning facts about the “pathetic” living and work conditions as well as poor emotional and physical well-being of its men and women.
It states that while 80-89 per cent of the force remains on deployment at any given time, “80-85 per cent” troops remain continuously deployed to fight Maoists in 10 affectedstates (37 per cent), militancy in Jammu and Kashmir (28 per cent) and insurgency in northeast (16 per cent).
“Owing to extremely difficult and sub-human working conditions, the CRPF members are usually not able to fulfil their social obligations like attending marriages, deaths and other ceremonies in the immediate family and society. This creates a sense of isolation, hampers proper matrimonial alliances and they are ostracised from society,” the report,accessed by PTI and submitted to the government for redressal, said.
Within the extended family too, the report said, since a CRPF jawan is “most of the time absent during social functions and ceremonies like marriages, betrothals, funerals and other rituals on account of his official commitments, he continues to be socially isolated even within his own family.”
The report goes on to state it has been found that CRPF personnel even “have problems in finding suitable life partners for themselves and their children.”
“Children are mostly deprived of adequate parental control. This has tragic consequences in many cases. Understandably, very few parents prefer their sons and daughters to marry the wards of the force personnel,” the report added.
Calling for better coordination between PCC and Youth Congress, the note has suggested that youth Congress Presidents from districts and blocks should be invited for party meetings on those levels.
The CWC meeting is the most important party meeting to take place before the AICC meeting in March-April which will ratify the action plan prepared after consultation at the grass-roots for the revival of the party.
The Congress’ top brass, including party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, will be deliberating on the road ahead when the party has decided to take on the government in a big way against the land ordinance and has constituted a three-member group to fine-tune its strategy on the issue.
The party will also form a Parliament strategy group to take up the issue more effectively in the House when the Budget session begins.
Former Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and former Food Minister K V Thomas are members of the high-power group, which will try to reconcile the interests of various stakeholders while formulating the blueprint of Congress protest plan.
The CWC is meeting amid reports that Rahul Gandhi may be elevated to the position of party President.
