Union Budget 2013: Raw deal for paramilitary?

NEW DELHI: States will get more money from the Centre to modernize their police forces, but the overall allocation for central security agencies in the Budget does not appear to be encouraging at a time when paramilitary forces are under pressure to increase their footprints to meet growing challenges from terrorism, Left Wing Extremism and insurgency in the north-east.
The focus of the Budget is more towards dealing Maoist problems through increased development works with the finance minister P Chidambaram allocating an additional of Rs 1,000 crore for the Naxalite-affected districts.
Even parts of the Backward Regions Grant Fund will go to 82 Naxal-affected districts under the ongoing Integrated Action Plan (IAP) scheme, which is aimed at creating basic infrastructure in those areas.
The cumulative allocation for police has seen an increase of Rs 8,525 crore — from Rs 43,739 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 52, 264 crore in 2013-14. However, the outlay for cutting-edge agencies like central paramilitary forces, Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency, Narcotics Control Bureau, NATGRID etc recorded an increase of merely Rs 3,833 crore.
Overall, the home ministry got Rs 59,241 crore in the Budget — an 18% increase over last year — with an emphasis on providing new residential quarters and barracks for central armed police forces personnel.
States will, however, get more funds next fiscal under the Modernization of Police Forces (MPF) scheme which is a non-plan programme where the Centre provides funds to all the states to improve mobility and procure weapons, communication systems and other equipment. All states will collectively get Rs 1,847 crore during 2013-14.
While Jammu & Kashmir and all northeastern states, including Sikkim under the MPF scheme, get 100% assistance from the Centre, the remaining states get 75% of project funds from the Union government on an annual basis.
Chidambaram did not allocate any separate funds for the controversial National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which was initiated by him when he was the home minister as its fate still remains uncertain following strong objections from non-Congress chief ministers citing infringement of states' powers.